“If you went to a grammar school why did you only become a teacher?”
It was not an insult but a genuine question from a pupil.
(And one pupils have asked a few times over the years).
I wasn’t offended – it reminded me that my purpose was alive and well.
Teaching is difficult, frustrating, tiring, and draining.
But the contribution is rewarding.
Keeping connected to our purpose is essential for us to deal with the day-to-day experience of teaching.
I used to say my previous career as a data analyst for a media planning agency was about one thing.
“Getting people to buy things they don’t want with money they don’t have.”
There was no contribution for me.
To keep us going, it’s not enough to…
…know our values
…have a mission, or
…create goals.
We get inspired for about two weeks when we create them (appraisal anyone?) and then forget about them.
What’s essential is keeping connected to our purpose.
Three ways to keep our purpose alive include:
- Creating an uplifting mobile wallpaper and change it every month,
- Writing it on a different colour post-it stuck in our planner every week, or
- Taking three deep breaths and saying to ourselves before we turn on our laptops every morning.
You know your purpose – how do you stay true to it?
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