Teach Something - Day 9

 Teach something.  This should be an easy one.  I know I have a lot of knowledge and do a ton of teaching throughout my days.  Part of my life’s mission statement is about my drive to teach others.  But I’m drawing a blank. 

 

Inspiring and teaching others through my enthusiasm for 

Striving for My Best 

with patience, kindness, calmness, exploration & adventure.

 

I love reflecting on my mission statement.  When I spent the time earlier this year working on a ton of self reflection and exploration, it felt so incredible to develop this statement that feels like it so aptly describes my personal and professional goals in a way I don’t think I’d previously been able to tap into. 

My core values:

Exploration.  This is my drive to be my best self.  To constantly seek knowledge.  Whether it’s from a book or from new experiences.  Reflecting back on my previous life choices, it’s why I chose to go to Morocco while on a trip to Madrid, rather than the more similar Barcelona.  It’s the unknown, and pushing myself one step further with every choice I make in life.  

About two years ago was the last time I had worked on my Core Values.  I came up with Adventure as my top Core Value.  That same weekend, I was working on booking a ‘last minute’ trip to Rome to take my son on his first trip overseas because I found an incredible deal on plane tickets and my Aunt and Uncle were living in Rome at the time.  I think Adventure is close, but Exploration is the more perfect fit in the top slot.

 

Relationships.  I value my friendships, my colleagues, my family and my relationships with so many people in my life.  I’ve gotten away from this Core Value in the past, but I now recognize that I need to prioritize reaching out to those I care about and being present, in the moment, with those closest to me.

 

Enthusiasm, Passion.  This is my excitement for life, bubbling over with my energy for what I am doing.  I’ve often been called bouncy, and I think this is it.  I just get so excited that I can’t wait to keep going with what’s giving me the sense of thrill (even now as I type, I’m struggling for my fingers to keep up with my excitement).  And that sense of thrill is often very easy for me to find in everyday activities… a hike, a relaxing dinner with friends, a great project at work!

 

Content, Relaxation.  This one is a little harder for me (see excitement above).  I’m using pushing myself to go pedal to the medal, but in my vision of a perfect day, it’s at a much slower pace, I’m relaxed, not feeling hurried or that urge to get to the next thing.  It’s being present with the people and the activity at hand, not wanting to be anywhere else at that moment.  Even as I type that, I can see how this is reflected in a lot of other areas of my life, it’s not just sitting back having good conversation with good wine and good food, but it’s laying on the floor with my son playing games that he’s made up in the hour between his school and our next activity.  It’s carving out that special time and not worrying about being anywhere else.  This one also covers Patience, with my self and with others. 

 

Decisiveness and Realistic.  These are values that I think are most reflected in ‘Work Dorothy’ – my colleagues see this come out most often in my contributions to conversations about design and what the best direction to head is.  My drive is to feel grounded in my quest and that I am in the driver’s seat, not seeking validation from others.  This is one I’m working on.  I can reflect back and see times that I didn’t honor this value and why that didn’t work for me.  I also don’t think these are values that are the ONLY way for me.  I do accept and appreciate others’ input.  And I’m able to keep the trajectory moving forward with everyone’s best interests in mind.

 

Clever.  This last-but-not-least Value covers quite a few words that semi-relate but feel so important to me.  Clever, Whitty, Light-hearted, Astute, Versatile, Talented.  Work hard and have FUN doing it.  This one comes more naturally to me.  It’s not that I strive to make jokes or prove my talent, it’s just who I am at my core.  I make sarcastic remarks, quips, friendly banter, and then I can switch gears and stay completely professional and centered towards what needs to get accomplished in the moment. 

 

What have I set out to teach today?  Maybe just a little more Exploration about myself, but for me, it’s how important it is to do this self work and reflection.  I use these Values and my Mission Statement to guide my choices in life.  Whether it’s consciously or nonconsciously. 

If you’d like to learn more, a few resources I used when developing my Core Values are as follows (not sponsors):

The Empowered Mama by Lisa Druxman

Balance 365 Program