For anyone involved in education in North America, September is a new school year. This new year could mean new students, new parents, new colleagues, and sometimes it even means a new school, new classroom, or even a new curriculum.
It's always a fresh new start.
A new year - new students, new parents, new colleagues and more!
As a teacher, I love that it is a chance to correct my mistakes and try new things or even build new skills as an educator. In my personal life, I see it the same way. Sometimes this chance for a fresh start begins in January with a new year or maybe it's an anniversary - a chance to reflect on a relationship. Maybe it's a birthday - a chance to learn new skills to build physical or mental wellness. Or maybe it's just a new month or a new season or a new career.
I can correct my mistakes and try new things or build new skills
Either way, it's a choice. An opportunity to take time to reflect and to grow. Now some changes are hard, some habits are hard to break and even more so, some mindsets are difficult to reframe. I have found that skills help.
The skill of self-validation reminds me to be kind to myself and to use words of self-encouragement. Maybe I could say something like change is hard and I can do this. Radical acceptance is another helpful skill especially when the current situation is so painful and there seems little hope. I might need to remind myself to let it go; to focus on my growth through the journey; that this is a marathon, not a sprint.
This is a marathon, not a sprint.
The basic assumption skill of try again and try it differently is so helpful when I'm open to trying new things in a new way. I love the image of a protractor and that a five-degree angle when expanded out is a big change. It demonstrates that we don't have to be held back by the enormity of change, but instead can do a little at a time with expectation and hope that growth will come.
A final skill that I love is called do-overs or reset. Do-overs are a key skill. It's a chance to say I'm wrong and be okay to admit that. It's being willing to say that I want to try again because the person or the relationship or even the job is important enough to make it right. I might say that yesterday I wasn't my best self. Can we try that conversation again? It truly is starting fresh and letting go of history. A gift we can give to ourselves and others.
A gift we can give to ourselves and others.
A fresh start is a great way to approach the month of September and learning skills will help you do it well and that's a great idea too.
Why not check out our new workshops for the fall or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or X to learn more about fresh starts this September?
Check out our latest registration page for fall workshops.
It's going to be epic!!
https://www.silaskills.org/register-here