Category Archives: success

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Don’t Just Talk About Leadership, Teach It

Recent Speaking Event, Two Books to Recommend, and a Shout-Out to Colleagues and Student-Leaders!

This past week, I had the privilege and honor to be one of the speakers at the Sandusky Bay Conference Leadership Summit for Youth Leaders, along with my superintendent, Pat Adkins, and other experts from our region. We led sessions to help student-leaders understand that leadership is more than a title, taught them what sportsmanship really is, and offered alternatives and direction when adversity arrives.

The student-leaders were amazing! We really need to give young adults more praise and opportunity. I was incredibly impressed with their attentiveness, appreciation, ideas, and leadership. The students shared some poignant challenges: too much drama in their sport, unruly fans, unsupportive family, poor role models and more! They also shared solutions and ideas that made me leave with great hope that we are in good hands with these future leaders.

Too often, I believe, parents, teachers, coaches, advisors, and community leaders have expectations from students on leadership but rarely take the time to teach and train them on ways to deliver. Everybody values leadership, but they are hoping, or expecting, someone else to take care of it. That’s why I think a day like this Sandusky Bay Conference Leadership Summit for Youth Leaders is so important. The leaders of the SBC, like our awesome Athletic Director, Rick Dominick,  believe leadership and sportsmanship are important enough to schedule it, plan it, and offer it to schools in our region. Kudos to all who accepted and participated. I believe over 400 students attended. The students now have a lot of great leadership tools to take back to their teams and district to not only apply in their lives, but to teach other.

What a great day! I wish that I could have attended the other sessions as well and learned from the other speakers.

One of the reasons I wrote my first book, Along Came a Leader, Click to Read More

 

 

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3 Things You Own That Are Keeping You From What You Want

We own a lot of stuff.

I recently looked at a house for sale, and two thoughts immediately came to my mind, “Wow! These people own a lot of stuff. If we were to buy this house, how would they ever pack it all up?” The second was, “My family sure owns a lot of stuff, how would we ever pack it all up?”

Among all of the physical trinkets, items, and perhaps even necessities in our life, there are other ‘things’ we own that we are not even aware of that have a negative impact. They aren’t packed in a box or sitting on a shelf. We carry them with us everywhere we go.  Becoming aware of the ownership of these things and taking small steps to remove them will go a long way in our own personal success and happiness, as well as the happiness and success of all the people around us.

There are three things that you own that are keeping you from everything that you want.

That’s a pretty bold statement, but it’s true, and one of them is a goat. Yep, a goat.

I’m as guilty as the next person. Owning these three things have prevented me from the relationships I want, the opportunities I want, and even the things I want in life.

Here are the three things you own that are keeping you from what you want, and what you can do about it: Click to Read More

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Speaking at The World Education Summit

Speaking With John Hattie, Jo Boaler, Sal Kahn and so many MORE.

I am excited to be a speaker at The World Education Summit. I had three (3) sessions accepted! This is my second time speaking at the World Education Summit. Some of my education heroes are speaking there as well like: John Hattie, Jo Boaler, Sal Kahn and so many MORE. It is an extravaganza of teaching and learning! Such an honor and privilege.

Learn more at www.worldedsummit.com  and follow @WorldEdSummit #WorldEdSummit

My three (3) presentations:

Session One Title: Start a Podcast and Teach the World: The Wired Educator Podcast by Kelly Croy 

3 Key Points from Your Session

  • The Most Important Thing I Have Learned from Creating 232 Episodes
  • Discover Why Podcasting is Absolutely the Best Social Media Platform
  • Learn the Ingredients of a Successful Podcast

Session Two Title: Don’t Hope Children Develop Coping Skills for Anxiety, Teach Them: A Book Talk on Unthink Before Bed by Kelly Croy

3 Key Points from Your Session Click to Read More

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Books I Read in 2022 and Some Thoughts on Reading

I find great enjoyment and personal growth in reading every day. I am not a fast reader. I tend to take my time with my books, and I really try to apply what I am learning.

I am including a list of the books I read in 2022 in this post, but first some thoughts on reading:

Reflecting on my reading for last year I have three takeaways:

  1. First, I would like to read more fiction. I think we all need a story in our head. We need a diversion from the seriousness and busyness of life. We need to see there are problems bigger than what we are facing. We need to be inspired. I only read one piece of fiction last year. I will do better.
  2. Next, reading a lot is NOT the goal. I am not trying to read for mileage, but for enjoyment and to learn. If I can read more, wonderful! It’s not a competition. One book can change a life. I want to read those books. I want to write those books.
  3. Finally, I resolve to mix up and diversify my reading for this year. I read too much in the same categories, same authors, and my reading is pretty predictable. I did a little better on this last year, but I hope to discover some gems outside my wheelhouse of reading.

Five things I read reach day: Click to Read More

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Sharing My Goals for 2023

I've Never Shared My Goals Before. Trying to Hold Myself Accountable and Encourage Others

Goals can be a very private endeavor and perhaps they should be. There are TED Talks and Stoic Philosophy to support why you should NOT share what your are working toward. There is also some research to suggest maybe you should as it helps you accomplish your goals. I know several writers that I admire who share their goals, and I find it inspiring. Regardless of which is truly right and best, I have decided to share my goals this year.

As the first month of the year comes to a close, and I’ve shared ideas and tools to help you design a better year, I thought perhaps I would share some of my goals and the thoughts behind them to help hold myself more accountable, and I hope one or two may inspire others to get outside their comfort zone, set some of their own, and make some progress.

Typically the majority of goals around the world and over time fall into three primary categories: health, finances, and relationships.

I typically make a long list of my hopes and dreams for the new year. I also have five categories that I focus on with my goals setting which are: physical, financial, family, professional and business. From all of these I also pick the top three overall goals as my primary focus.

I keep everything organized in my journal.

Again, this is my first time sharing online ever! It may be my last too.

My top three goals for 2023 are: Click to Read More

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My Habit Trackers, To-Do Lists and Journals

If you want something done you either do it now or you schedule it. Since you can’t do everything at once, you might be creating a pretty long list.

I’m proud of the accomplishments in my life, but I’ve got more on the way. In fact, I think I am just getting started.

I’m proud of what I accomplish each year, month, week and most days. It’s not luck. What I finish is the result of goal setting in my journals, habit tracking, and a daily to-do list.

I am sharing with you the exact tools I use, both physical and digital, of how I work in hopes you will find some value in them and try them out, as well as share some of your tools and processes in the comments.

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My One Word for 2023

A few years ago I added an important ingredient to my annual planning and goal setting process, the ‘my one word for the year’ theme made popular by writers Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page in their book, One Word That Will Change Your Life.

The concept from the book is that the properly chosen word can summarize our goals and resolutions for the entire year into a single word. A single word allows focus, simplicity, determination, and according to the authors, a greater percentage of success than just making a list. I however do both.

Their book guides you through a helpful process centering around three questions:

What is needed? What’s in my way? What must go?

I have improvised my own method of getting to my own word that works well for me. My method centers around the guidance in the book, my journaling, a deep reflection on the previous year, and listing words that I believe are suitable and choosing among them.

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When Imbalance is Needed

This evening I received a wonderful email from someone who read my book, Along Came a Leader: A Guide to Personal and Professional Leadership. It is always awesome to get a message like this, and this email from Devon asked a great question.

“What measures can I use to prioritize the dozen areas of my life I am passionate about? There are so many projects in which I long to go full speed ahead. However, I have only so much gas and horsepower.” ~Devon

This was my reply:

A balanced life? Hmmmm…

I wish I knew that secret but I will share some of my thoughts on this.

I keep a journal. It helps. I track some basic daily habits in a grid.
I write down my goals for the year. I write monthly goals as the months arrive.
I have a daily to-do list of a few items.
There is honestly always leftovers.

I review my goals often.

The problem I have noticed is that some years my goals are the same as the previous year.
That is when imbalance is necessary.

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