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Newsletter: Nov 3, 2021: 4 Ideas to Knock Around! Cheer for Yourself! How to Read More! Mental Wellness Tools and Tips! Take the Garbage Out!

My November 3, 2021 Newsletter

Four Awesome Ideas to Level-Up and Design a Better Life!

Hello there!

Something great is around the next corner for you, now let’s get to 4 Ideas to Knock Around, shall we?

  1. Quote I’m Reflecting on: “Spend more time cheering for yourself than your favorite sports team. Most people do the opposite and wonder why they’re so unhappy.” ~Jarek Lewis
  2. How to Read More Books Than You Ever Imagined: I recently came across an amazing app for my phone called that provides written and audio summaries of books that I can consume like potato chips. (If you’ve never seen me consume potato chips, you’re welcome.) I was skeptical of Blinkist, but tried the free , and then I fell in love. I know I’ll never be able to consume all the books I want to read about becoming a better human, building a better business, and many other important categories, yet Blinkist breaks down the core concepts of books I know I’ll never get to and offers it in easily consumable “blinks” that allow me to get the gist of an entire book in about 12 minutes. I kid you not. I’m now a subscriber. Yes, of course I still read, and a lot, and I still listen to audio books on Audible, regularly, but I love Blinkist for those books that I just want the essence of to apply in my life. . That’s saying a lot.
  3. Awesome Mental Wellness Tips & Tools: I recently attended a presentation by Denny Doughty and Lonnie Rivera where they mentioned some quick and easy ways to improve mental wellness from legend speaker and poverty expert, Ruby Payne. Their tips included: water, tapping and touch, looking up, and breathing techniques. I NEVER knew water could impact anxiety. I had heard of some tapping techniques in the past, but I was very skeptical, a friend shared the app with me and well… I am finding value. Looking up!?! Who knew that looking up, that’s right, just looking at the ceiling can improve your mental wellness. That’s easy enough to do. Breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 4 seconds, and slowly letting it go for 4, was also mentioned, and that is a practice I employed in my children’s book, . Try these out and let me know how they go! I am putting all to use. Yes, I deal with anxiety every day. Some days it is a war, so I need every weapon imaginable.
  4. Take Out the Garbage: A Message From Me: “The garbage in this world isn’t just physical pollution. I love and admire people who decide to contribute and help. So many people either act as if it is someone else’s job, or they just don’t care. Kindness and check-ins are elite actions. Not fluff. How we deal with ‘pollution’ is a measure of our own personal and professional leadership. How do we stop contributing? How do we help clean it up? Too many pass it by or just point. I am fully committed to making the world a better place. I will not allow the negativity nor pessimism of others to delay or derail me.”

Thank you for being a part of this newsletter. I hope you will share it with a colleague, family member, or friend.

Kelly

This link will take you to how we can connect:

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Knockabout Newsletter: Wired Educator Publishes First Author/Educator, Keven Rinaman

I am excited to announce that Wired Educator has published its first book, 3DU: A Guide to 3D Printing in Every Classroom, written by Keven Rinaman.

If your school has a 3D Printer, it needs this book. Keven provides simple and affordable ways to start 3D printing in ANY classroom, no matter what grade or content area. Yes, EVERY educator can use 3D printing to engage students and help them create. As the host of The Wired Educator Podcast it has always been my primary mission to celebrate and promote the voices of outstanding educators. I am proud to celebrate the outstanding work of Keven Rinaman and share his voice and message with the world.

The Wired Educator Motto is, “To Level Up and Make a Difference in the Lives of Students”. Keven’s book does that and more. Keven’s book emphasizes that students should be using devices to create MORE than they consume. I love the possibilities and direction Keven offers teachers to bring 3D printing to every grade and every content area.It gives me great pride to help a fellow educator publish a physical book that another educator can hold in their hands, apply in their classroom, add to and pass along to others. This is the first book published by Wired Educator. I can feel the impact this book will have in students’ lives, I can picture the amazing creations students will design and produce, I can hear the laughs of failed prints, and the cheers of success as students and teachers collaborate together to create an environment of learning where experimentation, reflection on failure, and the tenacity to try again until they succeed is the norm.

Congratulations Keven on an amazing book and making a global impact on education. Well done.

~Kelly Croy

Keven Rinaman is an educator and author.

He has taught history, math, and technology at middle and high school grades, and has served as the technology director and Dean of Students for his district. Keven has coached numerous sports including: wrestling, golf, baseball and esports. He is a graduate of Heidelberg University and Western Governors University, earning both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Tiffin University.

Keven is the author of 3DU: A Guide to 3D Printing in Every Classroom, the host of an educational podcast titled, Magic Potion EDU, and blogs at TeachersTechToolbox.com. Keven has spoken at numerous national and regional conferences including FETC and OETC.

Keven lives with his wife Katie, and son, Cooper in Tiffin, Ohio. Contact Keven at kevenrinaman@gmail.com

Book description: Did your school purchase a 3D printer for teachers to use? Did someone donate one to your classroom and you are not sure how you will use it with your students? Check out 3DU: A Guide to 3D Printing in Every Classroom. This book is full of project ideas and lessons that will help any teacher, in any grade level, and in any content area, learn how they can use this technology with their students.
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Starting with the basics of vocabulary and how the printer functions, readers will then embark on a journey that features projects and lessons that dive deeper with their students and make a cultural shift from consumption to creation. This book will give students the opportunity to get hands-on with their learning and make objects that demonstrate their understanding of classroom content through creative means.​

3DU is for you if…

  • You are a teacher eager to engage students with your content.
  • You want students to design, create, and find solutions.
  • You are an administrator leading instructional change toward a 21st-century learning environment.
    You want to create opportunities of hope, fun, and fulfillment for students.
  • Wired Educator Consulting, Inc. will be publishing the voices of more educators over the next year. Stay tuned.

Kelly Croy is the host of The Wired Educator Podcast and founder of Wired Educator Consulting, Inc.

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Integrity is Your Resume’

Live Authentically!

Some things in life truly are all or nothing, and integrity is clearly one of them.

You can’t be a ‘little bit’ honest.

Morality isn’t a fad.

A lifetime of studying and practicing leadership has taught me that integrity is the greatest filter of all leaders.

Anyone can be honest and true in a moment, for a day, a duration, a stint, but integrity is the sum of all our decisions and actions. Integrity is our resume’.

You can hold many leadership positions…

You can obtain numerous degrees…

You can have a tremendous list of references…

But in the end your integrity will separate your ability to lead from others.

I love that the word “integrity” has the word “gritty” kinda built in there, because it takes courage and resolve to consistently make decisions and actions with intention and morality.

Living an authentic life is paramount to maintaining your credibility as a leader, serving others, and leaving a lasting impact.  Authenticity is the glue that holds leadership together; without it a leader falls apart. 

If you assembled all of the people you know, together in one room, would they describe the same person? Authenticity isn’t about being perfect, but it has everything to do with trust, integrity, and loyalty. Living an authentic life is paramount to maintaining your credibility as a leader and leaving a lasting impact on others. We trust and admire those who live authentic lives. Leaders are people who live by a set of core values regardless of the circumstances, and regardless who is around. 

Do you act the same way regardless of who is around? Or are you a different person to different people? As a teacher and coach I have observed that student athletes often act differently depending on who is watching them. The same holds true for many of the fellow employees I have worked alongside over the years.  Even within some families we see behavior changes, and issues of integrity based on who is around at the time.  I have had many discussions with teachers and coaches that describe very different observations of the same student, athlete, or colleague.

Authenticity is about who you say you are, who people say you are, and who you really are. Tell me what you truly value and I’ll tell you what kind of person you will become.

Authenticity is the glue that holds leadership together. Without it a leader falls apart. Nothing will weaken your impact more, or destroy your accomplishments faster than a breach of trust or a lapse in your integrity.

Every conversation, decision and action adds to your integrity or subtracts from it.

Make the next best decision.

Live authentically.

~Kelly

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 208 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

 

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Leaders Get Rid of the Crappy Stuff

Dan Butler Has a New Book Out: Permission to be Great

Leaders Get Rid of ‘The Crappy Stuff’

When CEO Mark Parker of Nike called Apple CEO Steve Jobs for advice, Jobs told him to “get rid of the crappy stuff.”

According to Forbes, When Parker asked for advice, Jobs said: “Well, just one thing. Nike makes some of the best products in the world. Products that you lust after. But you also make a lot of crap. Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff.”

Leaders make a difference in the lives of others and the world. They do what has not been done before. They take people to new places. Leaders create meaningful experiences. To accomplish this, however, leaders can’t be tenacious about everything; they must focus on what matters. Take Steve Jobs’s advice to heart: identify the crappy stuff and let it go. Focus on what will produce results. Focus on what matters. 

One of the most important things a leader must do is identify what they shouldn’t do. Don’t try to do everything. Learn to say, “No.” Be proud of what you do, but be prouder of what you didn’t do. There is much wisdom in these words. 

(The above is an excerpt from my book, Along Came a Leader.)

I just finished an interview with Dan Butler for my Wired Educator Podcast. (Dan and I were fortunate enough to present at Jeff Zoul’s What Great Educators Do Differently Conference in Texas.) Dan just published an awesome new book titled Permission to be Great. In the book he discusses six areas that cause mismatches between people and their work. These mismatches cause stress and burnout.

It’s a leader’s job to remove some obstacles, take something off the plate, or as Steve Jobs put it, “Get rid of the crappy stuff.”

My challenge to you: What are you going to eliminate?

Leaders and innovators frequently talk about what they are going to start, do and finish, but there is a finite amount of time and space in a day, week and year. Just like a coffee cup, if you keep adding things will eventually spill over.

As we make plans both personally and professionally, we will certainly be adding new initiatives and goals, but what are we willing to remove?

What needs to go?

I hope you will send me an email or leave a comment below about what you plan to reduce or eliminate.

I hope you will grab a copy of Dan’s new book. It is a great book for leaders wanting to improve their culture.

I loved our conversation. It will be going live next week on The Wired Educator Podcast.)

(I like how both our books have an arrow pointing at each other’s book.)

~Kelly

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 200episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

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Appreciation Isn’t a Day

I am certain few people forgot Mother’s Day this past Sunday.

I would imagine most people knew last week was Teacher Appreciation Week.

I’m guessing few knew, though, that Principals’ Day was the previous Saturday.

All incredibly deserving of our appreciation.

Appreciation can be challenging to sincerely express.

How on Earth can we truly show appreciation to our mother? Flowers?

How do we adequately show appreciation to teachers, especially in this year of ‘what’s behind door #3’ of learning environments? Food?

How do we let principals know we are thankful for their hours of service and putting out countless fires? Elbow bump?

Obviously the answer isn’t things. Things are tokens and symbols of our appreciation.

Our appreciation of course isn’t only on a single day or even a week.

Our appreciation for others is woven into our daily conversations and interactions. It should be genuine, frequent, and first.

‘First’ is probably the most important quality. Before we begin any work, a mutual acknowledgment of some sort should be felt. We don’t have to agree on everything and won’t. We can have differences of opinions and should. We may do jobs differently, but they need to be done effectively. I see your differences, and you see mine, but we engage in the appreciation of one another. We can feel it. We know.

I see you. I see the value you bring. I acknowledge both genuinely and frequently.

Everyone deserves to feel appreciated for the work they do and the impact they make. Some frown on ‘trophies for all’ and a part of me gets that, but the bigger part of me wants to point out that appreciation and trophies are two different things. Award excellence if you wish, but always show appreciation to others.

I find it odd that to watch a server at an expensive restaurant thanked and given a generous gratuity while a cashier at a fast food restaurant, working at a hectic pace, is given nothing and too frequently treated poorly.

No one should leave work nor end their day with the feeling they are not enough.

Everyone deserves to feel appreciated and valued. You don’t have to be the MVP, Mother of the Year, or Employee of the Month for appreciation.

A colleague shared her key to appreciation: understanding others’ love languages. Knowing how others feel appreciated. Not everyone feels appreciated the same way. For instance, some people feel appreciation with words of affirmation, others would internally prefer meaningful time with you, while others scream “Feed me!” and a few will gladly take that gift card. Personalized appreciation is probably the hardest to deliver, but the the most meaningful. (You can learn more from the book  The Five Love Languages.)

I have spoken at appreciation and recognition nights. Those are indeed special, and I say let’s keep the days and weeks as we have them, but let’s all try to show genuine kindness and appreciation to one another daily. A smile and a kind word is good fuel for the soul. Be first!

~Kelly

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 197 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 


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Great Leaders Care for Themselves

Great leaders care for themselves.

Whether you are the leader of a Fortune 500 company, president of a university, an organizer in your community, or a leader of your home, there is one person that if neglected, will negatively impact all those you serve and lead; that person is you.

After facing a crisis, a challenge, a monumental setback, or a scare, the most common takeaway for those involved is that they will remember to always put their family first and take care of themselves. It’s the number one lesson reported. It’s also, almost always, short-lived.

I remember the promises I made when my father died, the commitment I made after our automobile accident, and the priorities I set during quarantine. I also remember, ever so slowly, drifting away from each over time and back to overworking and over stressing.

Whether you are the leader of a Fortune 500 company, president of a university, a leader in your community, or a leader of your home, there is one person that if neglected, will negatively impact all those you serve and lead; that person is you.

The truth is we almost always go back to our old ways. Our old habits re-emerge and take over once again. We overwork ourselves. We hyper-focus on things we shouldn’t. Our families slowly but surely start to get less of our time and certainly not the best of our time. The time we give ourselves and others soon becomes whatever we can fit in, if any at all, and in short bursts at best.

Our true priorities and values soon only receive whatever is left of our day. The workout isn’t scheduled but rather squeezed in somewhere. That activity that we found such value in, the one that made us feel alive, gave us purpose and fulfillment is reduced and undervalued. Playtime with the kids and quality time with your spouse becomes infrequent.

I hope I’m wrong. I fear I’m right.

Great leaders, great humans, the happiest of people, honor their values and prioritize taking care of themselves.

It’s not selfish. 

Would you want to work for someone who treated you as poorly as you most often treat yourself?  Would you want to work for someone who talked to you the way you talk to yourself? Probably not.

Don’t allow yourself to become a statistic.

How you treat yourself becomes the example you set for all those you lead, whether it be in your home, your company, community or organization. Let others know that self care is as important as how we treat others. Remind each other to set goals and push yourself, but equally treat yourself with kindness and care.

Work hard! Set goals! Get after it! Just do it in a way that builds you up, not tear yourself down, and possibly inspires others to live in a similar way.

~Kelly

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 188 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

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FFP 042: Three Ingredients to a Better Self

The Future Focused Podcast: Episode 042 "Three Ingredients to Your Better Self"

In this episode of The Future Focused Podcast, I discuss three important ingredients to your better self.

Getting better does not happen accidentally; it takes intention and some effort. Most people focus on dieting, lifting weights, reading books, budgeting, investing and other important areas, but overlook these very three “doable” daily actions. The results are immediate.

Click here to listen to this episode. 

Knowing the three is NOT enough. I want you to hear why you need them and how to put them to use.

Jump in this podcast 14 minute podcast. Lean into what I am sharing. Put it to use.

Show Notes:

This link will take you to ALL of my social media: https://linktr.ee/kellycroy (I love Link Tree.)

Want to give your child or a child you know the gift of confidence and tools to tackle worry and anxiety? Order my new book Unthink Before Bed. It is a children’s book on mindfulness. It’s the perfect gift and bedtime book. I am so proud of it! It is a very fun read.

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 188 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

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Consistency Happens by Choice Not Chance: Schedule it!

Consistency Happens by Choice Not Chance: Schedule it!

Three hundred and eleven days. That’s as far as it went. I missed a full-year streak of closing all three rings on my Apple Watch by 54 days.

What happened?

Well, I could make the excuse that it has been 24 degrees outside for the past three days. I could defend myself and tell you about all of the projects I have been working on and how busy I’ve been. I’m sure I could come up with a lot of legitimate reasons why I missed my goal of 365 days of closing all three rings on my Apple Watch. The bottom line, however, is this: I didn’t schedule my walk. It’s that plain and simple. I worked on a couple of projects, lost track of time, and the next thing I know it’s 12:12 AM and my Apple Watch says the exercise ring didn’t close. No going back in time. No do-overs. I missed a day.

There went my streak. There went my goal.

If something is important we need to schedule it. This is true in our personal life and our professional life.

When we decide something is important we must look at where is it going to fit in the year, each month, each day? When? Where? How do we hold it accountable?

As an educator I often hear a common response to new initiatives, that it is the proverbial, “one more thing.” Why? I think it is in large part not because they don’t believe it’s important, but rather they don’t feel it is important. They don’t feel it is important because no time was reserved for it. It feels like one more thing because it was added onto a busy day, week or year.

Examine any initiative in any organization, scrutinize any successful individual’s goal and you will find a common traits.

When time is reserved for it, real time, it feels different. It feels important.

When time is reserved for it, real time, it gets accomplished.

We can say anything is important, but that doesn’t make it so. Things become important when we put them on the calendar.

Personal goals, professional goals and organizational goals might be met if we talk about them, but that is truly just a matter of chance.

We we make the choice to add them to our calendar, schedule them in our day, they happen.

That is how we make things a priority. We schedule it.

Don’t wait to celebrate the big win at the end; celebrate every mile marker along the way.

Oh, and the Apple Watch Streak? I started over. Just 364 days to go.

#culturejourney

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 187 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram