Episode 92: How to Embrace What it Takes to Meet Your Goals

When you want to meet a goal, sometimes you want to do it now. You might be thinking about leaving the classroom and you want to find a new flexible job right now. But the process is where the magic happens. We learn and grow throughout the process. So while it’s understandable to want to skip right to the end, it’s better if you stick through the long haul.

In this episode I talk about embracing the process to reach your goals, highlighting three aspects of going on such a journey. Now these aren’t tips to make your journey easier, but they will help you support yourself while putting in the hard work.

 

Topics Discussed:

  • Getting in the right mindset

  • Figuring out what risks are “just right.”

  • Rejection is okay!

Resources mentioned:

Related episodes and blog posts:

 
 
 
 

Read the transcript for this episode:

Welcome to Educator Forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.

When you set a new goal for yourself, it is totally natural to want that goal to happen right now. I have absolutely been in that spot before. For example, if you're deciding to leave the classroom and you want to find a flexible job right now, I feel you. But that's honestly not how things generally happen. So today, we're going to talk about really embracing what it takes to get you towards your goals and get you to meet your goals. And overall, it takes a process, it takes time. And I like to think that through that process is really where the magic happens. That's where we learn what we need it to be able to get us to our goals. So if you're thinking, I want to find flexible work in education, and I want to do it right now, first off, embrace that, it's going to take some time, it's going to take work, and it's going to take some exploration of yourself. Every time that I've taken a risk beyond the classroom, moved beyond the classroom use my skills in different ways. It's been uncomfortable, even when, or especially when it's getting something that I wanted. starting my business starting educator forever, was terrifying. But it was exactly what I wanted to do. And through the process, I learned so much, not only about creating a profitable business, but also about myself, especially about myself. And so as you think about the change that you want to make, it's likely a chance for you to learn and grow professionally and personally. So really starting to embrace the process, it also is going to take work, it's not going to be easy. And that's also where the magic happens. We need to double down and really, really try. And so along the way, there are some ways that you can make it easier for yourself and more supportive to yourself, I shouldn't maybe say other than rather than easier, because it takes time, it takes hard work, and it is absolutely worth it.

So I want to talk about three main parts about how to embrace what it takes to meet your goals. And those are developing a growth mindset, taking just right risks and reframing rejection. So first off with developing a growth mindset, it's really important to normalize and embrace struggle. It is not easy to make a change. And as a grown up, but going into a different field of education or taking a risk or betting on yourself. It's admirable to do this, it's super inspiring to see people go after their dreams. And it's also inspiring to see grown ups struggle to really try to do something. And so through a growth mindset, you can really be committed to learning through the process, you don't have to have some innate idea of how this is going to happen. You just need to do the thing. And through doing the thing, you'll get clarity on what you want to do and what you can learn about yourself. Part of developing a growth mindset is also putting in the work that if you want to move beyond the classroom, then you're going to spend time creating an awesome cover letter and an awesome resume or actually many often awesome cover letters. And you're gonna start networking and telling people what you want to do. And you're gonna go on LinkedIn, and you're going to connect with them there. And you're going to talk to people that you meet at the grocery store, about how you want to work in curriculum development, or whatever it might be for you. But you need to put in the work and get out of your comfort zone and learn by doing it. It is not enough to just apply for some jobs, right? Like we need to embrace the whole process. Put in the work, make connections, build your professional network, and really start adopting a growth mindset. As you approach your professional journey. What are you going to do next professionally, but also, what are you going to work on for yourself? What are the key skills or abilities or mindset shifts that you want to make? for yourself. The second thing you can do to really embrace what it takes to meet your goals is taking just right risks. And just right risks are a risk that feels just right feels just scary enough, but not too scary. It is so important that we do things that get us outside of our comfort zones. And I am the type of person who loves being in my comfort zone. So for me to say this does mean a lot to. But really, when I think about the risks that I've taken personally and professionally, they are really the times that I've learned the most taking a risk to apply for my first jobs beyond the classroom, taking a risk to pitch myself to companies that felt aspirational to me. They all felt scary: leaving the classroom felt scary, leaving my teacher community felt scary, leaving my students felt scary. And so taking a just write risk is supposed to feel scary. It's supposed to feel uncomfortable when we're doing something new, because we've never done it before. And so just write risk also isn't easy. It's not just like, I'm gonna throw my resume over here. It's really thoughtfully thinking about why am I the best person for this job, and then boldly pitching yourself really going for it. And so I think along with that, just right risks should make you feel a little nervous. But they also on the flip side, don't immediately blow up your life unless you want them to.

Maybe the just-right risk isn't quitting your job tomorrow without any backup plan. If that's where you're at, okay, totally bought. But usually, a just-right risk is somewhere in between. Something that feels kind of scary, isn't easy, but won't completely blow up your life. So thinking about what just right risks that you could take, you know, maybe they're just right risks that you could take include applying for different types of jobs, maybe you've been really focused on consulting jobs, and you actually want to move into curriculum development. So taking a strategic approach to applying for different jobs. Just-right risk may also be daring to say what you really want. This one is juicy. So really thinking about what you want, letting go of all the expectations of what you should want? Or what you think is the most plausible, starts with being honest with yourself of what you really want right now, personally and professionally, and then saying it, sharing it with other people, that can feel really scary. When I started thinking about starting Educator Forever, I thought about it for probably two years, before telling anybody that I was thinking about starting this business. And when I started to say it out loud, it started to become real. And the people I talked to about it would ask me about it. And that kept me accountable. And they would tell people about what I was doing. And that helped bring people to my business. And it is so important to share what we want with others, I really believe that it starts to make it real. So say what you want. And then another just right risk could be going after opportunities that are stretch goals. That means you know, same thing with just-right risks. Maybe they're just right opportunities. And sometimes if you have been doing curriculum development for years on the side, and you want to move into a curriculum management position, maybe that's a stretch goal. And you can think about what management experience, can you pull out? How could you really make yourself the best fit for this job. If you haven't worked in curriculum design before, maybe you won't go directly to a manager job, right? Like your stretch goal might be applying for curriculum, writing jobs. And so being clear on where you're at right now, and what's an appropriate stretch goal for you. And then another just right risk could be talking about yourself as an education expert, because you definitely are an education expert. But talking about yourself this way can feel really uncomfortable. So take that risk, try it on. The only way that we get clarity is by doing it. Another just right risk could be committing time to planning and going after your dreams. We are all busy and we make decisions every day about how we're going to use our time. So bet on you spending time creating what you want, planning going after what you want, and really taking that action. So thinking about what just right risks you can take can be really powerful. And then even more than thinking about them is doing them do the thing. Take the risk. Do it imperfectly and learn through the process. And the last suggestion I have about embracing what it takes to meet your goals is to reframe rejection. Because as we put ourselves out there, as we go after different jobs and opportunities, we're gonna get rejected. Everyone does. So normalize it. The thing that separates people who are successful, and people who are not, is often how they confront rejection and how they move forward or don't move forward through rejection. So I would say most people experience way more rejection than they do successes, and it becomes a numbers game, it becomes a situation where if you apply for 100 jobs or connect with 100 people, then maybe five of those people will have a great opportunity for you. That means getting rejected 95 times. So celebrate the rejections. I truly believe that rejection also can be a catalyst of growth. Just because an opportunity didn't work out, does not mean that it wasn't worth it. And so really focusing on what you can learn from the experience, what connections can you build? What can you learn about yourself? What can you learn about how you went about the opportunity, and focus on what you can control, you can control how many jobs you apply for how you reach out to people, how you share your experience, the energy you bring to the table, focus on those things, and celebrate the actions that you take. It is a cause for celebration, if you have gotten rejected 100 times, because you're closer to getting successes, to being able to reach your goals. And through the process, you can really embrace feedback and cultivate resilience. To be successful. You have to be able to be resilient after rejection. Because rejection happens to all of us, but you get to decide how you're going to move through it. Or you're going to move through it stronger than ever more with your eyes set on the goals you hope to achieve, or are you going to make that rejection? Have you hide away and really get in the way of you and your dreams? I hope that you'll go with the form or that you'll keep pushing through. And that with a growth mindset, will taking just right risks, you will be able to get closer to your goals and really cultivate resilience. And all of that will be so helpful in the next stage of your career and in the next stage of your life. I can't wait to see what just right risks you take. And I am truly honestly constantly inspired by educators going after their dreams, embracing the struggle and making it happen.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Lily Jones