Energy, Excitement and Enthusiasm

Globally the world is reeling from the chaos that is 2020.

As Early Learning Educators, more has been asked of you than at any other time in your career, and for some, it is becoming more and more challenging to get excited about going to work.

Last week’s blog opened the door to further discussion around our passion for this field. This week we will discuss the motivators that drive us to do what we do.

When you think about a typical day in your program, how would you answer the following questions?    

• What do I feel passionate about?
• What makes me feel more energized and less tired than before I started?
• What can I talk about for hours if given the opportunity?
• What gets me excited about my work?
• When I do run down, how do I recharge and return to work with enthusiasm and dedication?

Once you have the answers to the above questions, you can draw on them for energy, excitement, and enthusiasm.

If you are passionate about children’s social-emotional development, how will you bring that into your practice each day? Perhaps you are passionate about music and movement. Where do you create opportunities in your day for your passion to shine?

If you can determine what activities energize you rather than drain your energy, make those activities part of your daily practice. The chances are good that if they energize you, they will do the same for your colleagues and the children.

Where is your expertise, and how do you share it? Better yet, how can you grow your understanding and incorporate it into your program? Art, literacy, imaginary play, or science can always be built up in classrooms, and perhaps you can expose the children to concepts and opportunities they might not get to experience.

When you’re sharing your day with family or friends, are your stories filled with joy and excitement? If you are more likely to come home and unload with a bucket of complaints and share a bad mood, isn’t it time to change your perspective? You only need to look at the children in your care to see the happiness and awe surrounding us in the world. What happy and exciting stories can you share today?

Most importantly, what are you doing for self-care? Those who work with young children need the clarity to realize when they are run down or beginning to burn out. It’s critical that you nip that situation in the bud and set your physical and mental health on a positive course.

• Find someone you can be vulnerable and honest with. Better still, find a mentor or coach who can help guide you and provide you with professional support.

• Surround yourself with people you want to be like. Studies have proven that the people in your life are the most significant influence on how you behave or treat yourself.

• Establish a healthy work-life balance. Know when to stop working and when to start enjoying your personal life. The opposite is also true. Remember your work commitments, and take care of them first, then enjoy yourself.

• Make sure that you get to play! Enjoy the children and look for more reasons to laugh each day.

• Incorporate a mindfulness practice into your daily routine. This will help you stay present and will allow you to notice the “little things.”

• Get the rest you need. Not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep each night. Find out what your magic number is and try to stay with it. Regular, restful sleep will keep you healthy and happy.

• Find a hobby that disconnects you from technology. You deserve to unleash your creative beast. Everyone needs an outlet of expression; it’s good for your heart and mind.

• Ditch the negative self-talk. The next time you begin scolding yourself, stop and ask if you would speak to your friend or a colleague like that? If left unchecked, we say things to ourselves we would never say to another person.

• Get outside. Seriously. Get outside.

• Practice being grateful. Gratitude is like a weed. If you give it a little attention, you will discover more things to be thankful for each day.

That’s it for this week. If you aren’t waking up each day ready and excited to get going, print off this article and get to work on the questions and suggestions above. You can thank me later…..