Shoot For the Moon...Make a Difference in Your World

I don’t believe in coincidences. When you stumble across someone or something new, there is always a Higher purpose at work. Dr. Ryan B. Jackson is someone I stumbled across on my Twitter feed, decided to check out his blog and quickly became a fan.  This wasn’t an accident or ‘chance meeting’.  Ryan is inspiring; he’s a forward thinker and he desires to make a difference in this world. He’s someone I identify with. I want to make a difference.  Maybe not ‘world peace’ difference, but a difference in the lives of the kids I teach.  

I am far from an expert on the matter, but here are my thoughts on making a difference:

• Listen!  Spend more time listening than giving advice. Many times our students just want to be heard. Whether they are frustrated because they don’t understand their homework or they got in a big fight with their brother/sister just before school, sometimes an empathetic ear can mean the world to them.
• Observe.  This goes along with listening. Take in what is going on around you. Observe and learn from those whose lives you wish to emulate.
• Encourage.  Most people, including our students, have enough people telling them what they are doing wrong.  Tell them what they are doing right.  Point out the good. Let them know they (and their thoughts and ideas) are important to you. It struck a chord in me when Ryan said, "I never had an advocate/mentor at my school to say, 'Hey I really see this unique ability in you.' Kids need that."
• Get outside of your comfort zone. Let you students know that it is okay to fail.  Learn from your mistakes
• Don't settle. Ryan calls "good the enemy of great". Push through complacency, whether it is your own or comes from those around you.  Strive for the best.
• Keep moving forward. Stay the course when things aren't going as planned.  In the podcast, Ryan refers to this as "entropy", in scientific terms the "lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder". As a leader it translates into sticking with it when times get tough.  If you believe in what you are doing, push through.
• Finally, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." Norman Vincent Peale

And so this post: Shoot For the Moon...Make a Difference in Your World. Perhaps being that person in a child’s life who says, “You’re awesome!  You can do this!” In his podcast Courage to Create, Ryan Jackson shares his thoughts on making a difference.

And by the way, being a leader doesn't mean you have to be the principal of a school or the CEO of a company.  We can all be leaders wherever we are, wherever we are planted.  I love Ryan's phrase, "Leadership is the art of influence."  It is the "Courage to Create your own leadership style or brand".  It is the courage to step out there and make a difference.

Podcast included with permission of Dr. Ryan B. Jackson. If you want to know more about Dr. Ryan B. Jackson, check out his blog The Underdog's Advocate