Finished!

It's been a little while since I posted last. I have been very busy...very. I finshed the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and even attended a three day workshop hosted by a Covey trainer (the company behind the 7 habits). I must say that it was a truly enlightening experience. For three days we were led on a journey of deep reflection and self discovery. I recall a five minute writing exercise that we did during which we could not let our pen leave the page. Even though my eyes never left the page, I could hear the sniffles of several people around me. Then, the craziest thing started to happen... tears began to fall on my journal. I tried to wipe them away as quickly as I could, but I couldn't stop them. Bottem line: I learned a lot about myself and the relationships that I have with those around me. In one exercise, we were asked to begin drafting a "personal mission statement". The beginning of the exercise required us to write down the 7 most important roles that you play (moter, wife, sister, etc.). After identifying those roles, we had to identify the most important person that was involved in that role with me. Then came the doozie... we had to write exactly what we would want each of those people to say about us at our funeral (or 80th birthday to be less morbid). After that came the real challenge, we had to write what we need to do now so that those persons identified would WANT to say those things about us.... thus we were able to decide what our personal mission statements would be. I encourage you to do this exercise, even if you don't read the book.... what an eye opener!

See ya later... gotta get busy sawing!

Working on Me

So I'm deep into this book, and can't begin to tell you how profound it is. I began it with my mind totally open to change because that's what this book is supposed to do... it's supposed to make you want to change yourself. So now I'm working on me, not an easy task. I've spent my life as most have; living by the paradigms that society has taught us to live by... to have the personality that the world tells us to have, to shape our lives around the priorities that are valued by the norms of others, to forget about character at our core and to program ourselves to be what the world tells us to be. And that way of life.... the way that most of us have resigned ourselves to is what is leaving us with a bad taste in our mouths. When is the last time you sat down and examined your life? Who or what is your life centered around? What do you spend most of your time on? Do you feel fulfilled? What about your relationships with others? What about your kids? How are you raising them? Are they going to turn out to be productive interdependent members of society? I will stop there... I know that's a lot to think about. But, really if you can't read this book at least examine how you are living your life, and more importantly if you have children, examine the principles that you are living before them and ask yourself if they continue on the track that you have set for them, who are they going to be?

Beginning The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

I'm reading a book that falls into the category of "self-help". Ordinarily, this is not a section of the bookstore which I browse often. However, several months ago my colleagues and I were given an opportunity to read this book as a part of our professional development. Most folks would wrinkle their noses up at a piece of writing that has been "assigned".... reminds them too much of those massive, over-priced college texts . Teachers on the other hand normally enjoy reading such assigned literature. We are among the few professions which relish in the opportunity to continue learning how to develop as professionals (most notable are physicians and attorneys). Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  has been around for quite some time. Fitting for anyone in any profession, this book is absolutely remarkable. I am not exaggerating when I say that this book is literally changing my life. I can not say enough for the powerful lessons held within its pages. I won't lie, it was difficult to get into at first, but by chapter 2 I was hooked.

I will continue to blog about this book until I finish it. This book has grabbed me by my shirt collar and thrown me across the room (figuratively, of course). It's making me look through a different lens at the way that I live my life as a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a teacher, and a servant of God. I can't wait to continue examining my life and my character throughout the remaining chapters.

    

This is my debut

So... I've finally decided upon the direction in which I would like to take my blog. I love to read. There, I said it! I couldn't stand reading when I was growing up, but now I find that I can't get enough of it. Not only do I love reading, I have an eclectic taste in books (Not a one genre kind of girl). Thus, while I promise to try making my blog as interesting as possible, I will likely be sharing a great deal about my life in reading. Sure, I will also include other wild tales of my daily adventures. After all, it can't all be about reading. All that being said, I hope you follow my blog. I think you may enjoy it, even if you don't like to read!

Here I am!

I've intended to start a blog for quite some time now. As it happens in my busy life, I'm just now getting around to it. I haven't completely decided upon the direction that I want my blog to take, but I'm sure that will become more clear in the future. For now, I just want to get a few followers..... stay tuned.