This is what a few of our Corps Members do to keep themselves entertained…

Thursday, January 26, CYCLE hosted its 2^nd Annual MATH CASINO NIGHT at Thomas Jefferson 9^th Grade Academy.  The event ended up being more than any of us could have imagined.  Like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it all sort of just came together perfectly. Our own personal ideas inspired others which had some amazing results.  However, most importantly the event was a success for our students.

The evening was dedicated to show that math can be fun. Most of my students get anxious or nervous whenever they are presented with a math assignment.   Before they even look at the problems they’ll say “I can’t” or “Why do I need to know this anyway?” So, to combat this general perception that math is hard or that it doesn’t pertain to them, we decided to create games that they’d find both interesting and beneficial.

PITW #167 IF THERE IS NO GOAL, THERE CAN BE NO SUCCESS – It is almost shocking how powerful this simple rule of thumb is.  For every activity, set a clear, written and measurable (or at least observable) goal, and constantly measure your progress against that goal.  Without a clear, written goal, your project is adrift – and as some one once said: “if we are not careful we will end up where we are heading.”

Our team set a goal to have at least 50 students in attendance.  50 meant that each Corps Member (CM) needed to recruit at least 5 students to come to the event.  At the end of the night we reached a total of 112 students, twice as many as last year’s casino night. Yoellie, our Extended Day Coordinator said “I’ve never seen so many of our students in one place [outside of regular classes].  It was awesome!”  On top of the 112 students, there were about 25 corps members, 5 staff members, and 5 volunteers. 

Our other goal was to create an atmosphere of learning and entertainment.  Well, the days following the casino night we received tons of positive feedback and comments on how much everyone enjoyed the night. Most even requested that we host another! It was so wonderful to see my students actually excited and engaged in games that incorporated subtraction, addition, multiplication, and division!!  What a thrill!

Of course, some of the motivation may have been generated from the prizes we had to offer.  We were able to gather a variety which included backpacks, gift cards, school supplies, fashion accessories, books, a poster, Jenga, fuzzy hot pink socks, a fleece robe and a fleece blanket.

I was stationed at the prize table for the night, explaining how the tickets and raffle worked. Each time a student walked up they left with with more and more determination. They realized that the more games they played the more tickets they might win, and the more tickets they entered, the higher chance of them winning a $25 gift card.

We not only reached our goal, we passed it engaging more students than we had imagined. After all our prep work and brainstorming it was exciting to see it all pay off.  PITW #85 CELEBRATE ACHIEVEMENT.  Thank you to all involved and who participated. Boy, did we hit the jackpot!

Posted: 02/15/2012 6:07 pm

PITW #168 *bing* If You Want to Communicate Powerfully Tell a Story.

A major part of our mission is to inspire others to civic action. All great leaders communicated their ideas best by telling a story—think how many Bible stories you can remember.

Just think of the difference between hearing a 30 minute speech on the subject of how we can all make a difference versus hearing a simple story of a little girl on a beach who said “I made a difference to that one!” when she was challenged as to why she was attempting to save dying starfish on the beach when she could not possibly save them all.The best stories are personal, full of vivid details, and answer the question: “This is how I know that I am making a difference.”

I can’t say enough positive things about city year and their involvement with Martin Luther King Jr. Career Campus.  Every morning City Year greets the students and faculty as they enter the building – music, smiles, positive energy and high-fives (they have even inspired a security guard or two to show off their moves).

The tardy room is run by two members of the City Year team who have kept close track of which students have shown signs of chronic absence problems.  Every time a student comes in late, City Year makes sure to call home to ensure the parents/guardians know as well as sending home letters.  They have furthered our efforts for getting the kids to school in the morning by helping them sign up for early morning celebrity wake-up calls through www.getschooled.com which have helped some of our students not only wake-up but get to school on time.

Throughout the day, corps members can be expected to be in all core curriculum classes providing classroom support as well as individualized tutoring for each of their focus students.  Although they help out where ever they are needed, City Year has made extra effort to provide focused English language and math interventions.  For example, during November City Year hosted a Literacy Open Mic Night where the students, parents, and community members were invited to attend to listen to students recite some of the spoken word poems, raps, and songs.  They were also able to get 150 books donated from Half Priced Books for the students and their families to take home and increase their literacy.

Crusader Crew is City Year’s answer to rewarding those students who have done an outstanding job in their attendance, behavior, and coursework.  At the end of each quarter, City Year asks the teachers to nominate those students who have done an exemplary job in these areas.  As part of the reward, City Year was able to feed the students chicken, fries, and pop which was all donated by the family owned, neighborhood restaurant Hot Sauce Williams.

To help with the students’ behavior, City Year has taken it upon themselves to start the 50 Acts of Leadership program in which they challenge their Freshman to stand up as leaders in the communities.  Students keep logs of all of their leadership acts and discuss the process of their growth both internally as well as how it manifests itself through their actions.

Speaking on behalf of the administration, City Year has gone above their call of duty in order to make themselves part of the family here at MLK.  Their smiling faces and positive attitudes keep everyone in a optimistic state of mind even in the darkest times.

Principal Cynthia Hanish

“At Martin Luther King Jr, Career Campus, WE ARE TIED TO GREATNESS!”

As I lay down last night I thought about my decision to make a difference.

My decision to join the army of red

Together we stand in the battlefield 

Fighting for education.

Showing youth that she can do anything she puts her mind to

Such a simple message, but so hard to get across

To these students who have been abused and misused and clearly miseducated.

So why do I serve?

Why do I spend so much time?

Compared to others I don’t make a dime!

And yea, I get tired of this uniform from time to time

Why do I serve?

A year of my life dedicated to these youth,

Who sometimes believe they don’t deserve anymore than what they have.

Some say I’m wasting my time.

And I should not deny myself the opportunity to finish school and begin a career

They ask “Why are you still here?”

There have even been times when I asked myself that same thing.

Awake.

Every morning 5:30 a.m., rushing through my morning routine;

Just to ensure that I make it out the door by 6:30.

I arrive at school and wait for the crew

At 7:30 we yell “boots and shoes”

We confirm that every part of our uniform is right.

Including our ready mind, our solid soul and, of course, our can-do attitude.

Why do I serve? Why am I here?

The look on his face lets you know that he had a rough night.

And if questioned he is sure to deny me the right to get inside— and help

So why do I serve?

I look at my teammates all decked out in red;

Some smiling,

Some dancing,

And some of them chatting with our students.

There are so many times when I know they’re thinking “I can’t do this.”

Body tired,

Mind tired,

Constantly having to think outside the box.

Thinking of ways to manipulate so the students can be educated.

Lesson plans, time sheets, OnCorps…

So much paperwork that has to be filled out on the regular.

So many tutoring sessions gone wrong.

Every mistake I have to own

WHY DO I SERVE?

Team leader talking about my deadlines,

Program manager telling me I have to make up hours!

As I lay there I realize that I’m thinking all negative.

So, I think about my joys.

Think about my pluses and ignore the deltas.

Pull out a few thorns and think only of those beautiful roses.

Eh… my feet hurt, but timberlands are pretty sweet.

So what if my Armark pants don’t fit right,

I just tuck my shirt in and buckle my belt— with dignity.

My red jacket symbolizes strength.

When I put it on there’s no way you can convince me

That I can’t make a difference.

Why do I serve?

Alongside my teammates I stand firm.

Believing that these kids can and will get the education they deserve.

PITW “I’m ready, chose me.”

*BING*

Has been engraved into the hearts of this army of red.

I serve because of that student who feels he just can’t make it.

I serve becauseI grew up in these schools and know the hardships.

I serve to show students that they deserve more than the streets.

I serve for the mini-me that sits in his seat.

As I lay in my bed I begin to recite the pledge—

An instant reminder to do my best.

A confirmation that I will pass these daily test.

As I lay here I smile and think, “Better get to bed, 5:30 is approaching!”

THESE ARE MY BOOTS THAT I DESIGNED. SO I COULD NOT ONLY ‘TALK THE TALK’, BUT ALSO ‘WALK THE WALK’.

Beginning

My first taste of City Year was like nothing I had ever experienced. If I had to describe it I would say at times it was like a sweet nectar, fulfilling and so engaging, and at other times like lemon, a little tart and maybe even hard to swallow.  But at the end of the day, my experience with City Year was definitely self-changing.

I still remember making the 12 hour drive to Cleveland thinking to myself “Did I really leave Memphis for Cleveland?”  The obvious answer was yes, yes I did.  You see, I was ready to become a part of something bigger than myself.  I was ready to experience life outside of my original Tennessee perimeters.  I knew absolutely nothing about Cleveland (besides that the weather was bipolar, the winters were harsh, and the high school drop-out rate was amongst one of the highest in the country).  Yet, I arrived in Cleveland where it was 80 degrees Fahrenheit, (which is 15 degrees less than the average Memphis summer day) and I was ready to work.

Aug 1^st was my first day with City Year.  I spent the day filling out paperwork and meeting “the corps”, your typical new hire orientation/registration.  I found myself pleased with the structure and organization of what I was imagining City Year to be.  There were 49 other people in the room that were all different from me and anyone who knows me knows that I liked diversity.  I guess you could say “I found what I was looking for.” City Year has a culture that’s distinctly its own (in uniform there is no jaywalking, no chewing gum, no earphones, and always using power courtesy).

My first few months, I walked. I walked and I walked. I walked and I rode the bus everywhere I needed to go.  It was hot and I won’t forget to mention that my apartment had no air conditioning; I repeat NO AIR.  I’m a southern girl and having no air felt like a death sentence.  But at the end of it all, what I liked most was that City Year has Putting Idealism To Work.  PITW#8 *bing* “City Year-ize” Everything.  Literally, it was telling me to exemplify my City Year values, teachings, techniques, ideas and more in everything I do.

School Days

I received my assignment and was please that it was to Thomas Jefferson Ninth Grade Academy (TJ) along with 1 team leader and 9 other corps members.  TJ is a 2 year old school located on the Westside of Cleveland.  I took public transportation which in total was a 1 hour 20 minute commute from Cleveland Heights.  In the beginning my team was good, and just like any team or group personalities and leadership styles began to clash.  Personally, I was involved and experienced this for myself.  I’m outgoing, ambitious, goal-oriented, creative, but most importantly I like to lead.  Remember my claims to like diversity? Well, after the 1^st month of being in the schools and working with my team, I felt like that way of thinking for me was beginning to fade.

Don’t get me wrong, I like my team, but I just wasn’t used to having others around me with having just as strong personalities. Yet, we were all full of energy, opinions, ideas, and different perspectives.  Despite our personality clashes, we worked through it all and at the end of the day I believe it was for the better of our team.  There were many days of exhaustion from students, City Year’s culture, and my own personal problems(because apparently life doesn’t stop during the City Year).  Our summer was gone, the fall came and went, and before we knew it, it was winter.  It was C-O-L-D (I mean 7 degrees cold), and we were still expected to do Physical Training (PT).  I’ll be honest with you, after awhile…

City Year, why do we do PT?

Are you ready to perform Front-Side-Back-Side-Front?

Motivation Check, City Year!

Ten 3-Count Jumping Jacks, begin!

…had become tiring and overwhelming in the Cleveland winter.

December

Finally, winter break had arrived.  It was finally time for me to go home and see my family. I was excited and anxious to come home.  At times I really believed that I could smell Memphis air in the Cleveland winter air.  During my 12-hour drive home I thought about everything I had experienced and learned during the past 5 months.  I loved the relationship I had built with my students, I liked the friendships I made within the corps, but I couldn’t figure out why I felt beaten by City Year.

Of course it was a challenging program; I had anticipated that. It was that I had found myself with financial issues.  This was the lemon of my year. Because of outside circumstances my stipend was no longer enough; therefore, I was forced to work a part-time job. So, in addition to my 45-50 hour week at school I was also working in a clothing store.  I was physically tired and mentally exhausted, almost to the point of wanting to give up. Yet, as I drove all I could think about was “Why I Serve?”  I dedicated my red jacket to hope, because I have a burning desire that when I wear my jacket I will make change.  Indeed, I was making change, but I had lost focus of my initial motivation for serving.  I questioned myself about what I needed to do to regain focus.

The only answer was to change the way I was thinking.

My thinking was screwed up.  I allowed my financial issues to get in the way of my desires and more importantly, my hope.  I realized that my team needed me more than I needed and wanted my financial issues to go away.

PITW#28:  Build Every Relationship With “CIA”– Communication, Involvement, and Appreciation.

January

I was reenergized.  I refocused and arrived with a new attitude.  I was ready to continue making change.  I was ready to see my students’ faces.  The team that I had once viewed as good was now great.  The team dynamic had reached an all-time high.

Our adrenaline was pumping, ideas were flying, and our visions were being put into action.

 However, by the second week of January, it was official that I would be leaving City Year and returning to Memphis because of family issues that required my presence.

Because of this I experienced an array of emotions.  I was upset and disappointed.  I was going to have to face my team and the corps and give them the news.  I prolonged the announcement as long as I could. Our team was already facing sadness due to our Program Manager leaving.  When the time came for my announcement, I was nervous.  All eyes were on me as I delivered the news: some sighed, some shook their heads, and others gave me a look (OMG Qui…really?). I felt as though I let my team down, as well as the entire corps.

Did I work hard for 6 months for it all to be wasted?

No.  Everything I’ve done was for good. When I reflect over the past 6 months, I find joy.  I learned things about myself that I wouldn’t have without City Year.  I learned to find success in all things.  I learned to look outside of myself and be the change that I wish to see.  I learned to be more open.  I learned skills that will advance me in my career.  I learned event planning and execution.  Sadly, I don’t have enough space to write everything that City Year has taught me.  At the end of the day, however, City Year remains to taste sweet like nectar, joyful and fulfilling.

So to my City Year, I say thank you and goodbye. Thank you for your time and dedication to me. Although I may not be around, please, know that I will never forget the difference City Year has made in me.

Aristotle wrote “change in all things is sweet.”

Imagine a place that makes you feel safe. A place where you feel secure and protected. There are no risks that you take; you keep everything around you at a distance. This place is called our comfort zone. Are comfort zone is our work, living, and social environments that we have grown accustom too. It determines the type of friends we make or people we associate with. It determines a life style we could either accept or reject. This place is limited, and if we stay there too long we are not allowing ourselves to learn and grow.

That is just one of the many things that I have learned at Challenge Day. If you really knew me you would know Challenge Day has been one of the most beneficial and enjoyable experiences in my life. On Tuesday, January 10, 2012 Challenge Day came to Thomas Jefferson 9^th Grade Academy. The day started off with fun games. The games kept students, volunteers and faculty engaged. We rocked it out. After the games the two facilitators of Challenge Day told their life story.

The phrase, “If you really knew me you would know this about me,” is how the facilitators each began telling their story.  The stories were emotional and heart breaking. Each and every one of us in the room could relate to them in some way. I looked around me; I reached out to a student and wrapped my arms around her. We both cried together. For the first time in my life I cried in front of everyone. I did not feel embarrassed, I felt safe. Finally I was not afraid to be myself. I stepped out of my comfort zone, I had finally broken free.

We then broke off into our groups. For the first time I felt safe to be honest about my past. I began my sentence with, “If you really knew me you would know this about me.” Each person in the group was given two minutes to speak. To hear the students problems and their suffering ripped me apart. We held hands, we hugged, and we all cried together.

Challenge Day unites all cultures, allowing us to come together as one. Despite our hardships and life experiences, we realize that we are not alone. We no longer have to carry a heavy burden by ourselves and we have each other. Challenge Day helped everyone begin to understand one another more. The stories that I heard told about the problems our students face are much deeper then what I thought. Challenge Day was a day for all of us to unite, and to recognize that we are not alone. All that day we had fun, everyone felt safe, loved, and celebrated. We showed loved by holding up the love sign in the air with our hand.

After Challenge Day we were inspired to be the change. It’s from a quote that I know so well by Ghandi:  “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Challenge Day took place three days in a row in order to make sure that every single student in the school could participate – and the Thomas Jefferson 9^th Grade Academy City Year team assisted all three days. If you really knew me you would know I cannot express my gratitude enough. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to participate in Challenge Day. I proudly wear my Aramark pants, my boots, nametag, and jacket every day and look forward to serve another day.

PITW #11  Nail the Details!  Every Single One.

Excellence is all in the details.  EVERYTHING COUNTS, ALL THE TIME!

It is more important than yourself.

Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”  Are leaders born or made?  A question that plagues the mind of most that’s in search of true leadership.  On December 6^th, thirty students at Thomas Jefferson 9^th grade Academy dedicated their 50 Acts of Leadership to someone or something during the dedication ceremony.  These students have seized the opportunity to become leaders in the 9^th grade. 

The 50 Acts of Leadership Program is designed to provide intervention to targeted students that need extra behavioral support.  It is also a student enrichment behavior coaching program and is a part of City Year’s Whole School, Whole Child model. Through the program, they begin to understand that their actions have consequences that affect others and themselves. Participating students keep a Leadership Log, in which they document how they helped others in four categories: a) Parent/Guardian/Family b) Teachers c) Peers/Friends d) community members. Their goal is to do and document at least 50 distinct Acts of Leadership for people in these groups by the end of the year and for the 50 Acts of Leadership in May 2012.

The 50 Acts of Leadership dedication ceremony held at Thomas Jefferson 9^th grade Academy was a great success – over 40 students, family and friends attended to support the students and City Year Initiative.  Our guest speaker, Victor Ruiz, Executive Director of Esperanza spoke to them about true leadership.  He told them that a true leader leads a group or organization without fearing to be a follower at times.  Leaders take action and motivate others to take action.  Leaders put visions and passions into action.  Leaders set goals and have a clearly defined purpose.  Most importantly, leaders take responsibility for their actions.  Many of students could relate to Victor Ruiz because he had also attended and graduated from a CMSD school and because of his Hispanic ethnicity – I believe this meant more than anything to them.  As the time came for the student dedications, all attendees were upright waiting to hear the students speak.  Many students dedicated their leadership acts to one or more of the following:  family for raising them and being a positive role model, a girlfriend or boyfriend for pushing them to be better, life for its un-expecting challenges, and City Year for being there every time they were needed. The most memorable dedication was from Joshua, a 9^th grade student.  Joshua had his lines completely written out, but when he approached the podium he decided to say,” I used to be bad (at this moment he pauses and began to cry), but City Year changed me to become good.” At this very moment we realized why the 50 Acts of Leadership Program was important. .  The progam has given the students ownership of leadership, responsibility of their actions, and reflection with satisfaction.   At the end, the students recited a Leadership Pledge, written by corps member Yoellie Perez:

I pledge to walk through life as a leader;

to take each step with purpose.

The things I think, say, and do affect myself and those around me.

I will build positive, strong relationships.

The actions of others will not keep me from reaching my goals.

Through adversity, I will stand strong.

I will do what is right, not what is easy.

I will make positive contributions to the world around me, by being a leader in my family, community and nation.

There’s nothing better than encouraging students to become active leaders and self-aware of their strengths and weaknesses. One can only imagine the excitement experienced by those students as they walked across stage with a sense of accomplishment.

It’s that time of year again…

Christmas and Hanukah have passed us by and New Year’s Eve is fast approaching. For City Year Cleveland this means that Advanced Training Academy and Retreat (with City Year Columbus and Stephen Spaloss) are only a week and some odd days away.

But generally speaking, it also means that it’s time to revamp with a New Year’s Resolution. It’s a bid to a healthier, happier, tidier and/or more organized you. A vow to stop smoking or to drop those extra pounds that you seem to have added during the previous year. Or it’s a promise to yourself that this is the year you spend more time with your family. I’ve asked my fellow CYCLE CMs to submit their resolutions for 2012 and I will be posting those on the 1st, but this has also forced me to look at how one executes a resolution.

By now, most of us have heard about the 2012 apocalypse prophecy that foretells the end of the world, which in turn, has sent many into a frenzy of “preparation”. At first this appeared to me as…well, an odd concept. However, twenty-twelve is around the corner and I’m beginning to see that there may be something to this apocalypse readiness. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you to go out and buy several 100-gallon water tanks, store months worth of food in your garage, or build a bomb shelter in your basement, at the small chance that zombies may or may not appear [to each his own, no judgment here]. But let’s take a step back as I defend these avid apocalypse believers for a moment.

I’ll be the first to admit that too much of anything is not a good idea, but taking action for something you believe in [for the most part] is something to consider. So, despite your feelings or beliefs towards the looming threat of an apocalypse, preparation is something that should not be over looked.

Taking this step into the second half of the year means we must prepare for our LACY (Leadership after City Year). It can be the Peace Corps, Grad School, College, the military or even a Senior Corps position. Regardless of where you find yourself, know it won’t just fall into your lap. You have to go after it. You have to prepare for it.

Days away from January 2012 and I find myself staring at a list of prospects for my LACY, without a clue as to what I really want to do.

So in true Selina fashion, I began to Google things like “how to follow through with a resolution” and “what to do with my life”. Truth be told, I didn’t uncover anything so profound or enlightening, but I did stumble upon an article that listed “30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself” if you want to achieve a transformation. I’m not usually a sucker for self-help pieces, but this one really spoke to me. Many of the habits listed were ones I didn’t consider as hindering.

I haven’t quite picked a specific resolution nor do I feel any closer to deciding what my next steps should be, but thanks to City Year I do feel as though I have better sense of how to go about developing myself. As an ode to Letterman, I have picked my top ten favorite from the list and infused some City Year culture into them. As you decide on your own resolutions, maybe some of these suggestions will give you that last little push to start off 2012 and finding a better you.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”- Maria Robinson

 10. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen.

City Year preaches positive thinking. So take time to focus on what you do want to happen. Take your service one day at a time focusing on the good, not the bad.  Wonderful things don’t typically happen when you’re focused on the negative. PITW #134 A positive “can-do” attitude is the first qualification for being a part of City Year.

 9. Stop trying to be someone you’re not.

“Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you”. PITW #179 Become Your Message. … “My life is my message.”

 8. Stop being scared to make a mistake or berating yourself for old mistakes.

The first time I truly fell flat on my face I realized I will never be perfect. It felt SO good. I realized so much about myself at that moment. “Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did”. Your mistakes are a sign of your courage to finding your true self. “…you are not your mistakes” PITW # 62 Admit mistakes freely. Doing so makes it easier to fix things, and encourages others to admit mistakes—and soon we all realize that it is alright to make mistakes, just so long as we learn from them.

7. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness.

If you depend on others to find happiness, you will never be truly happy. It’s OK to admit that this is you, because then you can move up from it. “If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  Read Stumbling on Happiness”.

6. Stop thinking you’re not ready.

Your first mistake is thinking too much. Evaluate and decide. You are more ready than you think you are. It won’t always be 100%, but you are capable. Get outside your box and do something squishy [City Year lingo for uncomfortable]. These kinds of opportunities are the ones we grow the most from. Going over situations in your head will wind up leaving you uncertain and confused. “Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first”. PITW #120 Show a little “G” and “I.” Gumption and Initiative.

 5. Stop trying to compete against everyone else.

You will always lose is the comparing game.  “Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own”. We all have something that someone else wants. Why not compete against yourself, pushing yourself to go further and do more with each and every task. “Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF”. PITW #47 “Center it!” …because if everyone protects the net, no one will ever score. And if everyone races to the puck, no one will ever be in position to score. But if we “center” the puck, someone else can score—and we all win.

 4. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself.

I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason. This reasoning often angers people who don’t, but when it’s absolutely impossible to control life, what other explanation can there be? “But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be”. PITW #159 This is hard. Be strong.

 3. Stop trying to be everything to everyone.

This is an impossible mission. Attempting a feat like this will result in an exhausted you. Give your 100% and remember that “making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world”.  Don’t forget that you are special and that you need a break every now and then. There is no time like the present to discover your passions and to go after them. A mental health day, every now and then, isn’t such a bad idea either. PITW #140: Take personal responsibility for your own well-being. Often the first thing we lose…is sleep, followed closely by our perspective. It’s very important… to get healthy doses of both, and ensure there is balance in our life and work. Prepare yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally for the times of the year that are harder than others.

 2. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments.

 “Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.” PITW #85 Celebrate achievement. No matter how small.

 1.  Stop being ungrateful.

 PITW #90 Constantly put yourself in other people’s shoes — “Moccasins” everything. “No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing”.