4th Year Reflection

So far, this has been an exciting year. Entering Year 4, I realized that there is more I know in terms of how my school district functions and how to address student needs. I also realized that the programs I have established over the past 3 years are making an impact within our school community. Perhaps what I am most proud of is a mentoring program where 8th grade students learn how to be leaders to a small group of 6th grade students. This year, I've had 40 8th graders working together to meet with groups of 8-10 6th graders. We call this program Wolf Pack.

This year, I've been able to use the lessons I created previously to build upon skills related to social awareness, communication, and connection. Basically I've taken my goals from an intro to 6th grade group, and expanded it to be a tier 1 intervention for our 6th grade class. As we keep moving through the year, I am excited to see the relationships continue to grow.

There have been many more moments of growth and successes throughout the year. In my transition to the 2nd half of the year, my goals include utilizing and sharing a calendar for my counseling program; attending the state counseling conference; and have student schedules completed before the second to last day of school. Wish me luck!

Opportunity to Influence

This past October, the leadership staff of our district worked together to host a leadership summit for secondary students. This summit provided an overview of 8 Values that the high school has embraced and will continue to focus on this year. One of those values is responsibility. This was the value I was asked to speak on. While I do not mind public speaking, it is not something I always seek to do. However, I was asked after watching the film Miss Representation. One of the main points being, you cannot be what you cannot see/imagine. Timing was serendipitous. 

But what could I say about Responsibility. Well, as it turns out, a lot. I ended up speaking for 10+ minutes with the primary message being: We have responsibility to take care of ourselves and positively influence others. At this point I am not even sure how I talked as long as I did but my hope is that this opportunity to share about influence has influenced others.

If you would like to watch this presentation, please use this link. 

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!

When thinking about time management, I note that this is an area where I struggle. Partially, I hate saying no to things. Therefore, I have a tendency to double book myself. This is an area I continue to work on. Perhaps my most positive area of growth is utilizing the phrase, "I need to check my calendar." It's not a no but it is a more responsible step towards balance. It has also led to better awareness of how I am spending my time as a counselor.

Currently, my time has been dedicated to Minute Meetings. These are short opportunities for me to connect with students in a 1-1 session. The set up of these involves partnering with teachers, and working through their rosters one student at a time. Within about two weeks, I have completed nearly 200 minute meetings. That's 200 students that I've intentionally worked to connect with and find out about how they are doing and what they want in their futures.

So why spend so much time on this? It takes time away from getting other projects going (e.g. groups, student need follow up, preventative meetings). It can be draining. I'm never 100% sure of what the student will share with me. However, one of my priorities is to connect and serve all my students. That's 500 students whose names I need to learn and connections I need to make. This has been one way that has helped me learn those names and build those relationships. Thankfully, my teachers also value these conversations and understand that when crises come up, Minute Meetings are postponed. Getting back into them, comes back to my time management and prioritizing my counseling program.

For more ideas with Minute Meetings please comment, or check out these blog posts:

• http://www.schcounselor.com/2011/12/got-minute.html 
• http://jyjoynercounselor.blogspot.com/2012/01/minute-mtgs.html
• https://www.schoolcounselingfiles.com/blog/category/minute-meetings
• https://lisakingcounselor.com/index.php/2016/09/13/minute-meetings-what-why-and-how/

First Steps

One thing I've learned about myself is that my spirit is lifted through creativity. So my first day in office, rather than entering the world of skyward and jumping right into scheduling, I developed and put up my first bulletin board.

Quote from the Cheshire Cat 

In preparing for the school year, my first steps have been to connect with families of students with 504 Accommodation Plans and students/families who were in temporary or unstable living situations at the end of last year. Preparation also entails ensuring that schedules are complete for at least 1st trimester and creating schedules for new students.

An area I need to grow in is applying those same intentions of connecting with my staff members. Sometimes this means ending the previous year with more intention. Sometimes it means creating a personalized welcome message for staff. Sometimes it means purposefully introducing myself with new staff members. 

To work on that area of growth, I created welcome back notes for my teachers. They included a pack of gum and a note that read: 

Here's to a FRESH school year! Let's start with some EXTRA encourage-MINT from your school counselor!

I'm hoping it acts as a reminder to staff and to myself that I am here to support my teachers. We are all on the same page in trying to support our students to be the best they can be.

First steps have been taken; students come on Tuesday and it is time to keep walking!

Theme Decided!

I am someone who enjoys having a theme to work around. I honestly feel a bit lost if I don't have a general theme or idea to plan my year around. Last year, the school's theme was #ChooseLove So it was easy for me to plan around that. Basically I tied everything back to our choices and how acceptance of ourselves and others might realistically look.

This year, I don't yet know about a school theme. Our district theme is Wonder. While the novel by R.J. Palacio provides a ton of inspiration and counseling themes, I didn't want to be so tied to it. Instead, I'll be using Alice in Wonderland as a general theme to support the growth and learning of my middle school. This should allow for some fantastic quotes and bulletin boards and the ability to tie the connection to my staff.

Side note: Alice's journey could parallel many of my middle schoolers who are discovering that the world doesn't always provide what they expect and some things are indeed nonsensical.

So here is to my 2018-2019 Theme: Welcome to Wonderland!

It has been a while

After completing my second year as a school counselor, I realized that I had let this blog fall to the wayside. My apologies; I have not made keeping this blog updated a priority. In the spirit of priorities, that is the focus of this entry

https://zestnzen.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/best-new-years-resolution/

Recently I attended a training on School Counseling leadership which used one session to emphasize our roles in career exploration by intentionally and individually encouraging passion and purpose. In that session, the "Jar of Life" story was brought up. From what I can best tell, this metaphor was presented by Stephen Covey in his book First Things First. The basic premise is that we have these big rocks that can fill a jar but the jar is not full until the pebbles, sand, and even water are added to the jar. However, if you fill the jar with water or sand first, the big rocks won't fit. In this roundabout way, the speaker pointed out that these big rocks are our passions - the consistent forces that bring us purpose and joy. As school counselors, we can support students in identifying what their "big rocks" represent. Hence, my introductory activity was envisioned. When I go into classes this September, beyond letting students know who I am, I hope to help them brainstorm a bit about who they are. While going through this metaphor, students will write down what are some of their "Big Rocks" and then some ideas for pebbles and sand that might feel more pressing but might take away from their rocks and values. Not only might this be a time-management metaphor, but it also relates to interpersonal relationships, values, and future planning.


So now its time to practice what I preach. I took a smidge of brainstorming time and came up with a couple of ideas for my "Big Rocks." These are my values that help fill my cup and increase my excitement about working with students. These values may not have led me to school counseling since there are many careers where I could live out these (let me hear some suggestions in the comments) but they are present in my work as a school counselor. I also filled in a couple of ideas for the pebbles and sand that also occupy my job. These I've applied more directly to school counseling because that is where my mind currently is and the focus of this blog. However, it could also relate more broadly in your life. For instance, I think of working out or reading as activities that might fit in any of the three categories depending on the individual.

My List

Big Rocks:

↦ Honesty

https://zenhabits.net/big-rocks-first-double-your-productivity-this-week/

↦ Respect

↦ Trust

↦ Joy

↦ Helping others feel important

↦ Creativity

Pebbles (smaller to dos):
↤ Working with staff/parents
↤ Seeing growth
↤ Listening

Sand (what else):
↳ Lunch/Hall Duty
↳ Scheduling
↳ Smiling

Through identifying a few of my "Big Rocks," I now have reminders of what brings me to school counseling and excited to start my third year!

Resources:
Jar of Life story: http://www.worklifecoach.com/Big_Rocks.pdf
Animated Jar of Life story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5ZvL4as2y0
Photo 1 (2 jars): https://zestnzen.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/best-new-years-resolution/
Photo 2 (3 stones): https://zenhabits.net/big-rocks-first-double-your-productivity-this-week/

I've got spirit how 'bout you?!?

This week we are having a spirit week with dress up days with themes of PJs, Western, and Sports. Perhaps most exciting, we are having a Pink Day related back to a video everyone in the school watched to address cyberbullying and being kind to others.

This year, bullying has come to the forefront of concerns at school since we have a lot of mean behaviors directed at various individuals. With a slightly outside perspective, it seems like a lot of this meanness stems from insecurity with ourselves. Therefore, I chose to enter the Elective classes over the next week to discuss how middle school can be used to specifically build habits that work towards individual dreams! This presentation gave students the opportunity to think about their dreams and identify something to work on while acknowledging that not everyone finds complete success in school.

To see the Prezi (Speeding through Middle School) use this link: http://prezi.com/mrmi9ska04ei/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share 

The main message was about exploring to find your niche - I am interested to see what niche pops up during this week!

Getting ready for school to start

So I have officially started my first job at as a middle school counselor! Besides being terribly excited, I am incredibly thankful for the welcome I have received thus far. On my first official day, I was greeted by a great welcome sign from the ASB and a hot Starbucks from one of the secretaries. After learning how to schedule students in a new system, I learned I will have an iPad. Besides being able to pop around the office and build the counselor/admin relationship, I was also able to meet with the Leadership class and was completely reminded why Middle School Students are the actual best. These students reaffirmed that this will be a great year for all of us to learn and grow.

Now that the thoughts on my first day are out of the way, here are some of my new office signs (unfortunately my contact information is incorrect - I just didn't want to reload the images after I had uploaded these versions):

<- Inspired by a post I saw at another post I saw as an introduction letter. The flyer layout should work for when I am at a staff development while our returning students take care of what they need. Being new to a school where there has been some counseling transition, I wanted to lay out what I planned on offering. Now it is time to live up to it!

-> I also wanted something that I could hand out or leave at my office so that others could contact me. Both of these were made via canva.com

<- My confidentiality sign for my office. I wanted something simple but clear for not only my students but also the staff and parents who will come to see me.

I'm Back!

I apologize for the hiatus. Since I last posted, I completed my graduate program, finalized my certification with the state and got a job!

So naturally, after all of that happened, I took the summer off. But even when taking it off, I was able to meet with a trainer for the Check and Connect program. Started from the U of M, Check and Connect is an engagement intervention aimed at reducing student drop out by creating a weekly connection opportunity for students who need additional support. 

While  most of our conversation seemed like common sense, I realized that the simplicity of having someone to connect with to build protective factors seems simple because that is what counselors pride themselves on. However, this program, based in research and implementation with fidelity, provides a great way to build the knowledge that required two years of training for school counselors. Since this program needs to be voluntary, the buy in has to be there. Luckily the research is already started!

Even though I am not planning on implementing this program my first year as a professional, it will definitely be something I keep in mind as I continue to practice!

Inner Dialogue: Graduation Time!

The Inner Dialogue series may come up a few more times throughout this blog. It will reflect what is happening in my current experience as it relates to me. An odd concept for someone in field where it is all about others, but one that is necessary nonetheless. Below are my thoughts on Graduation and Change. 

Graduation is a curious time. It is a time of celebration and of honoring accomplishment and yet it also acknowledges closure. It brings about the end of an era of education. And through all the joy, there is the constant question of "What is next?"

As an intern at a middle school, I've been able to see the incredible growth of my students. Some of whom are excited to move on and some of whom cannot believe we are talking about where they will be next year. There is a lot of fear in the unknown. As I have begun the job search, I have found myself exploring more of the state in the past two weeks than I have the past two years. While I've pondered what the future will bring, I have come to the conclusion that change is inevitable.

This echoed in a counseling staff meeting I partook in while shadowing at a local high school. As a group we read a couple of articles on change and different individuals' responses. This led into a discussion of how change has played a role in our lives. As I listened to veteran counselors discuss the changes they have seen I realized that though I am excited to think in longer than 4 year chunks, we never truly know what the future brings.

I am choosing to be excited about that fact rather than to live in fear. I've tried that and I was not happy. If life truly is experienced through our reactions to it, I choose to remain positive, honor my classmates, and truly be thankful for the growth we have all experienced thus far.

Congratulations Graduates!

Finishing Strong

Recently I have been struggling. Not with grades or my students or with my decision to complete the program. Rather, I have been struggling with self-care. This past week there were two major tests (the National Counselor Exam and our program's comprehensive exam) and in the next weeks prior to graduation I have visits/interviews, mock interviews with my peers, and all of the paperwork for the program due. Let's just say I got so overwhelmed today I had to take a nap.

In the past week I realized that the complete disarray of my room is a clear sign of stress but even more indicative is my lack of patience. While I usually have a high tolerance for statements I disagree with, this past week has resulted in me snapping at more of my peers than I care to admit.

So what is the point of all the above? Perhaps it's a little bit to get it off my chest but more likely it is to serve as transition for understanding what I am doing about it. As I've developed through this program, I realized that my passion lies in creating new things. I'll have to take a break from creating new events for at least a month (because April burnt me out on that), but that creation needs to be present in my life. Most recently I have been pondering what thank you and graduation gifts I could create. This means I get to test out varying techniques to personalize items through art. So far, the front-runner is mugs decorated with nail polish or sharpie art.

The main point is, in whatever you are doing, I hope you find passion. And when the passion is not there, I hope you find an outlet where you can come alive. This experience has taught me that the only way to finish strong is to take care of yourself.

It Happened! I've been Published!

The article I was working on (with lots of support from my academic adviser) was accepted! Then it was reviewed and edited (multiple times), resubmitted, and finally published!

Here is the final article:  Solution-Focused Dreams: The Disney Approach to School Counseling - VISTAS Online

As someone who grew up with Disney films, I learned that you have to follow your dreams. And while your dreams may take work (and sometimes lots of it), that is part of what makes them worthwhile. This experience goes into the category "Things I'll remember because I did something for them." In fact, that's where a lot of my accomplishments go. I don't think its a personal accomplishment to get dressed in the morning, but that's because I am blessed and privileged to have clothes, be able-bodied, and not live with a daily battle for my mental health. However, if I had one fewer privilege, getting dressed may well be a personal accomplishment.

I have been blessed and honored to have the life I have lived so far. I am excited to continue to inform you of the journey!

Celebrating your Spark #NSCW

Where is your Spark? To celebrate National School Counseling Week (Feb. 2-6th), I wanted to share some of my passions. For the most part, my passion comes from creation and connection. 

This week, I sought to honor those who have made our positions possible. For Tuesday, I created a poster describing what counselors do and why our counseling staff loves this position. I also brought brownies to thank our secretaries and administration. The previous week, we had multiple events and were unable to be as present within the school as we truly needed to be. Our jobs would be impossible without the support staff who love their jobs. I then devoted Thursday to our teaching staff. The picture above on the left is the sign I made to go on top of a basket full of Gummy and Mint Life Savers. By the end of the day, most of the sweets were gone but I'm hoping that the message sticks with them.

Thank you for sharing your spark!

Going Beyond Internship: Publishing

For this final post in my Going Beyond Internship series, I wanted to talk a little bit about getting published. This is more than writing this blog and different than writing a novel. I'm talking about submitting an article for a peer-reviewed journal.

Now having a publication on my CV is something that has appealed to me for a while now. Not because it is something that would set me apart from other applicants, but because when I was younger I dreamed of becoming an author. Writing an article for a peer-reviewed journal is one step that melds my authorship desires and my current dream of becoming a school counselor.

However, knowing that this was something I wanted I have been unsure of how to get there. Perhaps my greatest barrier was the lack of confidence I have had in my writing. The "peer-reviewed" piece of submitting something is slightly terrifying. It was not until my professor encouraged me to submit a theory-based paper I had written for class that I considered publishing as a possibility.

After multiple revisions and discussion of what to add or take away, the process of finding places to submit emerged. While my professor and I were looking at where we could submit, there were a couple of key considerations. First, was the journal appropriate for the topic being submitted. Second, was there a peer-review component. Third, what memberships were required to submit. Finally, what was the deadline and what other components were needed.

So after finding the opportunities and editing to ensure that I was happy with what was written, I submitted the paper to the American Counseling Association's VISTAS Publication.

And now we wait.

Going Beyond Internship: School Board Meetings

Earlier I stated that one of my goals for the year was to attend an average of a school board meeting a month. To make it more realistic, I count attendance as staying for at least an hour of the meeting. Today I wanted to take some time exploring why I chose that specifically as a goal.

Let's be real, school board meetings are fairly long and may not be incredibly exciting. Most of the time, there is a lot of discussion on different policies and expectations for the district. Within District 81, they also include a time devoted to highlighting something positive. This is the "Good News" section of the evening and usually my favorite piece. Beyond that there is "Old Items" and "New Items" and lots of discussion. Sometimes this discussion is valuable and sometimes it is simply too much information to process at one point.

For me, I attend primarily because I am trying to understand the system in which I am currently interning and may work in my future. Through these meetings, if nothing else, I have developed a better understanding of those individuals who are intensely dedicated to the success of the district. However, I've also learned about an  incredible number of programs and supports that the district has access to and often uses. For instance, at the last meeting I attended the Good News piece honored the district's community partners and acknowledged their role in the increase of the district's graduation rate.

Moral of my story: yes school board meetings are long, but the public has a right to be there and you never know what you will learn. You might as well attend one, or at least check the agenda for the meetings to see if it could be interesting!

Going Beyond Internship: Professional Goals

In this Going Beyond section, let's talk about goals. One format my program emphasizes is the SMART goal-setting model. This model highlights that for goals to be most effective they ought to be:

• Specific - Goals should be detailed and defined. This includes answering the Who, What, Where, When, and Why questions of the goal.
• Measurable - How will you measure your goal and when will you know if it has been achieved?
• Attainable - Is this a realistic goal? Can you break it down into smaller, more reasonable chunks?
• Relevant - Goals should be personally worthwhile - otherwise there may be no motivation to achieve it.
• Time-Bound - How likely are you to put off a chore if you know you have forever to complete it? Creating a deadline can reduce the opportunity for constant procrastination.

So, I am not the best with intentionally creating and evaluating my SMART Goals. More often than not, I make them too broad and not necessarily attainable. Knowing that, I have tried to take on goals that I care more about to ensure that the relevance keeps me motivated.

One of my goals for this year has been to attend a portion (at least an hour) of a school board meeting each month. I'm not going to make it for November. Does that mean I fail? Technically yes I guess. Can I rework my goal to make it more reasonable? I think I can. Now I'm thinking of it as an average of one meeting per month. This allows some flexibility for my past and future self to navigate the busy life of a graduate student.

Moral of the story: goals are important, but it can be just as important to give yourself the grace to modify your goals.

Going Beyond Internship: Conferences

Going Beyond Internship will be a series of reflections about what I have experienced that may go beyond the "typical" internship experience. I hope to address these experiences as they arise and cover such topics as presenting at conferences, attending school board meetings, creating professionally focused goals, and getting published (beyond the blogger realm). Honestly, I have yet to experience all of these but I am in the process and would love to share.

Today's topic: Conferences
More specifically: Getting the most out of attending and/or presenting

In a earlier post I mentioned how I presented with a group at ISCA and WSCA. These were both interactive-based oral presentations. This month, I, with two of my professors, facilitated a Round Table Discussion at the Western Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference (WACES). In the past I have presented posters at the Washington Counselor Association Conference (WCA), and the American Psychological Association Conference (APA). Most of these opportunities have arisen from the fact that I have been blessed and honored to attend institutions where research and presenting have been greatly encouraged. From these experiences, I have learned that conferences are a brilliant time to network, and discover something new. Sometimes, the new discovery is a sandwich shop in Seattle, but sometimes it is a new way to function as a counselor. Therefore, I wanted to share a couple of tips for how you can get the most out of a conference!

1. Find out what conferences are nearby -- ISCA was only a 30 minute drive away which made the conference incredibly convenient. You can also look for different states and see where national organizations are hosting their annual conferences. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it does not.
2. Volunteer -- If you are not presenting (or even if you are) you can see if it is worth your while to volunteer. Not only are you able to add volunteering to your resume but you may be able to attend multiple sessions for free. Volunteering at ASCA when it was in my city was my first real introduction to the school counseling world and I left completely pumped for what I want to pursue for the rest of my life. Also - you can often get a free t-shirt!
3. Know the submission deadlines -- I have missed many deadlines and been bummed out. If you are passionate about presenting on something, get the application in!
4. Meet people -- Having business cards is a great way to get your name out there, but even by introducing yourself to one person at each session, you are building your networking skills. Who knows what resources the others in the room can provide unless you make that connection!
5. Follow up -- Especially if you are presenting. It is obnoxious when you sign up for more information or to receive the PowerPoint and no one gets back to you, ever. Don't be that person.
6. Try out different formats -- This upcoming presentation will be my first round table! By switching up the format, you can challenge yourself to learn more and stretch your creativity. It also prevents you from getting board with the same presentation (which is what the APA poster session felt like since it was the 3rd time we presented).
7. Check out the freebies -- You can always get pens at conferences. You might also leave with a ton more information or toolkit that you were not expecting.
8. Check with yourself -- Was this experience worthwhile? For me, that means leaving with at least one new piece of information or one new strategy to approach counseling. Maybe for you worthwhile means you have another entry for your resume, or you really built relationships, or you are excited for next year, or you cannot wait to get that sandwich. Check in with yourself.

Conferences and presenting at them is not for everyone. It may seem that presenting is simply a good resume booster. However, conferences are a fact of our professional lives. Sometimes this means that you have to push yourself to be social or learn a new technique and sometimes it means that the location of the national conference will dictate your family vacations. 

Starting Groups

Entering the world of school counseling, one of my greatest interests is in facilitating groups. There are endless possibilities for potential groups and it is a key way to be able to serve multiple students. However, I entered an internship site where there are no groups currently in place.

Bummer dude.

So what have I done? Well, besides talking about how I want to have at least one group at my site, I will begin a Girls Lunch Group this week! I am uncertain on if it was because I was an intern and had limited time or if it was because there has not been a group at this site in who knows how long, but this has been an intense process. With a plan of intention, and multiple conversations involving both my counseling supervisor and our administration, I have finally reached the point where I have approval, a few participants and a plan to proceed!

I am excited to provide an opportunity to build relationships and inner resilience with these students. I will keep you updates on how the group goes but for now I'm wondering what group experience you have and have stuck with you?

Intentionally Incorporating Careers

I have been incredibly fortunate to be invited to present with my peers and professor at Idaho School Counselor Association's Annual Conference this past week. Our presentation focuses on incorporating career guidance into the elementary level and was an updated version of a presentation we facilitated at the Washington School Counselor Association Conference last year.

We discussed different strategies and techniques to better incorporate a career focus into the school counseling program. These strategies primarily included becoming more intentional about using "career" as a category. For example, one of the activities we presented was the game Scattegories. In this game you have participants think of as many things as possible within a category that start with a specified letter. At ISCA we played a round where participants worked in team to come up and write down as many careers as they could think of that begin with the letter "N" within 2 minutes. The true exposure to different careers comes when you go around the room and everyone reads off their lists. Once a career has been stated, everyone with that career crosses it off. The final "winner" is the group with the most answers left. This encourages students to be creative and realize that there can be a lot of career options in the world.

We used the same strategy of intentionally focusing on careers for other "games" as well. Between the two presentations we altered the following games:

• Get to know the class Bingo - Find Someone who is an Expert on... 
• 2 Truths and a lie - Have each student pick a career that they get to research and use the 2 Truths format as a way to present the information. 
• Would you Rather - Question Handout
• Alphabet game - Come up with a career for each letter. See who can be most creative/fastest.

  

  Found Here

We also suggested strategies such as creating a "Career Library" where the books are all about different careers, or working with math teachers to do a lesson on how much different careers make.

There are many options for integrating careers, and I would love to hear what you do in the comments below!

Keys to Excellence

The 8 Keys of Excellence

One of the missions of my internship site this year is to integrate "The 8 Keys of Excellence" into our middle school. Now these 8 Keys are strategies that are explored through the book of the same title by Bobbi DePorter. You can find out more here!

Our school has used Homeroom as a conduit for introducing and following up on these 8 Keys. After a brief overview of all of them, we are dedicating each month to a different key. Besides discussing them in homeroom, teachers are able to nominate students who are exemplifying the key of the month. I am in the beginning phase of creating a way for students to also nominate their peers.

The 8 Keys Created through Tagxedo

But what are these keys? Honestly, I just finished the book and am using the website for reference. But here are the descriptions of the keys:

1. Integrity - Match behavior with values
2. Failure Leads to Success - Learn from mistakes
3. Speak with Good Purpose - Speak honestly and kindly
4. This Is It! - Make the most of every moment
5. Commitment - Make your dreams happen
6. Ownership - Take responsibility for actions
7. Flexibility - Be willing to do things differently
8. Balance - Live your best life

Reading through all of these and seeing how they are exemplified through DePorter's book, I kept coming back to the feeling that we are using these words and keys to help our 6-8 grade students more intentional about their actions and their lives. As a graduate student, my program focuses on the same theme of intentionality and purpose.  

What areas are "locked" in your life?

After the introduction of the 8 Keys, our students were challenged to think of which key they would like to work on for the following week. At that time I decided I needed to work on the Balance Key which has thus resulted in updating my G-Calendar much more regularly and referring back to my scheduling tools. This upcoming week, I want to work on This Is It! and finding the value in every moment of my life. I'll let you know how that is going for me and I challenge you to to focus on one of the keys to help "unlock" an area where you might be struggling! I would love to hear which Key you are working on in the comments below!