Have you heard the quote “Comparison is the thief of joy”?
I think that may have come out after the invention of Pinterest and/or social media.
Maybe its just me. Maybe I’m the one scrolls through the FB or the twitters and thinks man, I am so slacking. My outfits weren’t that fun. Each and every sentence outta my mouth isn’t Pictaquote quality. My staff development wasn’t that creative. My day left me in tears, and that chick has never cried a day in her life. (and what wrinkle cream does she use anyway?!?)
As if our educational world wasn’t tough enough, we have the constant exposure to all of the rockstars that we are surrounded by. The ones who obviously don’t sleep, the ones that have a bottomless budget, or the ones to whom everything just comes easier too. The pressure of the pinterest perfect principal…it’s a real thing!!
Don’t fall victim to the pressure, friends. There is always more to the story. I made a comment to a friend recently about how proud I was of her for data I had seen, 100% of her advanced students had scored advanced on our state test. She laughed, and said “Yea, I only had one advanced student though”. That sure wasn’t listed in the footnotes for the data on the screen! Please remember that you are only getting to see the highlight reel.
That aside, what YOU do is good enough. That where YOU are is where you are supposed to be. I guarantee YOUR staff is appreciative of what YOU do, and is thankful for YOUR efforts. Don’t compare. Let’s be satisfied with what we do, and how we do it. Let’s know that our reality is perfectly acceptable, in fact, our reality is awesome. We strive for perfection and success, and when we fall short, we feel less than and worthless. What we don’t seem to realize is that working toward our goals and being willing to put ourselves out there are accomplishments within themselves, regardless of how many times we fail or feel like
If you can scroll and be inspired, excellent. Tweak and twist, and reinvent for your world. That’s awesome! See something of mine you like? PLEASE reach out and I will share it all with you! Education is not a zero sum game.
But if you find yourself constantly comparing, and worse, not measuring up?
The “unfollow” button is your friend. Use it.
Non-guilty-ly,
Amber
So needed to read this! Thank you for your honest post.
Let’s just stop though, with this. You and I both know the life of a principal, no matter how it’s portrayed via social media or #yayweareprincipals hashtags is truly what it seems. The job of the principal is all-encompassing and no one truly understands until they live it. I agree that when we start to only put forth our Pinteresty-selves, it can be defeating to those on the outside looking in. Dear principals: stay true to your students, your teachers, your communities, and your ideals. Share when you can. Be sure to reach out to new principals who are feeling about as overwhelmed as they’ve ever been. Be approachable. I enjoyed your blog post. Thanks for sharing 🙂
This article speaks to my heart and soul. I am always beating myself up because my work wasn’t perfect or didn’t measure up to the work of those I admire. I spend so much time replaying my imperfections than acknowledging my successes and my efforts to improve the educational experience for our students and our teachers. My goal this year is to find balance between work life, home life, and self-care. Looking forward to living my life instead of critiquing it!
Thank you for this! I am one of those principal’s who does a lot of “lurking” – finding ideas from what others post. I don’t usually feel bad about any of it as I try not to compare myself. Instead, I often think “Wow, they are good!” However, you hit a real chord in me with these statements: “…what YOU do is good enough. That where YOU are is where you are supposed to be. I guarantee YOUR staff is appreciative of what YOU do, and is thankful for YOUR efforts.” This is what touched my heart as I read and I thank you for this!
This post was something I needed to read. Thanks for writing this. I’m definitely trying harder to live my life. A balanced life. I’ve also decided to live my life rather than record what happens in my life. I just want to enjoy being in the moment, not recording it for later.
As a first year principal who’s trying to stay afloat and to the very best she can (as she sits at her desk sick with a cold on a Sunday afternoon) I really needed this reminder! Thank you for being real and letting me know I’m not alone!
I know this was intended for principals, but it really applies to teachers too. Thank you. I always need to be reminded that comparing is the worst thing to do and that I am doing my best and it is good enough.