INSPIRE
In a recent post, 6 Tips to Get You Through Mile 20 Like a Champ, I reflect on how the school year is like a marathon. Through this journey that requires perseverance, everyone hits “the wall” at some point. After breaking through this challenging moment, one might be tempted to stop and celebrate. After all, getting to Mile 20 has take a physical and mental toll. Why not take some time to relish in the achievement of making it through the point when most people give up? Because winners start strong, stay strong, and most importantly, they finish strong. Now is the time to fuel up with motivation and get ready to sprint across the finish line we call the end of the school year.
MOTIVATE
Digging a bit deeper into the marathon analogy, let’s think of what marathoners do after getting through mile 20. After checking and comparing their pace against their final goal, they are going to reflect on and be proud of the progress they’ve made while simultaneously using that to fuel up their motivation to finish the last 6.2 miles strong. This, along with realizing how close the finish line is, gives them a new energy and is just what they need to give the last bit of the race their very best.
As a staff, having come back from spring break, we were feeling this same combination of feelings. We had made it through mile 20 like champs and were gearing up to give the end of the year everything we had. Our students deserve this and need our very best each and every day.
You know what else runners do during a race to stay motivated? They feed off of the energy from supporters and the race signs along the route. Time to make our own personal race signs!
To duplicate this strategy and help each other stay motivated, we took some time during our April faculty meeting (we call them IOUs – Information leads to Ownership and Understanding) to create our signs. We reflected on what we’d personally accomplished up to this point and then what we personally needed to be reminded of to stay encouraged. When completed, we took a team picture and then put our sign somewhere we would be able to see it each day. I posted mine on my door so I would see it first thing every morning as well as when I left each evening.
AMPLIFY
Not only has my sign kept me going strong and giving the best version of myself to our school community who I’m blessed to serve, but I’ve also been energized by seeing others’ signs. What a neat peek into their inspiration and passion!
Have you made it past your Mile 20 like a champ? Ready to finish strong? What tips do you have to share? Together we are brilliant, so I’d love to connect! Tweet and tag me (@me1odystacy) to share. Or feel free to start a conversation by commenting below.
Culture of Belief 
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