The Principal's Handbook

Creating a Vision for the New Year

Welcome to the Principal's Handbook, [00:01:00] your go to resource for principals looking to revamp their leadership approach and prioritize self care. I'm Barb Flowers, a certified life coach with eight years of experience as an elementary principal. Tune in each week as we delve into strategies for boosting mental resilience, managing time effectively, and nurturing overall wellness.

From tackling daily challenges to maintaining a healthy work life balance, I'm Barb Flowers. We'll navigate the complexities of school leadership together. Join me in fostering your sense of purpose as a principal and reigniting your passion for the job. Welcome to a podcast where your wellbeing is the top priority.
hey everyone. Welcome to the Podcast. In our last episode, we talked about tips for maximizing your holiday break. Well, today we're diving deeper into two of those tips and reflecting on the past year and setting a compelling vision for the new year. So let's kick things off by exploring how to reflect on the year gone by and provide you with some insightful questions to guide your [00:02:00] reflection.

So we're going to, in this episode, be talking about what worked well and what didn't so that you can make changes and progress towards the life that you want to create. Because looking ahead, if you craft a vision for the upcoming year, you are more likely to reach your goals and have the life you want.
We get to decide what our life looks like. And we have to look at both our personal and professional life because they're so interconnected and your growth in one area is going to impact the other. So it's about defining who you want to be as a person and bridging that gap between your personal and professional goals.

And many people start the new year with resolutions, but studies show that maintaining them can be challenging. According to a 2022 YouGov policy, Poll. 37 percent of Americans had a goal or a New Year's resolution for 2023 and only 87 percent intended to keep it. However, a Forbes Health One Poll [00:03:00] survey revealed on average resolutions only last 3 months. So if you really want to transform your life, you need a clear plan. It's more than just a resolution or a goal that you set. You need a plan. You need , a vision that is powerful, that really helps you get excited to get up and get excited to make changes in your life. So thinking about what thoughts you have and what actions you take towards that vision, because cultivating powerful thoughts about what you really want and how you show up every day is going to help you become that person you want to be and have the life you want.

To assist you in creating a vision for your life, I'm going to provide reflection and questions. Based on key areas such as family, health, professional, travel and vacation, spirituality, and finances. So take a moment to find areas that you need improvement and find areas that are thriving. Look at those strengths too and celebrate those wins.

So keep in mind that true success really does encompass all aspects of your life. Excelling in [00:04:00] one area while neglecting others is not really a holistic measure of your well being. So for instance, if your professional life is flourishing and you are doing well in your job, but your family is struggling or your health is struggling and you don't feel like you have time to be home, Your overall success is compromised.

So it's essential that you evaluate and strive for balance across all areas of your life. So we're going to start by evaluating and reflecting on family. So think about the state of your family relationship. So this could be a relationship with your own parents, with your kids, with siblings, with your spouse.

But what do you want that relationship to look like? Do you have boundaries around your work so that you have time for those relationships? Do you have boundaries around relationships? What would you like to see change in your relationships? Is it having more family time? Is it being present with your kids more?
Is it when you're at home, you're really being intentional about the time that you spend with [00:05:00] them? Just because you're home, are you really spending quality time with your family? So reflect on, you know, what that time looks like and what you want it to look like with your family. The next area of reflection is health.

So really think about what does your health and wellness practices look like? What does your self care look like? Do you take care of yourself? Do you exercise? Do you eat healthy? Are you mindful of the time you spend taking care of yourself, whether it's exercise, diet, meditation, any type of relaxation techniques.

Do you actually take time for that? What would you like to change in your life to become healthier? What does your stress levels look like? Self care for both your physical and mental health is so important. We cannot do a good job as leaders if we don't take care of ourselves. We cannot pour from an empty cup.
I know that's said all the time, but that is so true. You cannot pour from an empty cup. So really evaluating your health. And we [00:06:00] know that the New Year's is a huge time for people to make New Year's resolutions when it comes to exercising or losing weight. But whatever that is that you want to do in your life to become healthier, take small goals, just take one thing at a time and focus on it.

Because if you do too much at once, you're not going to make those changes. Also with your health, Do you have routines that support healthy habits? You know, do you have time in the morning to work out? Do you have time to meal prep your meals each week? So really thinking about how your self care looks and how you can make that better for the new year.

I have a nutrition group that is starting in January. So if you're interested in joining that and getting better at, you know, with your nutrition and how you handle food and your relationship with food, reach out to me because I do have that group starting, but taking time for your own health is so important for both your personal and professional life.

Also thinking and reflecting about your professional life. [00:07:00] Assess your job satisfaction and fulfillment as a principle. Do you think about this? Do you think about and reflect on, do you enjoy your job? Are you just going through the motions each day or are you actually celebrating wins? Are you finding things you love?

How do you maintain that work life balance? How do you set boundaries around your work so that you're not working all the time? What are you engaging in for professional learning? What experiences did you have this year that contributed most to your professional growth? And what would you like to continue?
What obstacles hindered your growth this year or hindered your, your progress? What adjustments did you have to make moving forward this year? You know, what struggles did you have? And then how did you have to adjust for them? So we want to, as professionals be continuously growing, learning, and having that fulfillment in our job.

But if you don't take the time to assess, if you're actually doing that, then it's really hard to reflect on that. So really [00:08:00] think about what areas of. Your job as a principal, do you need to change? What areas do you need to grow in? Do you need to join groups or do professional development so that, you know, that passion for learning is you get that spark again.

So what do you need to do to make your professional life better for next year?
Take time and reflect on travel and vacation. You know, how much time would you like to travel or go on vacation throughout the year? What is your goal for this? Do you want to do weekend getaways? I love weekend getaways because when I do that, I don't take my computer. My husband and I go somewhere and I just disconnect and I can disconnect more than at home because I'm not cleaning my house and I'm not finding a million things to do.

So even if it's just a weekend getaway, it doesn't have to be this. Big elaborate vacation. Do you want to go on, you know, a vacation in the summer and a vacation and winter break, make those plans and really decide, because if you don't make the plan and be intentional about what [00:10:00] you want to do with your vacation habits and your traveling, it's not going to happen.

And the more that you can take those trips and decompress. The better, even if it isn't a huge vacation, but just some way that you can decompress. I have a friend that, you know, lives in Chicago and I'm in Ohio. And so just even visiting her, it's a cheap vacation for me and it gets me out of the house.
And it's a way to decompress. So find ways that you can do that, that work for you. Also reflect on your spirituality. You know, having spiritual beliefs is so important for just having hope in your life. So what do you believe spiritually? Are you dedicating time to grow spiritually? Do you grow in the way you want to spiritually?

You know, for me as a Christian, when I'm doing the things that I want to be doing to be growing spiritually, I'm taking time to study the Bible, prayer in the morning, reading the Bible, but that doesn't always happen. So reflecting on that, you know, I could get better at that [00:11:00] for next year. So thinking about areas that you could improve spiritually.

Also areas that you want to improve with your finances. So what financial goals and plans do you have for improvement? You know, what do you want your finances to look like? Do you want to pay off debt? Do you want to save a certain amount of money? Would you like to get better at deciding and choosing where your money goes?

I know for me, I did financial peace university with Dave Ramsey. It's, you can also read his book, The Total Money Makeover, and it is life changing. When your finances are in order, you feel so much better. I can't even tell you the worry that goes away when you're debt free and, you know, in a good place with your finances.

So if this is an area you're working on, I really recommend Dave Ramsey as a resource, but make those goals for yourself. Pay off the debt you want to pay. pay off or save the money you want to save. But having a budget and being intentional about how you spend really be life changing and you get to decide where your money goes [00:12:00] and it just, it feels really good.

So that's another area to really reflect on and decide what you want that to look like. Now that we've looked into those various aspects of our lives and we've reflected, it's time to narrow down your focus and set a goal for the year ahead. So, A goal that has the potential to positively impact multiple areas of your life.

Maybe it's something financial because that can impact so many areas. Maybe it's with your health. Setting boundaries in your workday could be a goal that you have that could lead to more quality time and better personal health. Remember, the goal is not to be perfect in all these areas, but it's for progress.
Having those small micro changes is going to lead to big changes. And that's going to help you. Align with your broader vision for this fulfilling life that you want to have so Being able to make improvements and just taking baby steps micro steps Towards your goals is going to help you meet them. So your [00:13:00] vision is attainable through consistency and commitment to positive change.

So join me on this journey. I know I have lots of goals for the new year. I'm really excited for it. And I trust that you'll find these insights valuable as you embark on a journey of crafting a vision that works for you so that you have a great new year. And by doing this, you're not just setting a goal, but remember you're creating a roadmap to Turn whatever things you've dreamed about or whatever visions you've had, you can turn those into reality.

So become someone who does what they say they'll do and move towards your goals and shape the life that you want to have. Go to my Instagram, Barb Flowers Coaching for more tips. If you want help setting a vision and reaching your goals for the new year, please reach out to me for a free consultation.
I'd love the opportunity to help you achieve your goals. So thank you for listening to the podcast. I hope you have a great week and a wonderful break and a good start to the new year. Stay tuned for the next episode.[00:14:00]