WHY A TEACHER HAS TO BE A ROLE MODEL

“A teacher affects eternity. She cannot tell where her influence stops.” This statement hit me hard when I decided to become an educationist. There were thousands of students in the school who had to be guided.  I was not a perfect role model. I had to get my actions right first in all aspects. How disciplined was I? I had to take stock of my value system. What are the positive qualities that I possessed? Could I lead them by example? Many more such pertinent questions crossed my mind. I reflected on each one of them. Where was I, and where should I be. I decided that I will work on each of these and make myself worthy of the chair I occupied.

 It was not an easy task, but, nevertheless, I was clear on bringing about a transformation of which I would be proud and also would be able to lead others by example. Children learn more from what they see than from what they hear. As educationists we have this humongous responsibility to be a role model to the younger generation. As Dr. APJ Kalam said, “My life will me my message to my students.” Be it our value system, or the discipline with which we live our life, our behavior, the language we use, the tone of our voice, everything has a message for our students. It is as important as preparing for the class or delivering the concept or updating our knowledge.

 As teachers we should always remember that we are not only imparting knowledge to the students, but also moulding them to be responsible citizens, compassionate human beings, disciplined individuals, who are the future of our nation. We are also mentors in that sense. If a teacher sees herself as a nation builder, it will broaden her perspective of who a teacher is.

 Teaching is a calling. A teacher has the power to influence her students. She wields a powerful tool. She can earn the respect of her students by the way she carries herself. She should not only be an inspiring teacher, but also a person who is worthy of emulation. A teacher has to be mindful of her conduct and character. “An ounce of practice is worth tons of preaching.”  A teacher shapes the destiny of a nation. Let us become one such teacher and touch lives and make a difference! 

 #Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

TRANSFORMATION

 

“Growth needs transformation; transformation needs change; change needs transition; and transitions are never comfortable.” I have come a long way from the stubborn, brutally frank, short tempered, impatient, in disciplined girl that I was. My tolerance level was zero. I would get very angry if people did not treat me well. I used to be so stubborn that if I was angry with someone, I wouldn’t talk to them at all. I was bent on settling scores. Sometimes I would hurt people by being brutally frank. I was pessimistic and always wallowed in self-pity.

When I became an educationist and began to attach myself to a Cause, I instantly subordinated my likes and dislikes to the Purpose of my life. My connect with my spiritual guru further empowered me to evolve from a caterpillar to a butterfly. All my limitations vanished one by one I began to see a new me. I started loving my new life. I felt so liberated. There is a great sense of freedom when you transcend and transform. When my habits changed, my life changed. I was no more a victim of my habits, rather, a master of my habits.  I realized that what is most important should not be at the mercy of what is least important. I got my priorities right. I became absolutely disciplined. When you don’t give yourself a choice, it is called discipline.

What is necessary was made compulsory. I became an early riser. I never missed my meditation. I started taking care of my health by eating the right food and by exercising regularly. There was no compromise whatsoever. I realized the futility of reacting to situations and people. Most importantly, I learnt to forgive. I started expecting more from myself than from the world. My acceptance level went up.  Thus, my relationships improved It felt really good as there was no negativity in me. I experienced so much peace and happiness, I began to love myself as I grew in my own eyes. I started loving the world unconditionally.

For change to become transformation, we need to hold on to that change long enough.  We should be ready to give up so that we can go up.  Consistent Directed Self-motivated Intelligent Effort will lead to transformation. We should not wait for external motivation. Anything that we do consistently will give us results. The best gift that we can give ourselves is, a beautiful life, where there is growth and transformation.

 

 #Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

LETTING GO, LETTING GOD

 

As I look back at my career which spans around twenty- six years, I must confess that I have had varied experiences, and every experience has only helped me to grow. I have been treated by people royally and also like dirt by a few. It took a while for me to realize that I don’t lose anything by being good to people, no matter how they treated me.  People have back stabbed me, but I always ensured goodness prevailed on my part. I have been cheated in the past, but I was always glad that I was not the one who cheated, people have been rude to me, but I ensured that I was polite in my manners, people have betrayed my trust, but I made sure to be loyal, people have had arguments with me, but I did not wait to prove who was right. People who lack maturity will not exhibit the right behavior. This realization helped me to raise my level of acceptance.

 “God created man in His own image.” An animal is born to a nature, lives by that nature, and dies to that very nature. Whereas, man is born to a nature and can transcend that very nature. Man alone can evolve morally, intellectually and spiritually. We are the highest creation of God and should always strive to attain divine qualities. The world is filled with all kinds of people. We have to be smart enough to handle them and not get affected by them. The key to our happiness should not be handed over to the world. We have it in us to make our day beautiful.

 The flower blooms day after day after day, not because somebody will pass that way and enjoy its fragrance or because some passerby is going to appreciate its beauty. It is the very nature of a flower to bloom. Similarly, it should be our very nature to do good to the world, not because our good actions are going to be noticed or appreciated by the world. We need to first feel good about our actions. Being good should be our nature. It comes with repeated practice and with a big shift in attitude.

 “Attitudes don’t care where you shape them, once shaped, they become your behavior, either creating you or destroying you.” I have always strived for my higher self to prevail. Higher self is all about the divine qualities we possess. Sitting in non-doing every day has helped me to give rise to my inner voice., which is the guiding light in my life. Learn to let go even when everything or everyone is not in your favor. Life is beautiful not because of, but in spite of.  By letting go, we are letting God in.

 

 #Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

CONFIDENCE IS THE KEY

 

When you live with a dented self-image, you tend to feel less about yourself. This was my childhood story. As a child I always lacked confidence. I could not look into the eyes of people with whom I was interacting. I would feel shy, nervous and unsure of myself. I suffered from an inferiority complex as I was constantly reminded about my bad looks. I didn’t do anything much about it for some years as I had nothing to be proud of, in terms of talent or academic performance. Then in class nine I decided to try my luck in an elocution competition. I had never participated in one earlier. Though I was very nervous, I gave my name. I worked hard and won the first prize. I felt proud of myself. Now I knew that I had some talent. Repeatedly participating in these competitions won me recognition in school. I walked around with a confident gait. Everybody noticed me.

In class eleven I worked hard on my academic performance and started topping my class. This boosted my self- confidence and I started believing in myself. Once I was in college, I started grooming myself by dressing up well. I felt complete. I no more felt any less about myself. It did not matter to me how I looked. I knew I was good enough. As I grew older I started working on getting my thoughts and actions right. I had converted every other weakness of mine into my strength. Now my endeavor was to conquer myself. I lifted myself to a position where I was able to counsel others on gaining confidence, developing good self-image, grooming their personality, working on their communication skill, discovering their potential and surpassing their own expectations.

How do we develop our confidence? First by trying the untried. Have the courage to participate in something that is new to you. You may feel nervous, but just go ahead. Prepare well and participate with vigor. Do not be deterred if you fail in your maiden attempt. Keep trying. You may be just a few attempts away from success. Repeated participation will create confidence in you. Be good in something other than academics. Work progressively on your communication skill. The basis of leadership is communication. Always aspire to be a leader.

 Begin to groom yourself. A book is judged by its cover. You are judged by your looks. Dress smartly. The world always looks up to achievers. Prepare a schedule for your studies. Learn to make optimal use of your time. That on which you invest time grows. That which is starved of your time shrinks. Remember that uncomfortable transitions will always take you to newer heights in life. Conquer the unknown… go beyond your comfort zone. Confidence grows by conquering the unknown.

 #Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

THERE IS NO CONTROL Z IN LIFE

Life is a series of choices and counter choices and its consequences. If life is driven by pain and pleasure, our choices will be based on that and the consequence we face may not be favourable always. On the contrary, if it is based on rational thinking, we will be more prudent in executing our choices. Be it relationships, work, education or situations we encounter, a well thought out decision would be favourable to us.  But sometimes we tend to get ego involved in relationships, make impulsive decisions, argue needlessly and endlessly, try to get better of the other, be disrespectful, lose our integrity, procrastinate, waste our time, make hasty career choices, spew venom, lose our emotional balance and get ultimately upset with all the happenings and also feel disillusioned in life.

 What happens is not in your control. How you respond is in your control. We have the option to respond to situations and not react, to make planned decisions, to move away from arguments, to develop good self-image, to be respectful, to be truthful, to take prompt action, to manage our time, to maintain our composure, to deliberate on our career, and to achieve emotional equanimity. But how many of us are living mindfully? How many of us practice restraint? How many of us realise the value of peace? Life is a tightrope walk. We need to tread the path carefully, lest life jolts us.  The mistakes that we commit at times may have serious repercussions. We cannot undo the damage done by us. We should not become a bottleneck to our own growth. Repeated actions could become a habit and destroy us in the process.  

 Life could be so much more beautiful if only we paused to think of the mess we sometimes create for ourselves. One thing that we must always remember is that there is no control Z or undo option in life that allows us to take back an action. There are so many, living life with regret, as they were impulsive. One bad choice lead to another and it ruined their life. Let’s think before we act. If we take care of the present, the future will be ours. Way back, when I was a teenager, I realised that I had underutilised my talent and ended up being a mediocre. Though I looked at my past with regret, I realised that I cannot undo my past, but I still had a long life ahead, and decided to make the best use of my potential. A lesson I learnt very early in my life. Today I have reached where I have reached only because I let go of my past and decided to move forward. The glory of human life lies in the chapters yet to be written. Instead of looking back with regret, let us look forward with renewed perspective. We are what we choose to be.

 #Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting