Cover your ears and close your eyes educators, the banners have been hung.  It is August and all your retailers have proudly and loudly reminded you that it is “Back to School” season.  Cue teachers screaming, crying, buying classroom materials, screaming, crying, and buying more classroom materials.  

Swallowed by nerves, teachers head to their classrooms doing everything within their power to be prepared.  Torrents of thought overcome them as they seek out the secret formula that will make this school year less stressful than last.  So badly wishing for a successful year, they often place all their focus on actions they can see and touch.  However, the most important step to achieving any goal, which is one that often goes unseen and unnoticed, is establishing your intentions.  

New beginnings and challenges can be the cause of unrelenting storms of conflicting emotions, colliding with tides of self-doubt and anxious anticipation.  Intention is the anchor for which we cling to when storms rage and we feel we can’t see ahead any longer.  It is the foundation of our strength as we become wrought with constant decision making, unrealistic expectations, and minimal appreciation. 

What does it mean to set your intentions?

The word intention can be synonymous with the word purpose.  We can live with a purpose, or a drive, that propels us towards our goal.  We can also bring purpose to what we do so that moments are not wasted, but rather filled with intentional opportunities for things such as growth, care, or connection.  In the medical world, intention is defined as the process for healing a wound.  When you face moments this school year where you feel broken or run down, intention can be the salve that mends your spirit as it will remind you that behind your efforts is purpose.  Let your intentions marinate with love and hope and any goal can be achieved.    

Where do I start?

“I am”…  In order to set my intentions for the year, I rely on “I am” statements.  The power of “I am” is that it is an intention for how we choose to live and respond to the conditions this world brings us.   In other words, if someone asked you “Who are you?”, how would you respond if you began with the words, “I am…”? Think about how you would define the best version of yourself.  What aspirations lie within your heart?  What values do you wish you aligned with more often? Every school year I select two or three character traits or values that I will commit to in my actions and interactions.  I try to think about where I have fallen short in the past and what intention or values would bridge the gap between who I currently believe I am and who I want to be in the days ahead.  Give it a try and remember to be brave.  Do not shy away from intentions that are centered around your perceived weaknesses, sometimes that is exactly where we need to start. 

How do I put intention into practice?

Set it, but don’t forget it.  Once you narrow down how you intend to live such as focused, driven, reliable, courageous, or resilient WRITE IT DOWN!  Write it and place it in a space you will see consistently.  Try reading it during breaks in the day while taking deep breaths.  Use it as a script for self-talk and encouragement.  Also, fully bring your intentions to life.  How does it look, sound, and feel?  Visualizing with clarity and stating your intentions consistently keeps them at the forefront of your decisions and bolsters your spirit during moments of fatigue and stress.  

Mindfulness cultivates intention.  Most people spend their time in two places: dwelling in the past or anxiously wading in the future.  Seldom present, it is a side effect of life to find yourself living within a racing mind in a seemingly perpetual loop of anxiety and exhaustion.  We become increasingly distracted both by choice and by the conditions in our lives.  Staying in the current moment allows us to create a gap between what is occurring and how we are responding.  When we keep our intentions at the center of our thinking, we can respond to stress in a manner that is more productive, connected, and positive.  Intentions remind us that WE are responsible for shaping our present through our attitude and purpose.  These intentions are very much a compass when we feel turned around from the chaos and stress teaching undoubtedly brings to us daily.

How do I maintain it?

Believe it: Yes, it must explicitly be stated that you must believe you are capable of remaining in alignment with these intentions.  When you stumble this year, it will be easy to sell yourself this garbage idea that you are not capable of being the person you desire to be.  You may start the year with the intent of bringing positivity or optimism to all interactions.  After one venting session with a colleague you may say, “Screw it.  I’m just not a positive person.  I don’t know why I tried in the first place. That’s just not who I am.” Stop identifying yourself as some fixed object.  Instead, when you fall short say to yourself, “That is not how I am acting right now.”  There is always a next time.  The more you believe you can live out your intentions, the more you will act like the person you are striving to be, while conquering the goals you had set out to accomplish.  

Reflect and prefect. Take time to reflect on your wellbeing and how you are doing while attempting to more closely live in alignment with the intentions you have set for the year.  If you feel like you are off track, acknowledge it and move forward with grace.  For added support, consider sharing your intentions with others, especially people you respect.  This will make you more accountable to your goals.  You can even ask for feedback from a trusted friend or colleague.  You may just find that you are doing far better than you are giving yourself credit for.  You also may encourage someone else to set their own intentions and pay forward the benefits of bringing greater wellbeing to teachers and therefore students.  

However you choose to prepare for your year begin with “you” in mind.  Before the chaos and stress begins to rage, craft out who you are when you are at your best or who you believe you are at your core.  Then give yourself the gift of putting words around it, memorializing it, and then believing in your ability to exist as the game changing, bad ass that you are.