A little while ago I heard an interview on a podcast. The interviewer was talking to a well-known fashion designer and asking what initiated all her success. Her answer was that back in 2018, instead of making New Year’s resolutions to improve herself in some way, she made it a goal to do things that made her happy. She enjoyed sewing and she had a hard time finding clothes she liked, so she sewed all her own clothes that year. One thing led to another and within just a few years, she had become a successful designer.
I’ve been thinking about this idea ever since. I’m one of those people who not only makes New Year’s resolutions, I stick to them and accomplish them more often than not. I like to get better at things and I can make things happen.
Except this year.
This year has been a struggle for me. I’m not very motivated. I’ve stopped doing a lot of the productive habits that I’ve built in the past. I often feel anxious and defeated, or just down. Usually at this point in the year I’m ready to make resolutions and recommit to improving my life, but this year I just feel tired.
Maybe that’s why that podcast hit home and keeps coming to mind. I don’t have the energy or motivation to make big changes this year. I just want to do things that make me happy.
As I’ve thought about what makes me happy, I’ve thought a lot about my job. Does it make me happy? Is it time to try something else? In the aftermath of the pandemic, will I lose my job and be forced to try something else even if I don’t want to? I keep coming back to the same conclusions. Teaching is a good career for me. While I don’t love everything about teaching, there is quite a bit that I do love.
My students make me happy. With the occasional exception, I’m happier after I spend time with my students. They are smart, funny, caring, and energetic. I might start the day feeling down, but an hour or two with them makes me feel better.
Teaching makes me happy. I truly enjoy seeing my students learn, improve, and grow. I go into my classes every day with the goal that my students will leave my class better than when they came in. Most days I see that happen, and it’s a satisfying feeling.
Learning makes me happy. My career as a teacher gives me endless opportunities to learn. From learning to use new technology, to learning new teaching strategies, to reading the latest research, I love learning and then applying those skills in my classes. It’s even more fun for me to take what I’ve learned and teach it to someone else.
Creating makes me happy. Again, my job provides so many opportunities to create. Whether it’s assignments and activities for my classes, videos of our performances, or posters and flyers for our events, I love to create things.
This year my goal is to focus on what makes me happy and do more of that. As a teacher, that means focusing on the relationships I have with my students and making sure that my time at school is spent mainly on teaching, learning, and creating.
Happy New Year.