Balance Like a Pirate Summer 2018 Challenge. #BalanceLAP

Balance Like a Pirate Summer 2018 Challenge

 

Ok, so Jessica Johnson, Sarah Johnson, and I wrote a book that is coming out in a few weeks. And it has an interesting title to hook people. (Argh to our fellow PIRATES). The truth is that for us, it’s really not about just publishing a book and more about engaging in a crucial message for all of us. Balance. And this post is about how we want to engage as many educators as possible in this message to help us all become better versions of ourselves step by step, and in this case week by week this summer.

If you are like us, summer has arrived, and the new pace can come as a bit of a shock. You have been going a hundred miles a minute, most intensely in recent weeks to close out a year, emotions have been high, your schedule full…and then all of a sudden it is quiet. Your schedule is now full of more white space, and some of us might not know what to do with ourselves.

For years, the three of us not only discussed our struggles with balance, but also shared our tips to strive for balance while encouraging and supporting one another. As our discussions deepened we realized what you likely already know–balance isn’t just about work and home and it never mathematically comes out to 50/50. These realizations along with discussions and shared tips made us better! Better moms, spouses, leaders, co-workers, children, and people. We look to grow that opportunity for you as well.

Balance Like a Pirate, or in Twitter terms, #BalanceLAP is our manifesto and our message. Education is evolving at a rapid pace and as educators we are never going to be given the extra time we wish for, so we have to prioritize in the spaces in which we move, including placing our own self-care in our calendars to be able to continue to teach, lead and learn everyday.

We want to help! Over the summer we will be pushing out weekly challenges via Twitter and Voxer to help encourage and hold one another accountable. We know that now is the time to set personal goals that will help build our professional capacities throughout the school year.

Ready to commit? Follow along @BalanceLAP (link to twitter), join the #BalanceLAP conversation and/or join our voxer group. Direct Message @sarahsajohnson on Twitter with your handle to join the Voxer group. New to Voxer? DM her for a quick tutorial! Full disclosure up front: you are not obligated to engage each week. We just ask that you consider joining when you can and engaging with the challenges when it works best for you to begin the process of seeking a better, balanced version of yourself. We all have room to grow, and we are excited to learn with and nurture this #BalanceLAP community!

Each week on Mondays throughout the summer, we will put out a new challenge that prompts sharing and/or reflection in the important spaces of our lives. We are excited to include free copies of Balance Like a Pirate each month in June, July, and August! Simply participate in the challenges, and you will be entered into the drawing each month.

Our first challenge is right here:

We look so forward to engaging with each of you as we all build ourselves into better vessels. Now is the time to put the lifejackets on first so we can commit to helping others at our very best.

Dream BIG, Live Colorfully and Lead Boldly!

Jessica