Don't be a martyr

In the international world, we have all likely flown on an airplane, and we have all heard the famous words, “Put your own mask on before placing it on another.” In other words, save yourself before attempting to save another. Inevitably as the school year winds down, many of us look within and begin to internally process the memories, the highs and the low points that come with the natural ebb and flow of a year. My internal reflection leads me back to one of my two core values, which I don around my neck: Be Me. I always tell people that what you see is what you get, and that means acting with Integrity (my other core value around my neck), and authenticity. With BE ME as my core value, I have used this year to take some steps back, even in salary, and practice what I would always tell my teachers NOT to do: Don’t Be a Martyr.

I have realized I am more than my job, more than the money it earns. Have there been hardships along the way? Yes, of course. Do I sometimes regret the decisions I made to give up for me rather than keep a high profile job and turn down other Administrative roles to keep up with financial security? Yes, absolutely. However, I would be making an incredible mistake if I didn’t include in my reflection just how much I lost in time, health, energy, and quality relationships and partnerships by putting my job first instead of being Happy, Healthy and Whole. That is what I always want for my teachers, staff, scholars, and families after all, except I was not living my own life that way.

So I stepped back, reinvested that time and energy in myself with less people around me I knew, just so I could get back to my core value of being me. Now, I am having more fun, yes, with less, and I leave work on time. I leave work at work, and do my best to enter my home environment or the pavement where I run, or the soccer field, to be present and remember my boundaries I set for myself while doing the work on me.