You Can’t Get Better Looking Down

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I tend to have secret mentors.

Why?

Well, I am a learner. I find someone that can pour into me and I don’t stop tapping into that supply system. Luckily, I escaped any creeper status because I am a virtual suction cup- they don’t even know I hang on to their every word!

I always knew I wanted to be a teacher so I read EVERY (interesting looking) education book leading up to my opportunity to gain employment, starting at the ripe age of 9. When I felt I was reading the same tips from books, I started looking elsewhere- but not down of course. 🙂

Luckily, the internet was booming and I began to scour the web for more information. Blogs became my new supply system of educational information. But there came a time when classroom stories and tips felt like a merry-go-round. I needed more. I needed something different.

That made me realize that my dream was no longer ahead of me, that I was currently living my dream. Well, then I should just read my OWN stuff! That would mean my head is at my feet. I am not growing when I am looking down. It was time to dream again.

I decided I wanted to take my classroom leadership to the next level as a leader to other teachers. I scoured the internet again. This time I was looking for educational consultants- folks that started in the classroom and now are paid to help others in the classroom. #dreamjob

I came across my first secret mentor, Angela Watson of The Cornerstone For Teachers. She was on the next level and wrote extensively on her blog about her journey, aspirations and impact. For once I was a suction cup to a person and not just to information.

I followed her career for years and eventually met up with her recently at a conference here in Charlotte. I guess the cat is out of the bag- its no longer a secret mentorship!

Most recently, I have been making my own educator journey unique. I no longer followed the path that others had paved before me. I created my own way, style, and mission.

  1. I turned my blog into the Empowering Educators podcast.
  2. I developed and sold more products on Teachers Pay Teachers.
  3. I left the classroom to coach new teachers through The New Teacher Project.
  4. And now, I am taking my knowledge and expertise and offering it world wide through virtual coaching of teachers of all experience levels- a more differentiated focus on a more extensive scale.

During my launch of my podcast, I had to start suction cupping myself again. I needed to learn from other podcasters so I didn’t appear to be “the new girl on the street airwaves.” I started typing my interests into the keyword browser on iTunes: leadership, teaching, education, coach, mentor…BAM.

Enter my next secret mentor….Geoff Woods of The Mentee podcast and author of GeoffWoods.com and FindThebBestMentors.com. It was the first person I ever followed that was not an educator- well, in the school system sense. For whatever reason, I connected with this podcast. I binged on every episode to get caught up, made a podcast notebook to keep track of value bombs from my favorite shows and started learning- picking up insight like a kid in a candy shop. I again gleaned from the information provided by one person instead of many; and I was okay with that because I was being fed.

My dreams got bigger. My motivation grew taller. My confidence grew deeper. I was looking up.

Geoff’s podcast starts off every episode with theJim Rhodes quote “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” Wow. That was a game-changer.

I tried to make a list of my Top 5, but I ended up making multiple lists: church list, friend list, family list, educator list and so on. I don’t think that’s what I was supposed to be doing. So I forced myself to think about if something were to go wrong RIGHT NOW and I didn’t have the answer myself, who would I run to first?

  1. Dad

…shoot, I am married now- he is just as knowledgeable as my Dad, but I have a 32 year habit of going to my main man that it will take some time to recalibrate. Reboot. Reboot.

  1. Husband
  2. Dad

My list ended there. These two men are my rational problem solvers. They both were aligned with my (1) character, (2) values, and (3) faith in God. I had the trifecta effect x 2… wow, I am blessed!

But this wasn’t going to help my business venture. I needed a list of educators that I could aspire to and glean from. The more I listened to Geoff, the more I realized I needed to create a LEAP list; a list of educators that I would die to have coffee with for just 5 minutes to gain their wisdom- “my circle of influence” he says. To do that I had to follow Geoff’s advice: “be where your mentors are.” Okay, so I went back to my list and started jotting down some names. I kept crossing off names, adding new names, crossing those names off and adding back old names…repeat, repeat, repeat.

I had to stop this crazy mess. I had to stop devoting my time to paper and start turning my effort into action.

I reached out to Geoff to thank him for his insight and encouragement through his podcast episodes. He personally emailed me back asking how he could help. Well, I already knew what I had to do and he couldn’t do that for me. So I told him I would reach back out in a few weeks when I jumped off the cliff chasing my dream.

“When you develop the habit of surrounding yourself with GREAT people and adding value to GREAT people, GREAT things happen to you. Develop that habit.” Geoff said in his most recent podcast episode. 

Sounded easy enough. So that is what I am doing. If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll never get there. I needed my list so I knew who to watch and learn from so that I could take that insight and turn it into my own so that I too could gain access to the next level. I started going to conferences to be with heavy hitting educators. I joined Voxer groups with experience educators. I started upping my social game and suddenly I had achieved my Top 5. (I bet you’re dying to know who is on this list, but I can’t tell you…yet!).

When I reached back out to Geoff to let him know not only did I hear his advice but I followed it, he was so excited- not just for his own benefit, but for paying it forward. He was using his life lessons from his own mentors to transform the lives of others who are learning to develop their own mentorships.

If you are anything like me and have dreams outside of what you are doing right now, FIND A MENTOR. You don’t need to even tell that person they are your mentor. Just listen to what they say, do as they do, develop your own path and maybe one day you can reveal your secret. But until then, get focused on where you want to be and how you will get there. That means….

Set Your Eyes on the Skies.

You cannot get better by staring at your shoes as you walk along your own path. As I titled this blog post, you cannot get better by looking down.

If I never thought bigger than myself or my situation, I would have never scoured the internet to find my first secret mentor, Angela Watson. If I didn’t rise up to my next personal challenge of edu-preneurship, I would have never found my second secret mentor, Geoff Woods. Both people have poured into me with countless value bombs, expounding my growth as a person and educator. I am so glad I kept my eyes up- thought bigger, searched higher, and reached wider.

I challenge you to evaluate your life. Where do you want to be? Set your eyes there. Find people who are already doing what you want to be doing where you want to be doing it. Follow their lead. Keep your head up… you can’t get better with your head looking down.

Go get those mentors!

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What is one SMALL thing you can do today to achieve your BIG dream?

Connect with MY Secret Mentors:

 

About the author, Gretchen

I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.

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