Part of the Goals 2010 Challenge Series, Goal 21
My to-do list would make anyone tear out their hair and scream. I am sure your to-do list would as well. However, my Personal Learning Network (PLN) is what energizes me!
For example, last night I shared some great jokes and laughter with some Twitter friends! Today, I shared more laughs on Lindsay Clandfield’s post, Six anagrams of Well-Known ELT bloggers. I definitely had fun spending quite a bit of time making anagrams of some of my friends names! Visit Lindsay’s blog for the names and to add an anagram of your name or other educators to the list. A kudos prize goes to the person who guesses the anagram my friend Marisa Constantinides posted:
By Moth Wit – is hot on twitter, loves a Hawaiian shirt and has just started blogging!
Another hint is that he has been a guest blogger here on many occasions.
Have Fun
Not to bore you with my recent social media escapades, but one of the most important goals I strive for every year is to have fun. I used to be a Type A personality. Then, I had three close calls and I realized that life is too precious to take myself so seriously. There is no time to be stuck in a job you loath, be brought down by those you surround yourself with, nor drive yourself to pursue ambitious goals you derive no inner pleasure from. I choose to have a job I may not make the most money in but am passionate about. I choose to surround myself with very supportive friends who make me enjoy life. I participate in projects, tweet, use technology, go to conferences, attend webinars, and so forth because it edifies me mentally and I enjoy these activities. Daily, I smile and laugh, because of you who interact with me.
There comes a time every year when I have to reflect on the stressors in my life, then plan to eliminate them effectively. Eliminating stress from our lives is not easy. Sometimes, it means we have to make tough decisions as my friend Tamas Lorincz has recently blogged about in his series, My 5 Reasons for Leaving the UAE.
I think this is a long-term goal we can strive to achieve. What works for some people may not work for others. Here are some ways, I relieve stress:
- Laugh and smile often
- Listen to great music
- Don’t get stuck in traffic- I learned this one from my Psychology course. I began taking a different route to work that was a little longer, but ensured I did not get stuck in traffic.
- Go for a walk or run- I love to do this with my pug and take many pictures of him.
- Take naps
- Take breaks
Do you have any other tips to add?
Our Students
When you are stressed in class, it shows. Therefore, I try to have fun with my students. We are goofy, we laugh, and we have fun. Not all learning is fun, especially when our education system focuses on standardized tests. However, we should strive to make engaging lessons and permit students having fun with their learning.
Challenge:
Reflect on the stressors in your life. For the long-term goal, reflect on how you can improve these situations.
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This is goal 21 of this series! If you’d like to join the challenge, please read this post with more details!
Don’t forget to leave a comment that you accomplished this goal using the hashtag #30Goals!
How do you make sure you have fun?
Image courtesy of Metrognome0 / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
