When Thoughts Become Action

Hi, friends. I'm writing this post on September 22, 2023, and my new school year is in full swing. It's been bonkers these first six weeks. It started with moving our son to Indiana University. My heart goes out to college freshmen and their parents: The goodbye was one of the hardest things we've ever had to do. It was a "good hard." All at once, all of your parenting which you previously held in a tight bundle in your heart gets handed right over to your 18-year-old, and as you watch him walk away, you recognize that it is his turn to hold that bundle. The bundle is maturity, wisdom, kindness, love, hard-work, and grace. All of those that were yours are now his. That recognition happens in the same split-second when your child's arms disembrace and you give a teary-eyed nod to say "You got this."

Then my daughter's high school field hockey season began, and we've been busy shuttling her to and from games and practices, hauling her equipment, and laundering her sweaty jerseys. Seeing her courageously throw herself into unknown territory is inspiring. She is a really neat person. Since toddler-hood, she has been surprising us with her fearlessness and moxie. It started when she was two and decided to potty train herself. She decided to, and she did. She's been deciding to

and doing ever since.

I shared a similar story with my students yesterday. I have two freshman "Success" classes. They're the classes that inspired my Excellence Academy series. We talk about success, strategies, goals, and all the paths to getting there. After this talk, a student stayed after class to tell me something that I'll never forget:

I just wanted to say thanks for that. It's teachers like you who make me want to come to school.

He was referring to my talk about the Power of Decisions.

Last year in this "Success" class, I had a boy who really stood out. Where the other kids struggled in math, had spotty attendance, or had trouble staying awake, this boy didn't. He was present every day, always completed his work, was consistently attentive, and was an overall great student. I asked him, "Why are you in this class since you seem to have school under control?" He told me that in eighth grade, he did terribly. He slept all the time, didn't do his work, and was checked out. I asked him, "What changed?" What he said blew me away:

I just decided to.

He just decided to. Huh. It was so simple, but it really got me because it was also so profoundly true.

When we decide to do something, and then put all our action and intention behind that decision, change is inevitable. The funny thing is that it appears so effortless! Watching that student be excellent each day seemed to me like he had been that way forever, but he hadn't.

Effortless. (Not exactly.) It takes effort to go to bed at an hour that your morning-self will benefit from. It takes effort to develop a system of remembering "work to be done." It takes effort to stay awake in your classes, especially the boring or ones after lunch. It takes effort to push through hard work, seek help, and self-advocate. Yes, it takes effort, but it's really not that hard once you go for it.

He just decided to. I love that so much. I celebrate all of you who are deciding to do something today that may seem a little hard or scary or different.

Just decide to. Then, take some action. Then, let the momentum build.and before long, it'll be effortless.

I believe in you.

XO, Meredith