Your Core (Not a Fitness Piece)

I've been struggling with the words swirling around in my head lately.

There are so many things happening in this world that keep me up at night.

There are so many things to say.

And yet, I don't even know where to start.

And then today I applied for a job, and part of the application was to write about core values.

Core values.

It’s been a while since I’ve put those to paper.

And perhaps it’s because I’ve been too busy trying to live them out - for what’s a core value on a piece of paper if you don’t actually practice what you preach in real life?

But it's something interesting to dig deep into - what's at your core?

I value my family.

I value my friends.

I value my work.

I value education.

I value art.

But it’s more than valuing them.

I believe in them.

I believe that every child who walks through the doors of a classroom deserves the support of the adult who’s teaching them, but more than that, I believe that said child should have the belief their educator.

For if we cannot see the potential and goodness in our students, how are they to see it in themselves?

I believe in setting the bar high for each and every student that comes through the doors of whatever classroom I'm in, and I believe in being there to help guide them and give them the tools to reach that bar.

I believe that this world, at this current time is insane.

I also wonder if it’s always been this crazy, but now our eyes and ears are finally open to wrongness. I wonder if the screens that we’re so attached to have forced us to look at our own evils more closely. For it’s become hard for rational humans to turn their eyes away from the hurt and heartache in this world - and I believe that’s actually a good thing.

I believe in the goodness in people, and that perhaps it’s easy to see the flaws in others rather than seeing their humanity, but I believe we can be better than that.

I believe that if more people saw the light in one another, more people would start to see it in themselves - and the ripple effects of that sort of kindness know no limits.

I believe in the transformative power of theatre and art - that it can shape lives and spark hope and be the mirror that we all need. 

I believe that good leadership is wrapped up in a myriad of things. 

I believe that in order to inspire new leaders, we need models of good leadership. Good leadership is about knowing how to delegate, and trust those who work for you. I believe that at the heart of good leadership is knowing that you don’t know anything. A leader is supposed to lead with a balance of love and strength, and put those around them at ease.

But at the crux of it all, good leadership is knowing how to listen.

For if you cannot listen to those around you, how can you possibly lead?