"Everyday Excellence"
This post is dedicated to Rick Weinheimer: teacher, coach, and mentor to countless. The title of this post is the name of his company.
I started using Rick Weinheimer’s Excellence 366 journal last Thanksgiving and have, for the first time in my 48 years, incorporated daily reflection into my life. I have found that this simple and quick act of quiet mental inventory has been both cathartic and catalytic. Indeed, the journal helped me triple the word count of my first book in just six months, taking the concept from “languishing” to “complete.”
Each day I reflect on:
- Things for which I am grateful
- Small wins
- Highlights of the day
- How I responded to a challenge
- Observations and reflections
- To what I can commit tomorrow
It takes 5-10 minutes each morning. Pound for pound, I am convinced that there is no more impactful use of my time than this small step, this new habit, that I now own.
Journaling came along at exactly the right moment in time for me. The book project began in 2019. I made reasonable progress through Spring of 2020; when the pandemic took hold, my screen time became a bane, and spending more hours squinting and writing was the last thing I needed. The book project went on hiatus. Concurrently, our oldest son was preparing to start college and, needing to generate some additional income, we decided that real estate was a surer bet for covering the tuition bill than a book (it was.)
Writing languished a while longer while I spent my days doing demolition, renovation, and… teaching. The 2020- 2021 school year, with its alternating modes of hybrid, then lockdown, back to hybrid, and finally, altogether, left me numb to my day job. It was the most ineffective and frustrating year of teaching and learning any of us have ever known. In retrospect, having a flip house project was a godsend; covered in filth and still wearing my school-issued N95s, I could see progress each day.
Weinheimer’s journal came along for me at the right moment. Coming off the successful flip house sale, I was confident and ready for more (though not more of the same.) I never suspected that real estate was a true calling, not in the way that writing is. Penning long-term goals on Day 1 of the journal was the moment of clarity I needed to see the book project through.
Cataloging each day’s “Small wins” reframed what I would otherwise have considered a given into something to celebrate. Yes, the weekly grocery store trip counts as a win. So, too, does a “good food day,” a 3-mile run, or a few hundred words written. Submitting the manuscript to a publisher, even with the odds stacked against any agreement to publish, is still a win. Small wins are about quantity, not quality. Journaling is, too.
“How I responded to a challenge” entries have been particularly insightful. I have found that my response to challenges usually involves “leaning in.” I have always been gently direct with my students, and I do not allow problematic behaviors to go unaddressed. Some days, the strategy is to take a nap, seek advice, or “table it.” The daily act revealed to me that I am tenacious in my pursuits, and for me, that has inspired confidence.
“What I can commit to tomorrow” became a mantra for me. Once it is written, consider it done. Not every time, of course; life gets in the way, even after the pandemic. But writing it down becomes a contract, and I don’t like breaking promises to anyone… including myself.
“Things I’m thankful for” are slight variations on a few themes, with family, good health, and colleagues making the list almost every time. The surprising effect of recording my gratitude is the action it inspires in both expression and action. If you are grateful for someone, tell them so. If I am thankful for my good health, it stands to reason that I protect it with exercise and good dietary habits. You can’t be thankful for something you don’t curate.
My students, too, are now spending three minutes at the end of each period journaling. Each day, we choose just one prompt for reflection-- variations on those found in Excellence 366. Students have warmed to that task. For many, it’s already a habit. I know they will benefit in the same way that I have. Intentionality is habit-forming.
I love the accumulation of filled pages in my journal. I rarely flip back through them, but it’s no matter. They are there for the perusing should I ever wish (or need) to do so. Rest assured that on November 20th of this year, I’ll be ordering a new copy of Excellence 366. This is a habit I intend to keep.