Dear Educator,

Sometimes we find ourselves at a new beginning. We may plan to be there, or we may arrive unexpectedly. In either case, we often find ourselves a little worried. What exactly have we gotten ourselves into?

New beginnings push us into the unknown. They force us outside familiarity and drop us into unexpected challenges. They make us question our abilities and – more precisely – our abilities to overcome and to thrive. We ask ourselves “Who do you think you are,” or “How on earth will I manage this?”

Fortunately, there is an entirely rational, and profoundly practical, answer to this self-doubt: You are someone who has faced thousands of new beginnings. You have – on more occasions than can be counted – faced the unexpected challenges of life and made it to another new beginning.

The beginning is always today.

Mary Shelley

In facing today, this new beginning, remember you are a survivor of every challenge that has been put to you. The unexpected and unpredictable are still out there, but you have a record of overcoming.  You benefit from all the experience you earned and all the wisdom you received, and tomorrow you will have more of both.  

Make it a great day, dear educator, and revel in your new beginning.