May 5, 2025
When You Love School Counseling But Hate How It Feels
You love school counseling.
You believe in the mission.
But right now, it just isn't feeling right.
If you’ve been wondering whether you’re burned out, questioning if you can make it through another year, or feeling disconnected from the work you once loved... this episode is for you.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Why April and May hit school counselors especially hard
- The difference between burnout and professional fatigue
- Five evidence-based strategies to protect your energy, motivation, and heart
- Why now is not the time to make big career decisions
Forget about self-care clichés. We need to talk about real tools to help you finish strong- and remind you why you started in the first place.
Whether you're tired, frustrated, or just not feeling like yourself at work...
You're not alone. And you're not broken.
Let’s talk about how to keep showing up without burning out.
**********************************
⭐️ Want support with real-world strategies that actually work on your campus? We’re doing that every day in the School for School Counselors Mastermind. Come join us! ⭐️
**********************************
Our goal at School for School Counselors is to help school counselors stay on fire, make huge impacts for students, and catalyze change for our roles through grassroots advocacy and collaboration. Listen to get to know more about us and our mission, feel empowered and inspired, and set yourself up for success in the wonderful world of school counseling.
Hang out in our Facebook group
Jump in, ask questions, share your ideas and become a part of the most empowering school counseling group on the planet! (Join us to see if we're right.)
Join the School for School Counselors Mastermind
The Mastermind is packed with all the things your grad program never taught you IN ADDITION TO unparalleled support and consultation. No more feeling alone, invisible, unappreciated, or like you just don't know what to do next. We've got you!
Did someone share this podcast with you? Be sure to subscribe for all the new episodes!!
00:00 - Professional Fatigue vs. Burnout
04:26 - Mastermind Masterclass Introduction
07:09 - Protecting Your Start
09:46 - Setting Limits Without Saying No
13:53 - Creating Micro Moments of Joy
17:46 - Measuring What Really Matters
19:19 - Let People Be Wrong About You
22:53 - Keeping Your Heart Intact
28:03 - Mastermind Invitation
WEBVTT
00:00:00.420 --> 00:00:06.133
If you've caught yourself wondering here lately, can I really do this again?
00:00:06.133 --> 00:00:09.409
You are probably not alone.
00:00:09.409 --> 00:00:12.268
April and May are tough.
00:00:12.268 --> 00:00:19.849
Everything kicks off, everybody's running even faster than usual and then you have the fatigue that sets in.
00:00:19.849 --> 00:00:23.530
Right that miles-long race to the finish line.
00:00:23.530 --> 00:00:24.865
Everybody's sick of each other.
00:00:24.865 --> 00:00:26.181
Right that miles long race to the finish line.
00:00:26.181 --> 00:00:31.088
Everybody's sick of each other, and you're all just so tired of striving and striving and going.
00:00:32.512 --> 00:00:44.546
April and May also tend to cloud your judgment a little bit, definitely kind of put a damper on some of your joy and maybe even your sense of purpose for your work.
00:00:44.546 --> 00:00:52.975
It's chaotic, it's emotional, it's exhausting and it is also not the time to be making big career choices.
00:00:52.975 --> 00:00:58.107
So what you're feeling right now is probably not burnout.
00:00:58.107 --> 00:01:05.209
If you've made it this far in the school year, my money is that you're feeling something entirely different.
00:01:05.209 --> 00:01:08.724
It might be professional fatigue.
00:01:10.370 --> 00:01:21.102
In this episode of the School for School Counselors podcast, I'm going to let you listen in on a mini masterclass that I provided to my School for School Counselors mastermind members.
00:01:21.102 --> 00:01:33.433
We talked about what professional fatigue really is and how to keep going and pushing through without losing the part of you that really cares about your work.
00:01:33.433 --> 00:01:37.025
And we didn't talk about fluffy stuff.
00:01:37.025 --> 00:01:44.808
We didn't talk about me time or scheduled self-care or any of that baloney that never works in the real world.
00:01:44.808 --> 00:02:00.132
We talked about real, sustainable ways that you can protect your energy, protect your time and your fire, your passion for your work, even when you feel like you've hit the wall in a marathon.
00:02:00.132 --> 00:02:13.948
So if you're tired, if you're still trying to push through, but you feel stretched thin, you feel ready to give up, or you're wondering if you really have another school year in you, this episode is for you.
00:02:13.948 --> 00:02:19.391
Hey there, welcome back to the School for School Counselors podcast.
00:02:19.391 --> 00:02:32.188
I'm Steph Johnson, a licensed professional counselor, full-time school counselor, just like you, and the founder of School for School Counselors, where we've been leading the school counseling conversation since 2020.
00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:40.527
This is a podcast for school counselors who are juggling it all and you're wondering when it's all finally going to make sense.
00:02:40.527 --> 00:02:48.931
If you're tired of school counseling advice that sounds like it came from Pinterest, you're in the right place Around here.
00:02:48.931 --> 00:03:01.444
We're keeping it real, we're keeping it grounded and we back our information with clinical research, not trends and opinions, because you deserve more than pretty graphics and recycled ideas.
00:03:01.444 --> 00:03:02.706
If you're ready to get clear, get bold and recycled ideas.
00:03:02.706 --> 00:03:05.230
If you're ready to get clear, get bold and get moving.
00:03:05.230 --> 00:03:08.275
Let's stop guessing, let's start leading.
00:03:08.275 --> 00:03:11.826
Here we go, all right.
00:03:11.866 --> 00:03:20.790
So, as I told you, we're going to be listening in on a real mini masterclass that I held with my School for School Counselors mastermind members.
00:03:20.790 --> 00:03:29.332
I did this masterclass about a month ago because I wanted to make sure that they were fully equipped for the rest of the spring semester.
00:03:29.332 --> 00:03:37.824
I wanted them feeling confident and inspired as they endeavored toward the end of the school year, and I thought it would probably be helpful to you too.
00:03:37.824 --> 00:03:52.211
So I'm going to let you listen in, but I want to let you know, even though you will only hear me in this podcast episode you will only hear my voice there was tons of discussion and member feedback along the way.
00:03:52.211 --> 00:04:11.921
Those, of course, have been edited out in the interest of confidentiality and of brevity, but I promise you there is such rich, awesome conversation going on in the mastermind that, if you love this masterclass, you have only seen a taste of what's in store for you when you join us in the School for School Counselors mastermind.
00:04:12.502 --> 00:04:13.305
All right, here we go.
00:04:13.305 --> 00:04:15.209
All right.
00:04:15.209 --> 00:04:20.822
So we're going to be talking about maintaining professional stamina.
00:04:20.822 --> 00:04:38.569
What I did not want to do with this and what I was very, very afraid of was giving you some sort of holier-than-thou, self-care-sounding talk where it feels like you know we're just saying take care of yourself, make sure you me time.
00:04:38.569 --> 00:04:39.110
All this stuff.
00:04:39.110 --> 00:04:41.302
That doesn't help in the spring.
00:04:41.302 --> 00:04:48.456
I don't know about y'all, but that does not help me in the spring, when behaviors are off the wall, everyone's irritable and angry.
00:04:48.456 --> 00:04:53.146
It feels like teachers are stressed, admins are stressed and nothing for nothing.
00:04:53.146 --> 00:05:08.105
People start moving around a lot on campuses this time of year, and so not only do you have the movement and the consternation and anticipation that causes, but then you also see people surrounding those moves start to get really nervous, right?
00:05:08.105 --> 00:05:18.584
Because maybe their teams are changing or maybe they're worried that their teams are going to be changing and admins are interviewing and it's just a bunch of stuff going on all at once.
00:05:18.644 --> 00:05:35.809
So how do we maintain professional stamina in the spring, knowing that we're walking into environments where there's a lot more behavior, where there are a lot more parents who feel like it's time to finally get vocal, where we have testing, anxiety and all the things going on?
00:05:35.809 --> 00:05:38.081
How do we keep our bearings?
00:05:38.081 --> 00:05:42.250
How do we make sure that we can keep it all together in the spring?
00:05:42.250 --> 00:05:47.446
So I came up with five ideas, and the good news is these are evidence-based.
00:05:47.446 --> 00:05:51.882
I can provide the research citations for you, so these are not just out of my head.
00:05:51.882 --> 00:05:53.088
This is like I always say.
00:05:53.088 --> 00:05:56.000
It didn't come from me, out of the Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru.
00:05:57.764 --> 00:06:06.451
But as we walk through the spring, we need to keep in mind that when we start to feel like we're experiencing burnout, it may not actually be burnout.
00:06:06.451 --> 00:06:15.190
It may be systemic drain, which is a little bit different, because you're being drained by the imperfect system within which you work.
00:06:15.190 --> 00:06:28.107
And as school counselors, we are no strangers to this, because we have a lot of really wild expectations of our roles, people who don't understand what we do and are expecting entirely too much of us.
00:06:28.107 --> 00:06:33.101
And again, you know, as we crescendo in the spring, it just feels more and more intense.
00:06:33.101 --> 00:06:39.641
So it's important to keep in mind that it's not you, you are not the one that is broken.
00:06:39.641 --> 00:06:43.488
It is a system that is not aligned for you.
00:06:43.488 --> 00:06:55.805
The system is broken, it is not you, but you still have to work in it, right, it's not like we can do what a lot of people tell you, draw those boundaries.
00:06:55.805 --> 00:06:56.687
You know like, hold the line.
00:06:56.687 --> 00:07:02.148
I don't know if you've ever tried that on a school campus, but it doesn't work exceptionally well.
00:07:02.148 --> 00:07:04.487
So what can we do instead?
00:07:04.487 --> 00:07:12.387
What can we do to work within this system to maintain our stamina so we don't feel like we're burned out by the time we get to May or June?
00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:20.548
First is protecting our start, which seems kind of silly, but, like I said, there is an evidence base behind this.
00:07:20.548 --> 00:07:33.151
Controlling our day, having a quiet entrance to the day, maybe adjusting our start time a little bit, if we can, so that we have kind of that gradual entry into what we're going to be doing.
00:07:33.151 --> 00:07:40.196
Maybe focusing on an affirmation or an image to remind us why we keep showing up.
00:07:40.196 --> 00:07:44.747
My official on-duty time on my campus is 7.15.
00:07:44.747 --> 00:07:47.422
That's when I'm expected to be ready to start, and in my place.
00:07:47.422 --> 00:07:51.675
So I typically try to get to work between 6.45 and 7 o'clock.
00:07:51.675 --> 00:07:57.336
That gives me enough time to walk in the door, turn on the lights, get the coffee maker going.
00:07:57.336 --> 00:07:58.581
That's the most important part.
00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:02.206
Check the calendar and just kind of try to ease into the day.
00:08:02.206 --> 00:08:11.987
I'll look over my list of students that need to be seen, kind of triage them in my head and just mentally prepare myself for what's coming up in the day.
00:08:11.987 --> 00:08:19.226
I find that the mornings that I don't do that and I come flying in at the last minute, my whole day feels like chaos.
00:08:19.226 --> 00:08:25.228
So easing into your day is one way that you can maintain your professional stamina.
00:08:25.228 --> 00:08:35.014
Now, some of you may not have that luxury and I get that so if you don't, you might want to find other times of the day that you can just stop and take a brief pause.
00:08:35.014 --> 00:08:42.860
What are some times that you can just take five minutes to kind of recalibrate and think about why it is that you're there?
00:08:42.860 --> 00:08:47.067
It sounds so stupid, but I promise you there is an evidence base behind this.
00:08:48.250 --> 00:08:54.385
So think about what is one thing that you can implement tomorrow to protect the start of your day.
00:08:54.385 --> 00:09:09.004
One thing that you can implement tomorrow Is it getting there five minutes earlier, is it making sure that you've got your caseload list arranged and organized for the following day.
00:09:09.004 --> 00:09:17.570
What is it that is going to help you protect the start of your day so that you can start in the right frame of mind?
00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:21.421
I want you to seriously think about that right now.
00:09:21.421 --> 00:09:28.681
Be intentional about this, write it down, do something so you don't forget.
00:09:32.966 --> 00:09:35.971
The second thing we're going to do is set a limit.
00:09:35.971 --> 00:09:40.303
Even if we can't say no, we're going to set a limit.
00:09:40.303 --> 00:09:43.032
Now, this is a little bit different than setting a boundary.
00:09:43.032 --> 00:09:47.830
So normally people will tell you things like that's not a school counselor responsibility.
00:09:47.830 --> 00:09:49.052
You have to set that boundary.
00:09:49.052 --> 00:09:55.142
You have to say that is not my responsibility, According to the ASCA guidelines, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:09:55.142 --> 00:09:56.345
That never works.
00:09:56.345 --> 00:09:59.941
I've never had one single person come tell me that that was effective.
00:09:59.941 --> 00:10:14.802
But we have to remember that leadership on your campus does not mean that you have to overfunction so so often because we can and we're in a position sometimes to shoulder a little bit more of the load.
00:10:15.222 --> 00:10:19.432
Sometimes we know the situations more intimately than some of the other people on our campuses.
00:10:19.432 --> 00:10:25.033
We tend to take on a little bit more responsibility than is absolutely necessary.
00:10:25.033 --> 00:10:33.881
So we have to know when our part of things is done and we have to be able to contribute to situations without solving them.
00:10:33.881 --> 00:10:46.754
That is hard, especially when you have people coming to you with like behavior concerns, or this kid is going to fail or whatever is going on on your campus.
00:10:46.754 --> 00:10:53.812
You can contribute your skills and expertise, but you don't necessarily have to solve everything.
00:10:53.812 --> 00:10:59.672
But it's easy for us to fall into that default mode right of, I'm a fixer.
00:10:59.672 --> 00:11:02.128
We can't fix it and solve everything.
00:11:02.128 --> 00:11:04.989
Sometimes other people are in a position to do that as well.
00:11:06.100 --> 00:11:07.653
Follow up on things, but don't chase.
00:11:07.653 --> 00:11:11.149
Some of our reluctant parents come to mind.
00:11:11.149 --> 00:11:13.567
Now, I'm not saying call them once and then give up.
00:11:13.567 --> 00:11:14.806
That's not what I'm saying at all.
00:11:14.806 --> 00:11:19.448
And we know that building relationships with distant parents are really important.
00:11:19.448 --> 00:11:23.049
But at some point we have to stop chasing right.
00:11:23.049 --> 00:11:27.488
We don't wanna be like the rejected boyfriend that just can't take no for an answer.
00:11:27.488 --> 00:11:31.847
We wanna be able to know when to stop, and I think we're okay with that.
00:11:31.847 --> 00:11:41.474
But sometimes we over-pursue situations or we over-pursue trying to get the reactions that we want to get from other people.
00:11:41.474 --> 00:11:45.630
We over-invest in certain things, so we've got to be real careful about that.
00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:51.493
And then supporting but not implementing by ourselves Is this really our load to carry?
00:11:51.493 --> 00:11:57.061
This week's topic in the podcast behavior plans comes to mind.
00:11:57.061 --> 00:12:02.110
We cannot solely be responsible for those behavior plans.
00:12:02.110 --> 00:12:13.128
Ideally, we would be on a team that's helping implement right, and so we want to make sure that we put ourselves in a position to support as often as we can without implementing.
00:12:13.128 --> 00:12:15.232
So why am I talking about this?
00:12:15.232 --> 00:12:24.490
Because, especially this time of year, when things get rolling and we're running 100 miles an hour, a lot of us have a default mode of just going.
00:12:24.490 --> 00:12:25.471
Let me just take care of it.
00:12:25.471 --> 00:12:26.610
Let me just take care of it.
00:12:26.610 --> 00:12:34.673
Let me just take care of it Because it's easier than having to find people or get people to buy in or to delegate or to come back around and check up.
00:12:34.673 --> 00:12:37.648
Sometimes it just feels easier to do it yourself.
00:12:39.061 --> 00:12:44.072
But you may be also degrading your professional stamina if you choose that route.
00:12:44.072 --> 00:12:51.346
So set a limit, even if you can't say no, and that's not necessarily an outward limit, that might just be a limit for you.
00:12:51.346 --> 00:12:55.743
Yes, I will help with this situation, but I'm only going this far.
00:12:55.743 --> 00:12:57.567
I'm not offering anything else.
00:12:57.567 --> 00:12:59.394
Does that make sense?
00:12:59.394 --> 00:13:01.821
Let's look at this before we go on.
00:13:01.821 --> 00:13:03.245
Where might you be overreaching?
00:13:03.245 --> 00:13:10.125
What are some situations where you might be overreaching that you don't necessarily need to?
00:13:10.125 --> 00:13:18.482
Could be behavior, could be student academics, could be parents, attendance, committee work.
00:13:18.482 --> 00:13:27.020
Where are you overreaching so that you can kind of tamp back from that a little bit?
00:13:27.020 --> 00:13:31.806
You can kind of let go, everybody with me, all right.
00:13:32.988 --> 00:13:40.836
Number three make micro moments of joy, not of rest.
00:13:40.836 --> 00:14:03.488
Usually, when people are talking about not burning out or professional self-care and things like that, and they say, you know, take just a few minutes, take some deep breaths, be mindful, and all that is great, but if you really want to maintain professional stamina, you need to be chasing moments of joy instead, because you don't need a nap, you need a spark of joy.
00:14:03.488 --> 00:14:07.024
That's what's going to get all those hormones pumping.
00:14:07.024 --> 00:14:14.090
That's what's going to help you feel better about your work and more optimistic about why you're there and what you're doing.
00:14:14.090 --> 00:14:20.874
So you need to be chasing intentional moments of joy, of awe, of connection.
00:14:20.874 --> 00:14:24.746
What is it that powers you through your day?
00:14:24.746 --> 00:14:30.785
What are those little micro glimpses of things that you can catch, that can carry you forward?
00:14:30.785 --> 00:14:33.750
And don't just notice them and let them move by.
00:14:33.750 --> 00:14:39.106
Really sit in them, really savor those moments.
00:14:40.067 --> 00:14:53.732
True story I was in a classroom this morning with a kid that is just really giving his teacher a run for her money, and so I walked in and I was implementing the behavior plan that had been written by one of our behavior specialists and so far had not been touched.
00:14:53.732 --> 00:14:58.431
And so I was in there modeling for the teacher how to implement this behavior plan.
00:14:58.431 --> 00:15:02.130
And this little dude is doing everything he can do to try to be a turkey.
00:15:02.130 --> 00:15:04.307
And finally he caught on to what I was doing.
00:15:04.307 --> 00:15:09.010
Every time I saw him do something that was positive in the classroom, he got a tally mark.
00:15:09.010 --> 00:15:11.784
It was that simple and I was really hyping him up.
00:15:11.784 --> 00:15:13.048
Hey, every tally mark.
00:15:13.048 --> 00:15:14.934
It was that simple and I was really hyping him up.
00:15:14.934 --> 00:15:18.866
Hey, every tally mark you get, you're going to get to spend a minute with me at the end of the day.
00:15:18.866 --> 00:15:20.332
Hey, how many tally marks can we get before you leave for music?
00:15:20.332 --> 00:15:21.096
I'm just really hyping it up.
00:15:21.096 --> 00:15:24.447
And about I don't know 10 minutes into it, the class was getting up.
00:15:24.447 --> 00:15:26.192
They were transitioning to another activity.
00:15:26.192 --> 00:15:38.220
He got up, walked over to me, looked me right in the eye and he said Ms Johnson, I never knew being good could be so much fun.
00:15:38.220 --> 00:15:43.850
And that was my moment today and I was like, oh, I'm going to hold on to that because he's finally getting something.
00:15:43.850 --> 00:15:51.684
He may not remember it tomorrow, but today he felt that and that was my goal and I may carry that for a couple of weeks, because I was super excited to hear it out of that one kiddo.
00:15:52.770 --> 00:16:02.485
See what kind of intentional moments of connection or joy or awe you can find in your day, there's going to be something right, even if it's just.
00:16:02.485 --> 00:16:04.956
You know, the kid that never smiles smiles at you.
00:16:04.956 --> 00:16:06.581
It could be something really simple.
00:16:06.581 --> 00:16:09.623
But collect those moments of joy, especially when you're feeling tired and defeated.
00:16:09.623 --> 00:16:17.089
Especially when you're feeling tired and defeated, what brings you the most joy in your work and what can you chase?
00:16:17.089 --> 00:16:22.052
What are the things in your day that you can intentionally look for?
00:16:22.052 --> 00:16:31.480
It's like, you know, when people tell you, don't look for red cars, you see them everywhere, right?
00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:34.304
What are the things you're going to be looking for that you're going to bring to the forefront of your mind?
00:16:34.304 --> 00:16:34.625
All right.
00:16:34.625 --> 00:16:37.750
So we have kind of slow started our morning.
00:16:37.750 --> 00:16:49.799
We've gotten it off on the right foot, we have kind of decided where we're going to draw the line for ourselves as far as how involved we're going to get in situations, and we're chasing those intentional moments of joy.
00:16:50.519 --> 00:17:07.843
The next thing we're going to do and this is kind of a hard one for me to talk about is measuring the right things, and the reason that I say that is especially in our school counseling world, where we are expected to be so data-driven, down to recording how we're spending our time minute by minute.
00:17:07.843 --> 00:17:13.051
It is so easy to fall into the mindset of that is what matters.
00:17:13.051 --> 00:17:29.913
It is so easy to fall into the mindset of that is what matters, right, and we're constantly criticizing ourselves, measuring ourselves, sometimes critiquing ourselves by the way our time is running throughout our day, and we get caught up in a feeling of responsibility for the things that we're being asked to do.
00:17:29.913 --> 00:17:48.119
Now we talk a lot about that in data discussions, but really the point I want to drive home here is we can't just measure ourselves by our use of time and our moment-to-moment obligations, because that doesn't give the full picture of what we do or why we're there.
00:17:48.119 --> 00:18:02.251
The institutional metrics are just supporting pieces of data, but really what we want to be looking at are the personal outcomes, the relational outcomes, the reason that we all got into school counseling in the first place.
00:18:03.393 --> 00:18:21.347
When we used to hold our get the job cohorts and we would ask people what brought you into school counseling or what's the number one thing that you most want to achieve as a school counselor, nine times out of 10, people would say building relationships right, building relationships with kids, building relationships with community all those things.
00:18:21.347 --> 00:18:24.273
Our work is about the relationship.
00:18:24.273 --> 00:18:25.823
It's what draws us in.
00:18:25.823 --> 00:18:31.394
We're relationship people, so we can't forsake that part of us.
00:18:31.394 --> 00:18:33.688
For the institutional metrics.
00:18:33.688 --> 00:18:40.169
It's great to know how much non-counseling time you have, it's great to know how much direct contact with students you have.
00:18:40.169 --> 00:18:52.646
All those are helpful and useful, but they don't define you, and so we've got to be super careful that we don't fall into that trap of defining ourselves just by our numbers.
00:18:52.646 --> 00:18:56.042
So what values are most important to you in your work?
00:18:56.042 --> 00:18:59.392
What do you really want to stand for as a school counselor?
00:18:59.392 --> 00:19:06.355
I'm going to finish up with our mini masterclass here, the last one.
00:19:06.355 --> 00:19:11.266
I really want to emphasize this Let people be wrong about you.
00:19:11.266 --> 00:19:18.627
Just let them and I'm not trying to steal the title of that new book, but let them be wrong about you.
00:19:20.874 --> 00:19:35.173
We, as school counselors, carry so much on our shoulders as far as our reputations, people's perceptions of the work we do, and now, with many of us having mandates where we have to log our time minute by minute, we feel that pressure too.
00:19:35.173 --> 00:19:37.867
We feel the pressure of are we doing enough?
00:19:37.867 --> 00:19:39.366
Are we doing enough in the right categories?
00:19:39.366 --> 00:19:46.773
Or, you know, looking at that institutional data rather than our own values, data in our work, and it gets overwhelming.
00:19:46.773 --> 00:19:59.409
I'll be real honest with you On my campus there is one particular teacher that spares no opportunity to try to, you know, hoist something else onto me.
00:19:59.409 --> 00:20:01.272
She doesn't think I work very hard.
00:20:01.272 --> 00:20:02.962
She thinks my job is very easy.
00:20:02.962 --> 00:20:07.141
She thinks that I must have a lot of downtime because she doesn't see what I do all day right.
00:20:07.141 --> 00:20:16.185
And we all have people like that on our campuses that don't understand our work, that don't know what we do, and I used to be one of those people.
00:20:17.528 --> 00:20:22.028
Before I became a school counselor, I didn't have any idea what I was going to be doing.
00:20:22.028 --> 00:20:26.703
I thought I was going to be talking to kids about their feelings and that was going to be pretty much it.
00:20:26.703 --> 00:20:31.622
I didn't know when I decided it was time to leave the classroom.
00:20:31.622 --> 00:20:36.185
That was some of the criteria I used to select counseling instead of something else.
00:20:36.185 --> 00:20:37.669
It looked pretty easy.
00:20:37.669 --> 00:20:42.207
I figured I'd be able to go to the bathroom whenever I needed to and that was good enough for me.
00:20:42.207 --> 00:20:44.673
I'd be real, real with you.
00:20:44.673 --> 00:20:50.491
So if I thought that, I know we have other people on our campuses that feel that way.
00:20:51.820 --> 00:20:55.666
So we have to let people be wrong about us and we have to be okay with that.
00:20:55.666 --> 00:21:00.708
We have to get to the point that it just doesn't bother us anymore.
00:21:00.708 --> 00:21:02.625
Let them do what they're gonna do.
00:21:02.625 --> 00:21:06.929
It doesn't change me, it doesn't change the impact of my work or how I feel about it.
00:21:06.929 --> 00:21:11.932
That sounds simple, but that is really hard to do, right?
00:21:11.932 --> 00:21:20.365
And some of you may be in that situation now where you just feel like you're just constantly being judged, you're being watched, people are wondering what you're doing.
00:21:20.365 --> 00:21:28.645
So right now, think of two people and I don't want you to say their names out loud but think of two people whose opinions you're not gonna let matter anymore.
00:21:28.645 --> 00:21:35.628
Who are the naysayers, the criticizers, the ones that give you the look?
00:21:35.628 --> 00:21:38.381
Who are those people?
00:21:38.381 --> 00:21:47.349
Imagine their name, get it in your head, see their face and in your mind's eye, tell them your opinion of me doesn't matter anymore.
00:21:47.349 --> 00:22:00.048
That seems simple, but I'm telling you it is so profound Once you can get there and let go of the weight of their expectations on your shoulders.
00:22:00.048 --> 00:22:09.989
Really really hard to do, but so worth it and so beneficial to your stamina on campus.
00:22:09.989 --> 00:22:14.201
Your stamina is not about pushing through.
00:22:14.201 --> 00:22:28.803
It's about protecting your focus, your fire and your reason for doing what you do, for showing up every day and serving students and families, community members, sometimes staff members.
00:22:28.803 --> 00:22:37.438
Your professional stamina is what allows you to get all the way to the finish line at the end of the school year, and it's not easy.
00:22:38.641 --> 00:22:39.844
I used to run marathons a lot.
00:22:39.844 --> 00:22:42.419
I was on a running team and we would run together.
00:22:42.419 --> 00:22:47.959
If you've ever run a race like that, you know that there's a point about between mile 20 and 22,.
00:22:47.959 --> 00:22:57.760
A marathon is 26 miles where you hit the wall, where you feel like you just can't go another step, where you feel like why did I sign up for this?
00:22:57.760 --> 00:22:58.682
I was crazy.
00:22:58.682 --> 00:22:59.926
There's no way I can do this.
00:22:59.926 --> 00:23:00.875
I'm not going to make it.
00:23:00.875 --> 00:23:10.097
It is wild the ideas that you have in your mind as you're running and I don't want you to hit the wall.
00:23:11.781 --> 00:23:14.107
I ran a race one time in Dallas, texas.
00:23:14.107 --> 00:23:21.424
It was at the American Airline Center, if you're familiar with Dallas a huge, huge venue, and I was running on one of the charity teams.
00:23:21.424 --> 00:23:24.022
We had raised money for cancer research.
00:23:24.022 --> 00:23:26.923
We were waiting under the stands to go out and run the race.
00:23:26.923 --> 00:23:27.826
It was super cold.
00:23:27.826 --> 00:23:33.122
We were all kind of huddled together and an older gentleman walked up and he said hey, I just want to thank you for what you're doing.
00:23:33.122 --> 00:23:42.736
And we all were just kind of like oh yeah, you know no problem, yeah, we, we love to do it.
00:23:42.736 --> 00:23:43.479
And he goes no, you don't understand.
00:23:43.479 --> 00:23:48.434
He said the money that you raise through your organization is the money that funded the medicine that's keeping me alive.
00:23:48.434 --> 00:23:52.698
And we were like, oh my good, like, oh my like.
00:23:52.698 --> 00:23:56.359
You're never prepared for somebody to tell you something like that.
00:23:56.359 --> 00:23:57.540
And he had tears in his eyes.
00:23:57.540 --> 00:23:58.221
His wife was there.
00:23:58.221 --> 00:23:58.981
They were both crying.
00:23:58.981 --> 00:24:00.962
Just thank you so much for what you do.
00:24:00.962 --> 00:24:06.047
You have no idea the impact.
00:00:00.420 --> 00:00:06.133
00:00:06.133 --> 00:00:09.409
00:00:09.409 --> 00:00:12.268
00:00:12.268 --> 00:00:19.849
00:00:19.849 --> 00:00:23.530
00:00:23.530 --> 00:00:24.865
00:00:24.865 --> 00:00:26.181
00:00:26.181 --> 00:00:31.088
00:00:32.512 --> 00:00:44.546
00:00:44.546 --> 00:00:52.975
00:00:52.975 --> 00:00:58.107
00:00:58.107 --> 00:01:05.209
00:01:05.209 --> 00:01:08.724
00:01:10.370 --> 00:01:21.102
00:01:21.102 --> 00:01:33.433
00:01:33.433 --> 00:01:37.025
00:01:37.025 --> 00:01:44.808
00:01:44.808 --> 00:02:00.132
00:02:00.132 --> 00:02:13.948
00:02:13.948 --> 00:02:19.391
00:02:19.391 --> 00:02:32.188
00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:40.527
00:02:40.527 --> 00:02:48.931
00:02:48.931 --> 00:03:01.444
00:03:01.444 --> 00:03:02.706
00:03:02.706 --> 00:03:05.230
00:03:05.230 --> 00:03:08.275
00:03:08.275 --> 00:03:11.826
00:03:11.866 --> 00:03:20.790
00:03:20.790 --> 00:03:29.332
00:03:29.332 --> 00:03:37.824
00:03:37.824 --> 00:03:52.211
00:03:52.211 --> 00:04:11.921
00:04:12.502 --> 00:04:13.305
00:04:13.305 --> 00:04:15.209
00:04:15.209 --> 00:04:20.822
00:04:20.822 --> 00:04:38.569
00:04:38.569 --> 00:04:39.110
00:04:39.110 --> 00:04:41.302
00:04:41.302 --> 00:04:48.456
00:04:48.456 --> 00:04:53.146
00:04:53.146 --> 00:05:08.105
00:05:08.105 --> 00:05:18.584
00:05:18.644 --> 00:05:35.809
00:05:35.809 --> 00:05:38.081
00:05:38.081 --> 00:05:42.250
00:05:42.250 --> 00:05:47.446
00:05:47.446 --> 00:05:51.882
00:05:51.882 --> 00:05:53.088
00:05:53.088 --> 00:05:56.000
00:05:57.764 --> 00:06:06.451
00:06:06.451 --> 00:06:15.190
00:06:15.190 --> 00:06:28.107
00:06:28.107 --> 00:06:33.101
00:06:33.101 --> 00:06:39.641
00:06:39.641 --> 00:06:43.488
00:06:43.488 --> 00:06:55.805
00:06:55.805 --> 00:06:56.687
00:06:56.687 --> 00:07:02.148
00:07:02.148 --> 00:07:04.487
00:07:04.487 --> 00:07:12.387
00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:20.548
00:07:20.548 --> 00:07:33.151
00:07:33.151 --> 00:07:40.196
00:07:40.196 --> 00:07:44.747
00:07:44.747 --> 00:07:47.422
00:07:47.422 --> 00:07:51.675
00:07:51.675 --> 00:07:57.336
00:07:57.336 --> 00:07:58.581
00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:02.206
00:08:02.206 --> 00:08:11.987
00:08:11.987 --> 00:08:19.226
00:08:19.226 --> 00:08:25.228
00:08:25.228 --> 00:08:35.014
00:08:35.014 --> 00:08:42.860
00:08:42.860 --> 00:08:47.067
00:08:48.250 --> 00:08:54.385
00:08:54.385 --> 00:09:09.004
00:09:09.004 --> 00:09:17.570
00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:21.421
00:09:21.421 --> 00:09:28.681
00:09:32.966 --> 00:09:35.971
00:09:35.971 --> 00:09:40.303
00:09:40.303 --> 00:09:43.032
00:09:43.032 --> 00:09:47.830
00:09:47.830 --> 00:09:49.052
00:09:49.052 --> 00:09:55.142
00:09:55.142 --> 00:09:56.345
00:09:56.345 --> 00:09:59.941
00:09:59.941 --> 00:10:14.802
00:10:15.222 --> 00:10:19.432
00:10:19.432 --> 00:10:25.033
00:10:25.033 --> 00:10:33.881
00:10:33.881 --> 00:10:46.754
00:10:46.754 --> 00:10:53.812
00:10:53.812 --> 00:10:59.672
00:10:59.672 --> 00:11:02.128
00:11:02.128 --> 00:11:04.989
00:11:06.100 --> 00:11:07.653
00:11:07.653 --> 00:11:11.149
00:11:11.149 --> 00:11:13.567
00:11:13.567 --> 00:11:14.806
00:11:14.806 --> 00:11:19.448
00:11:19.448 --> 00:11:23.049
00:11:23.049 --> 00:11:27.488
00:11:27.488 --> 00:11:31.847
00:11:31.847 --> 00:11:41.474
00:11:41.474 --> 00:11:45.630
00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:51.493
00:11:51.493 --> 00:11:57.061
00:11:57.061 --> 00:12:02.110
00:12:02.110 --> 00:12:13.128
00:12:13.128 --> 00:12:15.232
00:12:15.232 --> 00:12:24.490
00:12:24.490 --> 00:12:25.471
00:12:25.471 --> 00:12:26.610
00:12:26.610 --> 00:12:34.673
00:12:34.673 --> 00:12:37.648
00:12:39.061 --> 00:12:44.072
00:12:44.072 --> 00:12:51.346
00:12:51.346 --> 00:12:55.743
00:12:55.743 --> 00:12:57.567
00:12:57.567 --> 00:12:59.394
00:12:59.394 --> 00:13:01.821
00:13:01.821 --> 00:13:03.245
00:13:03.245 --> 00:13:10.125
00:13:10.125 --> 00:13:18.482
00:13:18.482 --> 00:13:27.020
00:13:27.020 --> 00:13:31.806
00:13:32.988 --> 00:13:40.836
00:13:40.836 --> 00:14:03.488
00:14:03.488 --> 00:14:07.024
00:14:07.024 --> 00:14:14.090
00:14:14.090 --> 00:14:20.874
00:14:20.874 --> 00:14:24.746
00:14:24.746 --> 00:14:30.785
00:14:30.785 --> 00:14:33.750
00:14:33.750 --> 00:14:39.106
00:14:40.067 --> 00:14:53.732
00:14:53.732 --> 00:14:58.431
00:14:58.431 --> 00:15:02.130
00:15:02.130 --> 00:15:04.307
00:15:04.307 --> 00:15:09.010
00:15:09.010 --> 00:15:11.784
00:15:11.784 --> 00:15:13.048
00:15:13.048 --> 00:15:14.934
00:15:14.934 --> 00:15:18.866
00:15:18.866 --> 00:15:20.332
00:15:20.332 --> 00:15:21.096
00:15:21.096 --> 00:15:24.447
00:15:24.447 --> 00:15:26.192
00:15:26.192 --> 00:15:38.220
00:15:38.220 --> 00:15:43.850
00:15:43.850 --> 00:15:51.684
00:15:52.770 --> 00:16:02.485
00:16:02.485 --> 00:16:04.956
00:16:04.956 --> 00:16:06.581
00:16:06.581 --> 00:16:09.623
00:16:09.623 --> 00:16:17.089
00:16:17.089 --> 00:16:22.052
00:16:22.052 --> 00:16:31.480
00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:34.304
00:16:34.304 --> 00:16:34.625
00:16:34.625 --> 00:16:37.750
00:16:37.750 --> 00:16:49.799
00:16:50.519 --> 00:17:07.843
00:17:07.843 --> 00:17:13.051
00:17:13.051 --> 00:17:29.913
00:17:29.913 --> 00:17:48.119
00:17:48.119 --> 00:18:02.251
00:18:03.393 --> 00:18:21.347
00:18:21.347 --> 00:18:24.273
00:18:24.273 --> 00:18:25.823
00:18:25.823 --> 00:18:31.394
00:18:31.394 --> 00:18:33.688
00:18:33.688 --> 00:18:40.169
00:18:40.169 --> 00:18:52.646
00:18:52.646 --> 00:18:56.042
00:18:56.042 --> 00:18:59.392
00:18:59.392 --> 00:19:06.355
00:19:06.355 --> 00:19:11.266
00:19:11.266 --> 00:19:18.627
00:19:20.874 --> 00:19:35.173
00:19:35.173 --> 00:19:37.867
00:19:37.867 --> 00:19:39.366
00:19:39.366 --> 00:19:46.773
00:19:46.773 --> 00:19:59.409
00:19:59.409 --> 00:20:01.272
00:20:01.272 --> 00:20:02.962
00:20:02.962 --> 00:20:07.141
00:20:07.141 --> 00:20:16.185
00:20:17.528 --> 00:20:22.028
00:20:22.028 --> 00:20:26.703
00:20:26.703 --> 00:20:31.622
00:20:31.622 --> 00:20:36.185
00:20:36.185 --> 00:20:37.669
00:20:37.669 --> 00:20:42.207
00:20:42.207 --> 00:20:44.673
00:20:44.673 --> 00:20:50.491
00:20:51.820 --> 00:20:55.666
00:20:55.666 --> 00:21:00.708
00:21:00.708 --> 00:21:02.625
00:21:02.625 --> 00:21:06.929
00:21:06.929 --> 00:21:11.932
00:21:11.932 --> 00:21:20.365
00:21:20.365 --> 00:21:28.645
00:21:28.645 --> 00:21:35.628
00:21:35.628 --> 00:21:38.381
00:21:38.381 --> 00:21:47.349
00:21:47.349 --> 00:22:00.048
00:22:00.048 --> 00:22:09.989
00:22:09.989 --> 00:22:14.201
00:22:14.201 --> 00:22:28.803
00:22:28.803 --> 00:22:37.438
00:22:38.641 --> 00:22:39.844
00:22:39.844 --> 00:22:42.419
00:22:42.419 --> 00:22:47.959
00:22:47.959 --> 00:22:57.760
00:22:57.760 --> 00:22:58.682
00:22:58.682 --> 00:22:59.926
00:22:59.926 --> 00:23:00.875
00:23:00.875 --> 00:23:10.097
00:23:11.781 --> 00:23:14.107
00:23:14.107 --> 00:23:21.424
00:23:21.424 --> 00:23:24.022
00:23:24.022 --> 00:23:26.923
00:23:26.923 --> 00:23:27.826
00:23:27.826 --> 00:23:33.122
00:23:33.122 --> 00:23:42.736
00:23:42.736 --> 00:23:43.479
00:23:43.479 --> 00:23:48.434
00:23:48.434 --> 00:23:52.698
00:23:52.698 --> 00:23:56.359
00:23:56.359 --> 00:23:57.540
00:23:57.540 --> 00:23:58.221
00:23:58.221 --> 00:23:58.981
00:23:58.981 --> 00:24:00.962
00:24:00.962 --> 00:24:06.047