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1.) I choose to live each day to the fullest.  Our time here is so short (proven to me this year), I want to get everything I can out of each day.
2.) I choose to visit family or at least call one time a week.
3.) I choose to not loose weight, but to eat healthier and stick to my workout plan.

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(Not sure why mine did not submit when I typed it here on Tuesday, but here is what I can remember from it!)

1. I choose to take care of myself and make "me-time" a priority. I will make it a priority to do enjoyable activities such as crafting, biking, wine tasting, visiting family/friends, etc. to decompress from the stressful work we do!
2. I choose to stay away from negativity in the workplace.  After attending the Top 20 Training at SMU, I have really been working on avoiding negative conversations or attitudes.
3. I choose to reflect each day on what went well and what I can work on.  I find that the car ride home is the perfect time to reflect on the day and decompress before starting a new day!

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1. I choose to reflect at the end of each with 2 positives and one thing to get better at.
2. I choose to tell myself it is okay to say no to things when I am overwhelmed.
3. I choose to find the balance I need to be healthy between school, work and my social life.
4. I choose to tell myself that I am enough and what I do is enough.

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1. I choose to be positive, taking time to set the proper mindset before school so that I can reach my students in a loving way.
2. I choose to be open, to others' opinions and personalities, always remembering that I am on sacred ground when working with both adults and youth.
3. I choose to prioritize, keeping my work-life balance in check so that I may be a healthy educator with a long future in the field.

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1. I choose to take the time to laugh everyday. It's easy to get overwhelmed by daily life. I want to embrace everyday as a gift.
2. I choose to give others the benefit of the doubt and not assume intention. This causes me to harbor feelings that are not warranted and takes energy better spent elsewhere.
3. I choose to take care of myself this summer. I want to enjoy nature and get outside and I want to pick up the guitar again. With my Masters winding down I want to rejuvenate myself and be mentally ready for the next school year.

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1. I choose to let things go that are out of my control. It is easy to get caught up focusing on wanting to change things that are out of our control. I am learning to let these things go and focus my energy on what I can change.
2. I choose to see other perspectives. What experiences has this person had? Are there choices and behaviors a result of personal experience?
3. I choose to push myself to be the best teacher, friend, etc. that I can be. I often reflect on what to do differently, how to make things better, etc.

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1. I choose to value the importance of taking care of both my mental and physical well being.
It is too easy to get wrapped up in everyday stresses and problems.  I've started to put some focus on what I need in order to feel healthy and balanced because I've found I can't be helpful to others if I'm not taking care of myself.
2. I choose to put effort into the important relationships in my life.
To maintain relationships we must put forth the effort to keep them alive and fresh.
3.  I choose to find joy in the life I'm living.
Sometimes life doesn't work out like the picture we have in our head. When this happens I choose to see joy rather than discouragement.

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1. I choose to view stress as an opportunity to grow. This was the topic of a TED talk I viewed for another class and it really stuck with me. I want to pursue meaning rather than avoid discomfort. When something is difficult or challenging, I can prove to myself that I can rise to the occasion and improve myself in some way.
2. I choose  to take better care of myself, both physically and mentally. I need to find time for myself to recharge and relax more often. I also need to make exercising more regularly a priority.
3. I choose to stop complaining. The article we read had this one in it and I thought it was a great one to include. I like what he said about complaining not providing any solutions, rather it just weighs us down and welcomes negative thinking. This goes along with some top 20 training I've done, which talks about focusing on where our heads are at and noticing when we may start going "below the line" with our thoughts and actions. Just being cognizant of these times helps us push ourselves back in the right direction.

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1. I choose to be flexible and open-minded. I love hearing others' thoughts and having my own views tested. It helps me grow professionally and personally.
2. I choose to make informed decisions. I have learned to give myself time to process all angles before jumping the gun with a decision.
3. I choose to put my heart into everything I do. I do not take short cuts and believe in the power of good old fashioned hard-work.

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1. I choose to only worry and stress about the things in my circle of influence.
2. I choose to take time for myself and my personal life.
3. I choose to be positive not only personally but professionally and not get sucked in to the negative gossip.

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1.  I choose to be reflective in my teaching.  What did I do today that benefitted my students?  What do they need tomorrow?
2.  I choose to be positive.  What is great about the current situation?  I need to look into this at school and in my personal life.
3. I choose to take care of myself.

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1. I choose to count my blessing each morning when I’m on my way to work in order to set my mind on the positive things in my life I’m thankful for to start my day off with a positive attitude.

2. I choose to take the time to reach out to others each day to offer help and show my appreciation to those who have made a difference to me that day.  Too often we get so stuck thinking of what’s going on in our own lives we forget to support others, or say thank you to those that help us.

3. I choose to reflect on my days each night to help myself make improvements both in my professional and personal life moving forward.

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1. I will choose to find something positive in every day. I know how negativity drags me down and how positive allows me to be solution oriented.
2. I will choose to stay true to who I am, even in difficult situations or when it may be uncomfortable.  It's taken me a long time to be comfortable and accepted in my own skin and I swore to myself I would never let someone take that away from me.
3. I will continually seek balance, both at work and at home. Balance is something that is incredibly important to my overall well being but something I know I can struggle with. I need to be okay prioritizing and knowing when to say know, both at home and at school.

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1. I choose to be kind to myself. This includes giving myself time to workout, having alone time, reading...etc. I need to make time for myself. I so often put my family first but I know how important it is to take care of myself physically, socially and emotionally.
2. I choose to find the positive in every situation. This can be so hard for me!! Right now my daughter is sick and I am having to stay home from school to take care of her. While I know this is where I need to be, I am feeling guilty not being at school, especially because it is the end of the year.
3. I choose to make time for reflecting/journaling each evening. This not only will help me collect my thoughts on the day but it will also give me some "me time." I plan to write down one memory of myself and my daughter each day.

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1.  I choose to find something positive in every situation.  I find this to be very important in both my personal and professional life.  Finding the positive in any situation, helps a growth mindset.

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1.  I choose to find something positive in every situation.  I find this to be very important in both my personal and professional life.  Finding the positive in any situation, helps a growth mindset.

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2.  I choose to work hard.  Being a hard worker is such an important quality to me.  No matter what the obstacle is, if you work hard at it you can succeed.  Teaching is a tall task and if you need to be willing to work hard to meet the needs of the students.
3. I choose to be myself. I have been placed in a leadership role as an instructional coach and I have seen others in my district turn into a person that I do not even know anymore. I want to stay true to my values, beliefs, and morals while in any position but especially as a leader in the building.

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1. I choose to be true to myself. I know who I am and I will not change that for anyone or anything. I will work to honor who I am.
2. I choose to see things with a "glass half full" perspective. It is easy to get caught up in the negative. Viewing things through a positive lens can be challenging but it will make it more positive experience for myself and those around me.
3. I choose to hold myself accountable. Doing things like journaling, meditating and reflecting are all things I enjoy but do not practice on a regular or daily basis. I would like to start doing these things more frequently in order to hold myself accountable.

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1. I choose to make time for self care. I need to take time for myself.
2. I choose to find at least one good thing in every day. You can always find something good in each day, even if it is the fact you got out of bed that morning.
3. I choose to continue to be positive as the school year ends. As students' behaviors start to show more with the end of the school year slowly approaching I choose to continue to be positive and understand my students.

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1. I choose to be genuine with myself. I will be intentional with how I view myself and how I treat others through my words and actions.
2. I choose to be a good listener. I will ask pointed questions of myself and to others in order to deepen my relationships with them.
3. I choose to find joy in every circumstance. Whatever the case may be, to truly overcome, I must find joy in it! And hopefully my joy will be contagious!

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1. I choose to avoid unnecessary arguments and to not sweat the small stuff.
I often times find myself in little arguments that don't go anywhere. I am trying to let that and the little things roll off my back.
2. I choose to take care of myself.
This is an area I am working on and have been working on for a long time. I need to take care of myself physically and emotionally so I can be at my best.
3. I choose to be positive.
So often at the end of the school year I find that I hear myself and my colleagues complaining about practically everything. Time for that to stop and focus on the positive.

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I choose to not worry over "small problems"
-I am often a worrier and let small problems bother me. I find myself spending too much time being concerned over something that won't matter in the long-run, most likely because I like to make people happy. Not worry over a small problem is something I am working on each and every day.

I choose to show gratitude in some way each day
-This past week I did a lesson with my 6th students about gratitude. The lesson showed the relationship between expressing gratitude and happiness. During this lesson, I was reminded about how thankful I am for my many aspects of my life. Expressing this gratitude is not only going to correlate to happiness, but also strengthen the relationships around me.

I choose to surround myself with positivity
-I am a believer that you develop some of the same habits and mindsets to the people around you. Surrounding yourself with positivity is only going to be beneficial for your mental health! Being positive and believing in something is also demonstrating a growth mindset!

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I choose to live my best life.

My true-life motto is,  “Living my best life.” I say it often and truly mean it! It seems cliché, but is so true. I have realized that life isn't always perfect. I have had many struggles along the way, but in the moment I want to "live my best life." I want to travel, explore, and be an adventurer. I want to do things that make me happy. Why do something that doesn’t make you happy?

I choose to take care of myself.

Self-care. This is the best thing I have done for myself. It keeps me physically healthy and mentally/ emotionally happy. I want to dedicate time for myself daily.

I choose to inspire others.

I recently have made my health and wellness a priority. I have been able to keep 25 pounds off for about a year and a half by dedicating time for myself and understanding the importance of a balanced diet. I truly have found a balanced and healthy lifestyle with no fad diets. I want to share that with others and show people healthy doesn’t have to mean CRAZY.

I choose to be a lifelong learner.

I want to read about new topics, research new ideas, and learn from those around me.

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Marissa Opp’s Credo

I choose to be thankful for the situations I am in.

Each situation, whether good or bad, has a string of events that led up to it and has a string of events that will follow it.  How I react and respond to the situations of present, will dictate how the future looks.  I want to be grateful for the opportunities I am given and what they will lead to.

I choose to prioritize relationships over objects.

There is no object in the world that makes you feel like a supportive friend does.  It’s important to me to make time for my friends and family and for them to be an active participant in  my life.  I would rather have a home full of friends and experiences, then a home full of stuff.

I choose to pursue myself, by taking care of myself, bettering myself, and following my dreams.

Just like the cup analogy says, “You can’t pour from an empty bucket.”  I can’t be the teacher my students need, if I am not whole myself.  I can’t be the friend, the daughter, the sister, the cousin to my ^important relationships [see credo statement above], if I am not whole myself.  By pursuing myself, I create a full cup.  A strong foundation.  A solid landing place.

I choose to seek.

One of my favorite lessons I’ve learned in the last few years is to not be afraid to seek out answers.  If I have a question, I seek out the answer.  If I am unsure of something, I ask for clarification.  If I want to see the world, I seek out the resources for me to do that.  By pushing aside the idea that I am supposed to magically know everything, the world a much larger, brighter place to be.

Credo Creation Reflection

While writing my credo, I discovered how discovered how much weight simple, broad statement hold.  I wrote four statements that I feel cover all my entire adult life choices.  Each of the four are apart of the decisions that I make and how I choose to live.  For example, “I choose to seek” was one of my credo statements.  That one choice can be related to my work life, my family life, my student life, romantic relationships, self growth, etc.

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I choose to pause at least once a day to breath and reflect on the positive moments of my day

I choose to have uninterrupted time with my family each day

I choose to look for the "good" in my students in my classroom

I choose to look for opportunities to make someone else's day better

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I chose to create a Credo after my husband died several years ago.

1.       I choose to continue living happily in my “New Normal” while embracing all the memories my life journey has given me.

2.       I choose to be positive in my reactions both in my career and personal life.

3.       I choose to maintain, fulfill, add to, and change my never ending bucket list.

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I choose to stop complaining about things I can't control

I choose to build or strengthen at least one relationship each day

I choose to create lists to help me become more organized