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Tip #1 Find Mentors
As I begin my first year as an elementary teacher, I want to be the very best for my students. When wanting to achieve this goal, I know I'll need someone alongside me to guide me through anything that's unfamiliar. The school I start my career with needs to ensure I'll be partnered with someone to oversee my work, and methods as the year goes on. Including a mentor, I want my administration team to be just as supportive and welcoming as a first-year teacher. Being provided this type of support will fulfill y hopes of becoming the very best for my students, and helping them achieve a successful school year.

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As a teacher, it's important to set an example in your classroom. That means being confident in who you are and all your talents. That's why it's great to take some time to recognize our own innate gifts and talents because they create who we are as individuals. "Once you've identified your gifts and talents, relish them; take time to be proud of who you are, what you can do, and what you bring to the people in your life." (D'Souza, G. 2011) Personally, I'm creative and feel most connected to myself when practicing art, decorating, teaching, and expressing myself. As I've recognized these gifts within myself, I cultivate them towards teaching. I love creating lesson plans, decorating my classroom, developing fun classroom management skills, new incentives, and so much more.

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When becoming an educator your job can become a 24/7 career, if you allow it to. Being a teacher means pouring into other people, and children. But it's crucial to pour and love yourself first, so then it can be a representation and out poor to others. Burnout is one of the reasons many teachers quit education, and that's because we don't know how to have a work-life balance. Building your self-esteem means setting boundaries on what you can handle, meaning, leaving when you're supposed to, leaving work life at home and not bringing it home, and knowing one can only handle so much. "Allowing yourself to be joyful, playful, and carefree. The more fun you have in your life, the more motivated you will feel about continuing to create the life you want." (D'Souza, G. 2011) And finally recognizing and accepting the fact that challenges will occur in teaching, and learning how to take those things as they come. Keep reminding yourself why you became a teacher.

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When I think about charting my life, I envision all my goals and dreams for the next few years. Personally setting short and long-term goals motivates me every day, I'm showing myself that I'm working towards my goals day by day. A few of these goals include graduating from ASU, becoming a teacher, starting a family, running my first marathon, and continuing to learn how to love myself. "Charting your life is similar to developing a business plan that is based on your visions, values, and goals. Figure out what you want, what are your goals and dreams?" (D'Souza, G. 2011) Some days can be discouraging because I feel like I'm not achieving anything, but that's when I have to remind myself that progress can look slow. When you're breaking down the big picture, it takes many small goals to achieve! Don't loose hope!

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Another reason I'm pursuing education is that I believe that it has so many opportunities. Education opens so many doors for individuals, it has numerous networks and connections. When it comes to creating opportunities for yourself it's a benefit to know many people. Surround yourself with people that can help you achieve your goals. "Be prepared, but be flexible. The opportunity you expect might look just a bit different than you expected. Don't close the door; instead, walk through it, and see what you find on the other side." (D'Souza, G. 2011) I've always been a hard worker, going above and beyond, and it continues to provide me opportunities to better benefit my life. That's why being willing to work hard to develop your own opportunities is an amazing trait one can carry, you'll go places.

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Becoming a teacher requires being organized and having plans, daily. Pretty much my daily life consists of planning what I'll be doing tomorrow. While being in college it has taught me how to become more organized, time management, and what is a priority. "In order to take those steps and understand the best decisions for you, it's necessary to have a plan of how to get from where you are to where you want to be." (D'Souza, G. 2011) One thing I use daily to invest in my planning is my planner! I write everything in it, teaching plans, groceries, expenses, to-do lists, and my diary for the most part. Staying focused on the things I want, how to get there, and following the path I have created for myself allows being one step closer to my 'bigger picture'.

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Finding a partner or friend allows one to enjoy the journey of life. Personally I wouldn't be the woman I am today without my family, and husband. My husband is my other half, the one I was meant to walk through life with. Hopefully in the next few years creating our own family and having children. But having people to constantly surround yourself with too encourage and uplift you will make the walk of life even sweeter.

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#8 Motivate Yourself Using Loss Aversion

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Loss aversion is something I experience pretty often I believe. The idea of loosing something is twice as powerful then gaining something. But living in that state of fear is never good. "While loss aversion can be a hindrance in many situations, we can exploit this natural instinct and use it to motivate ourselves. The bigger the percieved loss, the more we can stay motivated to staunch the loss. People who have sacrificed the most are personally invested ina course of action are less likely to renege on commitments." I lost my dad in 2020 and it was the most terrible thing I've ever experienced, but as years have past I try to find the good from the pain. Cultivating the mindset of positivity is what get's me through loss.

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Making a change in your life is purely from self-motivation. The desire to make a change depends on three elements, dissatisfaction with the status quo, vision for the future, and practical steps to enact change. "The underlying rule that describes the decision-making process for enacting change is the following: If the desire to change is greater than the cost of change, we are motivated to take action to change our situation. Desire depends on three elements: dissatisfaction with the status quo, vision for the future, and practical steps to enact change" My desire as a teacher is to inspire my students to independently think and cultivate their own knowledge by researching and familiarizing themselves with the resources around them.

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D'Souza, G. (2011). EQ from the inside out: Breakthrough tools & ideas for living a fulfilling life. Freedom, CA: Six Seconds.

Chapter 6: Intrinsic Motivation