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Credo: Choice, Connection, and Competence

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Credo: Choice, Connection, and Competence

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I create choice:  I choose to Be optimistic about the future, positive about the present, and grateful for the past.  I believe that my level of satisfaction and happiness is a choice based on how I view my situation.  This is a conscious choice not to dwell on negativity but instead to always move forward in a positive direction.

I create connection:  I choose to Be kind in my words, actions, and thoughts as I connect with others around me.  I believe that the positivity I send out into the world will be returned.  I give the benefit of the doubt to others in negative interactions and often find it’s possible to move toward a positive outcome.

I create competence:  I choose to Listen, watch, and learn as I increase my competence in some area of life each day.  Every day is a chance to learn something new or gain some greater understanding of the world around me.

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I chose to be grateful each day. Some days get long and tiring, but there is something each day to be grateful for. I want to start looking for the positives that happen each day and be grateful for them.

I chose to get better each and every day. I want to learn from my mistakes and from others, and then I want to grow. The great and challenging part of being a teacher (and a person in general) is that you can get better every day. I want to do better every day.

I chose to be motivated to get better. It is easy on those long days to become complacent, but I want to stay motivated to keep growing each and every day.

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I choose to be positive. I am a person who tends to look at the negatives in life and not always focus on the positives. I will intentionally look at all the positives in my life and reflect daily on those instead of focusing on the negatives.

I choose to wake up every day determined. I tend to wake up and decide I do not want to complete the tasks that I have planned for every day. I will wake up every morning determined to complete my tasks that I have for the day.

I choose to strive to be better than the day before. I want improve and learn from myself day after day. I will focus on making myself a better person and challenge myself every day.

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I choose to always come from a place of positive intent.  I chose to base my words and actions on optimism and positivity. I chose to look through a lens of positivity on the words and actions of others.
I choose to lead with love.  In all situations , I will choose love first.
I choose compassion.  I will treat others, and especially myself with compassion.
I choose to be brave.  I want to dive right in to all life has to offer. I will worry less about what people think and more about what I can learn and accomplish. I will fully accept  and internalize  idea that mistakes are inevitable and  necessary for true growth.
I choose to help.
I will help whenever possible. I will live a life that serves my family, my friends and my community.

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I choose to focus on the positives. Every situation I'm faced with has a positive side to it. If I dwell on the negative aspects of the situation, I can't grow and learn.

I choose to challenge myself. I use to challenge myself more when I was growing up verses now and I think that is because I am starting to get comfortable about where I am. One of the reasons I decided to pursue my masters is because I needed that challenge back into my life. However, I hope to continue to find that challenge everyday regardless of that outside force by learning a new skill or stepping outside of my comfort zone to create a better learning experience for my students.

I choose to help others. Whether I am teaching, coaching, or outside of school, I want to find ways in which I can help others. The reason I wanted to become a teacher was to help others achieve their goals or wishes regardless of the situations that are presented in their lives. A simple kind gesture can be enough to help someone who is having a bad day. Treating everyone with kindness and empathy is important to me.

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Grateful

I choose to be grateful. I choose to be grateful for what I have and to live in the moment. I choose to not worry about the yesterdays or tomorrows and to focus on today. Each day I plan to be mindful of what I am thankful for in the moment and will reflect on this at the end of each day.

Perseverance

I choose to be brave and believe in myself. I will learn to live without fear of making mistakes. I will accept mistakes as learning moments and will move forward. When making a mistake I will work on positive self talk which will allow me to build upon my personal confidence.

Perspective

I choose to look through a wider lens to see the big picture. I will listen and learn as much as I can about others in order to see all points of view in situations or events that may occur.

Faithful

I choose to live my faith. I choose to love others just as Jesus did. I choose to practice my faith each and every day through sharing compassion with those around me.

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I choose to connect.  I enjoy time spent with family and friends but also with colleagues and students. I want to build on those connections through face to face conversations, even digital face to face, phone calls, emails, Facebook, messenger, written cards and any other way I can think of to connect.

I choose to be brave.  I need to believe in myself. I work hard and need to let that side of myself show both personally and professionally. I finish what I started.  This also means I need to leave my comfort zone and experience new things, people and places.

I choose to be healthy.  I want to remain active as long as I can.  I have enjoyed figure skating for most of my life and want to continue being able to learn new things and compete. I need to stay active, eat right.  That way I can also be around for many years for my family and friends.  I also want to have fun and relax with the activities I enjoy.

I choose to be motivated.  I know how to set goals but I need to work more on getting them accomplished. They may take a long time to complete and the final product or outcome may be different then I expected. I want to work on them to see how far I can go!

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Avalon Olson's Credo

I choose to do something each day for me. I choose to spend time each day doing something that brings me joy. Strengthening my talents through practice, growing intellectually by reading or other ways of learning or taking time to clear my mind and improve my physical health by exercising.

I choose to do something each day for “we”. This could be for my family, my community or even on a larger scale. Volunteering my time and/or sharing my talents with others will not only allow me to grow personally but I will be helping others to grow as well.

I choose to do something each day for “he”. I will choose each day to honor God and my spiritual self. By strengthening my relationship with God I will be able to better cope with stress and be able to focus on building better ways to overcome and deal with hardships.

By doing these things I will be able to concentrate on my values and beliefs, strengthen relationships and become better connected to my true “self”.

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I have always tried to people a "people-pleaser".  I attribute this to being the middle child of 5 siblings and trying to keep the peace.  Because of this, one of my Credo's is to make someone else's day better because they saw me.  I try to live my life to help and encourage others.  Whether it being helping them with something, visiting with them, or somewhere in-between.  Life is meant to be shared with others.  The main way I try to succeed at this is with my own children and with the students that I teach.  If I can make my kid's day better because of the influence I have on them, that is time well spent.  And the same is true of my students as well.

I choose to have a positive outlook on life.  When something gets me down, I try to remember all the blessings I have in my life and think of all the things I am grateful for (too many to count).  Being positive is another way to encourage others too.

I choose to make healthy choices for me and my family.  Exercising and heating right are important to be and I try to instill that in my children too.  I do my best to get them outside and teach them the importance of being healthy.

Lastly, I hope the biggest legacy I leave this earth with is the love I have for Jesus. I strive to reflect this love to others in the way I live my life. Christians are instructed to be salt and light in this world. My credo is live a life that brings glory to God.

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I chose to live my life in a way that brings God glory.
This is what I know I have been called to do. My faith is the foundation and world view in which I see myself and the world around me. When I became a Christ follower, God called me to walk in his ways.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I choose to be thankful every day.
Each day I look for something I am grateful for. This gives me a better attitude about life and a more optimistic outlook. I do this by posting a facebook post for the day about what I am thankful for and by writing people thank you notes.

I chose to have balance rather than chaos in my life.
I try to have a balance between work, home and community. I also try to balance out my time by choosing my best yes and when to say so to people or activities. This helps me give my best to others.

I choose to assume that people have good intentions.
This helps me form connections with people because I assume good things about them. I like to know the why behind someone's actions or thoughts. Oftentimes hearing or seeing things from their perspective helps me understand that person better.

I choose to keep an open mind
I believe that we are all life -long learners. Each day I know that I have learned something I never knew before. I want to keep an open mind to all that is out there for me to glean from.

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I choose to be positive: I will choose to be positive while at work. I will help create a positive environment to help keep morale up each day.  My positive energy and spin on situations will help my team create the best learning atmosphere to keep my students feeling positive, relaxed, safe, curious, and confident.

I choose passion: I choose passion as I continue to work towards improving my classroom. I'm passionate about creating an active and engaging classroom that fosters curiosity of learning.   I'm passionate about building connections with my students to gain their trust and to build their confidence in themselves.

I choose to challenge myself: I choose to challenge myself mentally as well as physically. I continue to take classes that challenge me intellectually and will help me improve my skills as a teacher. I have been challenging myself physically as I continue to improve my endurance and strength.

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I choose confidence:  I choose to believe in myself and the life choices I am choosing to make.  I will make the conscience choice to surround myself with those who celebrate my confidence instead of deny it.  I can choose to use my strong voice and ideas instead of being afraid of the sound of them.  I will choose to show confidence in both my professional and personal life in my thoughts, actions, and the vibe I give to others.  I choose to show that confidence is strength not vanity.  I choose to be me without apology.

I choose gratitude: I choose to find gratitude in the daily gifts in my life.  I choose to express gratitude to others even when it is not expected or returned.  I choose to instill an expectation of gratitude into my children and my students.  I choose to be grateful not just for material objects but the gifts of time, laughter, and memories from those around me.  I choose to not wallow in what I cannot do or do not have but to celebrate and be grateful all that God has given me instead.  I will choose to fill others' buckets by demonstrating gratitude in my words and actions.

I choose to look for the lovely in every situation:  I choose to step back and look at each moment in my life as a gift, even if it is one I would not have chosen for myself.  I will look to the people that surround me as the exact people I need on that section of my life marathon.  I will look at the moments I am exhausted from my job or parenting, or being a spouse as a moment in which my life is forever changed for the better instead of focusing on the worst.  I will stop to smell the roses instead of rushing to the next activity or event.  I will choose to cherish to look at the color pallet of my life instead of the areas filled with black and white.

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I choose to be happy. I can choose my reaction to life’s surprises. Instead of focusing on the negative or judging, I choose to find the positive in every situation. I have a sign that says “think happy, be happy” in my classroom. This is my reminder to find the positive in things, no matter how difficult it can be. Choosing to be happy also means doing things that bring me joy as a way to take care of myself.

I choose to help others. Empathy is one of my top strengths, and I will use this strength to empower others. I can use my position as a teacher to help others succeed emotionally, socially, and academically. I can also support others and help them achieve equality and safety. We all must work together and support each other for us all to succeed because, to quote one of my favorite Disney movies from middle school, “We are all in this together.”

I choose to take care of myself. It’s easy for me to put my needs last and focus on my students’ needs and my work first. However, I know it’s not healthy to put my nutritional or sleep needs aside. If I don’t take care of myself, I will not be able to do my job and help others. I choose to eat healthy, drink water throughout the day (this is a struggle, but I can do it), sleep when I’m tired, and spend time outside.

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I choose to believe in possibilities and because of this I see them everywhere. When I am faced with a challenge I do not spend my time on what will be difficult or can't be done and focus on solutions and finding the next best thing to move forward. Creativity is fostered through resilience and with that comes solutions and opportunities that might have been over looked without having to push yourself in response to a challenge.

I choose to meet people where they are at. I believe that people bring with them complexities from their past that would be difficult to understand so I try to acknowledge this, but to see where they are in this moment, meet them there and help them to grow.

I choose to believe in myself and not give in to worry that does not serve me. I am strong, capable and independent and at the end of the day I can rest well knowing that I did the very best I could to serve and support others and to find joy in the things most important to me.

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I loved learning about Phil’s life credo. My dad recently suffered the same type of experience Phil endured, and so this reflection really hits home for me. After taking some time to reflect on my core values, here is my credo:

I choose positivity. Life is full of challenges and changes. In fact, change is the one thing we can count on in life, so why not make the most of every situation? I choose positivity because leading a life filled with gratifying thoughts results in worthy intentions. I believe worthy intentions are the foundation to honorable actions, and actions are what we remember most about people. Maya Angelo speaks about how positivity can change peoples’ lives in one of my favorite quotes: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

I choose empathy. Empathy is the second part of my credo because I believe empathetic people listen to one another, show compassion by being there for others, and connect with people that may be different than themselves. I believe empathy is the foundation to a genuine relationship, which sets the tone for the greater community. Mother Teresa speaks about how empathy affects our society: “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

I choose passion. Mirroring Phil’s third credo point relating to competence, I am choosing passion because I believe that if we all live our lives doing the things we love the most, our passions will flourish because we generally love what we do. Furthermore, when we are passionate about things in our everyday lives, we become internally motivated. When we are internally motivated about something we are passionate about, there is no stopping us to do what we were made to do! Oprah Winfrey speaks about her belief in passion: “Follow your passion; it will lead to your purpose.”

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I choose kindness.  In my daily interactions, I will lead with empathy and understanding.  Kindness is the foundation of supportive relationships and cannot be overlooked.

I choose to celebrate the individuality and diversity of those around me.  When the unique characteristics and experiences of others are uplifted, everyone is allowed to be the best version of themselves.

I choose to be a lifelong learner and advocate.  In this day and age, information is readily available to us whenever questions or curiosities arise.  There is much to be learned from the experiences of others.  I acknowledge my privilege and the consistent work that must be done to push back against the systems that do not currently support everyone.

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I choose to be healthy: I look for new ways to improve my overall physical and mental health. I have a great support system around me that encourages me to be my best and be healthy. I will work each day to become healthier overall.

I choose to be a positive force: I am optimistic about life and I love to laugh. I will make the people around me, my friends, family, and people in my community smile. I will make my students excited to be in my small group and excited to read and write.

I choose to address negativity: I face the negativity I experience within myself and the negativity from others. I question the source of the negativity and find ways to move toward positivity. I help others who are dealing with negativity move toward positivity.

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My Credo
I choose to stomp the worry out: Sometimes worrying about a situation becomes more overwhelming then the situation really is. So I will focus on what I can control and let the rest fall as it may.

I choose to listen: Listening to my kids, husband, friends, family, students and myself. Don't let outside distractions get in the way of listening to what they are saying in that moment.

I choose to find happiness: In the chaos of the day, it can be difficult to find balance and realize the good. I don't what to look back and think, what a waste of a day. I'm going to be happy by finding enjoyment within the day. This could mean finding time for myself, talking to someone I care about, connecting with a student, doing something special with me kids, listening to music and just sit, turning off the school computer, allow myself to make art with my students, etc.

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I choose to keep my values at the core of the way I live my life and treat others. I choose to acknowledge hardships and struggles, but I will maintain hope and strive for solutions and growth as I face those challenges.

My most important roles are mother and teacher. It is in these roles that I share my humanity and love for others by modeling empathy, kindness and honesty, which will make a difference in others’ lives.

The more I learn, the more aware I am of the need to learn. My learning will positively impact those I interact with. I am the change I wish to see in the world.

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I choose to live in the moment. Too often am I worrying about planning for the future or living for the weekends. Life isn't just Friday - Sunday, we have to learn to enjoy our day to day activities as well.

I choose to "Keep my day." This is a phrase I learned from the Top 20 training that refers to those moments during the day that can be upsetting (angry parent phone call, someone cutting you off on the freeway, etc.) Keeping your day means choosing to not worry about the issues that are out of your control.

I choose to live a balanced life style. This means that I will make it a priority to stay consistent with putting work down at times, exercising daily, drinking enough water and eating healthy, spending time with family and friends as well as getting my grad work done.

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I choose to be happy: After reading Phil’s experience, it made me realize that life is way too short to be anything but happy. We can all be angry at the world, people or situations, but we control our own happiness. We can’t keep blaming others for our own happiness, 

I choose to be kind: Being kind makes me feel like a better human, and it always puts a smile on someone else’s face. You never know what someone else is going through, so being kind is always the right answer. If you treat others with kindness, you will get that in return.

I choose to love: I want to love everything that crosses my path. I choose to love family, friends, students, colleagues, animals, strangers, etc.  There is too much hate toward others/situations in the world to do anything else but love. I want to see the best in every person, even when they can’t see it in themselves.

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I choose to lean in, rather than lean back.  Things are not likely to improve or get better if I disengage.  I need to stay in the game!
I choose to forgive. Hanging on to grudges, slights, and old grievances serves nobody's interest.  Not just for others, but for myself as well. We all do well if we can.
I choose to be kind.  Empathy is what makes us human.  If we feel for each other then kindness follows.
I choose to laugh.  Because is feels good to laugh.  Because I can't afford to take myself too seriously.  Because it is contagious.
I choose to change.  When faced with evidence that something isn't working as well as it could/should, I can double down, or I can choose to change.  Change is liberating.  Change is invigorating.  Change is growth.

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I choose to make a difference. I believe I am on this planet for a reason. I strive to give back to others.
I choose to be optimistic. In times of struggle, I believe we can get through difficult times and in the long run we will be in a better place.
I choose to make myself better. I know I do not have all the answers. I will continue to improve myself by trying new things.

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I chose to love everyone. I know what it feels like to be sad and what it feels like to be happy. Being happy is a great feeling. I will do whatever I can to have others feel happy when they cross paths with me.

I chose to have a positive outlook. Every day I have plenty of opportunities to complain. I'm going to focus more on the plethora of positives in life and appreciate those things rather than dwell on the negative.

I chose to spend more time with my family. Time spent with my wife and dog or time when I can get home to see my parents or siblings always put me in a better mood. I will work to make it home more often and to set aside more time for time with my wife and dog.

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I choose to live the Golden Rule. I will treat others with courtesy and respect, and I will expect the same in return from them.

I choose to continue learning about myself and pursuing growth as an individual. I believe that you should never be stagnant in your personal growth and development. We are not finished products.

I choose to strive towards and maintain a healthy work/life balance. Finding pockets of time for myself is essential. I need to give myself grace instead of guilt when I use time for things unrelated to work.

I choose to focus on my mindset and shift it to a growth mindset. I need to learn from my failures, recognize that they do not define who I am, and continue trying.

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I choose to wake up every day ready to improve myself. Every day is a chance to grow myself by being productive. I can learn new things and accomplish projects that require effort and focus. Unproductive days are not gratifying and I can always find tasks to do.

I choose to support those around me. I gain energy by serving those I surround myself with. That energy keeps me motivated every day.

I choose to act based on my values. I have a set of strong morales that I was taught growing up. Making choices based on those values helps me to stay mentally healthy.

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I choose to maintain a healthy lifestyle so that whenever an activity catches my interest, I feel strong and capable enough to give it a try.

I choose to acknowledge and celebrate the strengths of others. Sometimes a quick text or note of support and acknowledgment can make a huge impact, and I will highlight the accomplishments of my friends and colleagues.

I choose to help empower and encourage others, and live by the belief that there is not a finite amount of happiness and success in the world, and someone else having happiness and success does not mean that there’s less available to me.

I choose to show up and demonstrate my allyship with Black Lives Matter and other marginalized segments of our community. My life has been full of privilege and it is now my privilege to support these important movements.

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My core belief, is my love for God and His son Jesus Christ.  I believe He Was,  He Is, and Will Be yet to come.  Each and every day I choose to spend time with Him, learn His Word and ways, and spend time communicating with Him through prayer. I use the Bible as my guiding principles in my daily life and to help mold me into the person I am.  Another one of my core beliefs is the importance of human connection with family, friends, and people in general.  Family is of utmost importance to me.  I view them as a gift given to me and that gift I treasure each day.  Health--another precious gift!  I choose to make the best of my health by exercising on a regular basis, eating as healthy as possible and being aware of my mental health too.  And the last of my guiding principles would be hard work---I chose to give all I can in whatever I am doing.  I do not ever want to look back and wish I would have tried a little harder, put forth more effort, and taken the easy way out.