Latest / ✨️Aligned and Thriving: For Teachers🌿 / 💆‍♀️Self-Care Series: Manifesting A Better Term✨️

Transcript

💆‍♀️Self-Care Series: Manifesting A Better Term✨️ · ✨️Aligned and Thriving: For Teachers🌿

0:05
Hello, beautiful people, and welcome back to another episode
0:09
of Aligned and Thriving for Teachers.
0:11
It's Mel here, and today we're doing a little bit of woo, a
0:14
little bit of mindset magic, and a whole lot of real.
0:19
Now look, if this isn't your vibe, feel free to skip.
0:22
But if you're open to shifting your energy, feeling better in
0:26
your work, and calling in more ease this term, then keep
0:30
listening. Because today we're talking
0:33
about manifesting a better term. And before you roll your eyes
0:38
and think, oh Mel, I don't have time to meditate under a full
0:41
moon in my classroom, don't worry, I'm keeping this real.
0:45
This isn't about bypassing reality or preventing
0:47
everything. Pretending I should say
0:50
everything's perfect. It's about how you choose to
0:54
show up, how you protect your energy, and how you shift your
0:58
internal narratives so you can actually enjoy the job and
1:03
intern your life. So it starts with you.
1:07
I've said it before and I will say it again, but it all starts
1:11
with you. If your vibe is constantly oh
1:15
this class is so hard, I can't do this anymore.
1:19
It's only week 3 and I am over it.
1:23
Then guess what? Your nervous system is going to
1:26
believe you and your classroom energy is going to reflect it
1:29
straight back to you every single time.
1:34
But here's the thing. I've been that teacher.
1:37
I've cried in the car, I've wanted to walk out.
1:40
I've stared at my laptop like, why am I doing this again?
1:44
What am I here for? Do I really have to put up with
1:47
this? And guess what helped me shift?
1:50
It wasn't just my behaviour, strategy or a new planner.
1:54
It was my mindset. Again, it's about me.
1:59
The next thing is that you need to notice the thought spiral.
2:03
OK, this is a bit of a process, but the first step to trying to
2:06
manifest a better term is noticing the story that you're
2:10
actually telling yourself. So let's say your thought is my
2:14
class never listens. That thought feels heavy, like
2:19
you're defeated. It puts you in that low vibe,
2:22
reactive type of energy. Now, I'm not saying lie to
2:26
yourself and say, oh, my class is perfect, but what if you
2:31
softened it or just changed it slightly to we're still learning
2:35
how to listen or I'm getting better at leading these kids in
2:39
the right direction. It feels a little bit different,
2:42
doesn't it? I hope it does because your
2:45
brain will start to believe what you are repeating.
2:49
So if you can shift your inner dialogue, you actually start to
2:52
shift your outer experience too. OK, so we're flipping the script
2:59
now. This isn't just about toxic
3:01
positivity. And I'm really good at that.
3:03
Like I can be toxically positive.
3:05
Just ask anyone that works around me.
3:08
It's about reframing with compassion, and that's a big
3:12
one. Try this out with me.
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So imagine your old thought. This student is draining me.
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I want you to flip it and think a new thought.
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This student is showing me where I need stronger boundaries.
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Old thought, There is never enough time.
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New thought. I'm choosing what matters most
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right now to focus on old thought.
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I'm failing new thought. I'm learning just like the kids.
3:44
And my favourite one lately. I trust that I can handle
3:48
whatever today brings. Stick that one on your post it
3:52
note because it's gold and I literally have it stuck on my
3:55
desk sometimes or I'm a sticky note on the back of my phone.
3:59
I trust that I can handle whatever today brings.
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Especially when you know you've got a few big things on that
4:04
day. OK, that's a good one.
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The next thing I want to talk about is really important, and
4:09
this is gratitude anchoring, if you don't know, but this is
4:13
pretty powerful. Gratitude is massive.
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I mean, I know you might say to your kids, oh, use your manners,
4:20
say thank you, say please. It's more than that.
4:22
It's actually being grateful and showing that you appreciate what
4:27
you have or what is coming into you.
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All of the things every day, either at the end of the school
4:33
day or during your coffee break, I want you to think about, even
4:37
list them if you can. Three things that you are
4:40
grateful for. Just three, some examples for
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you from my week. One of my students made a huge
4:48
effort and they shared with a friend and this could be a kid
4:52
that never shares with anyone or really just likes to play alone,
4:55
but they actually were willing to share.
4:58
That's gratitude. You are being grateful that that
5:02
has happened. OK.
5:04
Or I got through playground Judy without anyone eating bark.
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Yep, again, early childhood teaching.
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I learned a lot during that time of my life.
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You are another thing you might be grateful for.
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Hashtag small wins. I drank my coffee while it was
5:19
still hot. Yay me.
5:22
Gratitude can help rewire your brain.
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OK, It's part of all of what I've just talked about, flipping
5:28
the script, trying to be grateful for those little
5:30
things. It pulls you out of that lack
5:33
comparison, overwhelm, type space and into the present and
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literally takes you like 30 seconds.
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It's not hard. You just need to pause and think
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what are three things that I'm grateful for right now and focus
5:45
on them because it is so powerful.
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Another thing I want you to try and do is to visualise your day
5:52
before it starts. OK, this is where I probably
5:57
lean into that woo side of things.
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Before your day starts, either while you're getting dressed,
6:04
sipping your tea, having a coffee, brushing your hair, just
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take a minute to visualise. So picture how you want your day
6:12
to feel. How do you want it to be?
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So you could be imagining a calm classroom.
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That student actually saying please for once, you teaching
6:26
feeling regulated, supported and confident.
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Maybe even picture yourself laughing with your colleague at
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lunch. Visualising can really shift
6:37
your energy because your brain starts looking for that reality.
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I swear by this on a Monday morning.
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Honestly, you've got to picture how that day is going to be,
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maybe even how your week's going to be.
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But let's just picture the day. How is your day going to be?
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How are you going to get through?
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What are you going to be grateful for?
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It's a proven fact that visualising things can actually
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help you improve. If you haven't heard, and I
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can't remember where the where the actual evidence comes from,
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but I know that was some research done when people were
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learning the piano, they were practising every day.
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There were some prisoners who couldn't obviously access a
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piano, but they were visualising themselves playing the piano,
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visualising the notes, visualising the keys,
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visualising, so picturing in their mind themselves playing
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those notes on the piano and playing.
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And when they came out of prison they could go and play better
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than some of the people that have been physically practising
7:30
on a piano every day because they have visualised.
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So there are and you can Google it if you want to.
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You could find yourself some evidence and proof that
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visualising actually works. OK.
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I'm not saying you're just going to make stuff happen and poof
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into out of thin air. I'm saying you are changing your
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own thought, perception and planning out how you could react
7:51
to certain situations and how your day could actually be OK.
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So it's just a little bit of woo woo there.
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But if you understand what I mean, I don't do anything
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without lots of research and evidence.
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So This is why I agree with it and I'm proven.
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I have proven that it actually is working.
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Another thing that I know I've talked about before is
8:11
affirmations. So affirmations to reset your
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teacher energy. I use affirmations like my
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nervous system medicine. When I feel tense or flat, I
8:21
speak them out loud or I write them in my planner, write them
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on sticky notes. As I said, sometimes they're
8:25
stuck on the back of my phone. Sometimes they're even my phone,
8:30
like wallpaper. Depending on the week.
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If I really needed to focus on something, I might have an
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affirmation that I've set from that and chat.
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GTP. Oh amazing, I you can type in
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your little affirmation there and tell it what to do with it.
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So I say oh, make it botanical themed with neutral colours and
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line artwork as a phone screen and there it is.
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And I can have it and upload it and it's done.
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It's pretty. But as I said, here are so I
8:55
obviously speak them out loud or you can see them around.
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But here are a few of my favourites and feel free to use
9:01
them, Pinch them, rearrange whatever you want to do.
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But I lead with calm, not control.
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OK, interpret that how you wish. I bring grounded energy into my
9:13
space. My job is important, but my
9:17
peace is more important. And the best one every day is a
9:22
fresh start. And if you've ever worked with
9:26
me before, you've actually probably heard me say something
9:28
along those lines like tomorrow's a new day or we start
9:30
again tomorrow. See you tomorrow.
9:32
It's a new day because it's just one of those go to's for me.
9:35
You can say them, write them, post them on your whiteboard.
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Let the kids hear you saying it. It models that you need self
9:41
regulation too. So don't ever be afraid to be
9:44
that person muttering to yourself.
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Tomorrow's a new day, tomorrow's a new day.
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Tomorrow's a new day. It's OK darling, we're going to
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start again because tomorrow's a new.
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Get a new day. We hit the reset button, we go
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again. It's all good.
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So in saying that, you're then gonna clear the energy.
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Daily teaching is emotional labour.
10:02
It is giving, guiding, correcting, loving all the stuff
10:07
that sticks to you as well. So you have to clear your own
10:09
energy. So here's how I do it.
10:13
I might use a diffuser and again, in my office, I might
10:17
often have the diffuser going with a particular scent
10:19
throughout that day depending on what I'm trying to bring in or
10:23
get out of my space. Might also have the oil rollers
10:27
that you roll onto your wrists. Just scent work is really big
10:31
too, because it can trigger different semantic connections
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in your brain. I think I said that, right?
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I know, I think I said I know what I mean.
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It's the little connections in your brain and it can trigger
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those to certain memories and things, good or bad.
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If you pick scents that remind you of something good, that can
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be triggering to you and trigger good thoughts as well.
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Taking your shoes off and walking around outside.
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Hello, grounding. If you have not heard of
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grounding before, it is connecting yourself back to
11:00
nature and back to earth. So it's literally just walking
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outside in bare feet, on the dirt, on the grass, whatever you
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need, But it's grounding yourself physically, reminding
11:09
that you are here and you are present and all of those things.
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You might journal sometimes. At the end of the day, as I
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said, I journal every night, so I might be.
11:18
What am I letting go of today? Make a list.
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Another really good one, if you're clearing all your energy
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for the end of a term, is to write a list of all the things
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you're letting go of and then RIP it up and burn it safely, of
11:29
course, but just clearing all of that away.
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Another one is EFT tapping. Now you would have to look this
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up because it's really hard for me to try and explain that to
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you, but it's about trigger points in your hands, on your
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face, on the back of your neck, top of your head.
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There is a process that you can follow.
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If you want me to delve deeper into what that actually looks
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like, please just let me know. Put a comment in the play.
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What am I saying? You know, comments on Spotify.
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Just let me know or send me Adm on Instagram and I can do
12:01
another bit of a post explanation for you of how I use
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it. But basically it's something I
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tap into after tricky interactions just to self
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regulate myself and bring me back down.
12:13
Another one. And I know I've told you this
12:14
guy before, but 3 deep breaths before you go into the into the
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classroom space or before you leave work, before you get in
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the car, especially if you're in a car ride home with your
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children. You might need to take a few
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deep breaths before you step into that space.
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But you don't have to hold on to that chaos of the day.
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You need to let it go because remember, by the time you get
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home, your home should be your soft place to land your safe
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space. OK, so you need to clear all
12:39
that negative energy throughout the day and let it go before you
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sort of get into your home safe space.
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So what's a manifestation manifesting, I should say ritual
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that you could do today to get you started.
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This is a really simple one that you could do right now or at the
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start of a new term. You could light a candle or take
13:00
3 deep breaths and sit down and write down or visualise how you
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want to feel this term. Do you want to feel energised,
13:11
respected, calm, connected to your students and say this out
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loud? I call in support, clarity and
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joy this term. I trust that I'm exactly where I
13:27
need to be. Then you need to come up with
13:30
one aligned action, so something that lines up with what you're
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trying to feel. So maybe that's meal prepping,
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maybe that's saying no to an extra job or an extra thing, or
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maybe that's committing to getting up 10 minutes earlier.
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But just some quiet space to regulate yourself before you get
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on with your day. So it's simple.
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It is safe to want more ease, OK?
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It's safe for you to feel like you want more calm in your life,
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more alignment in your work, in your life.
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That doesn't make you lazy or entitled.
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It makes you intentional. Manifesting is a better term.
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Doesn't mean that every day is going to be perfect, but it
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means that you're showing up differently.
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And that changes everything because you're no longer
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reacting. You're creating because it's
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coming from you. Now, before we wrap up, I wanted
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to bring you something that really changed how I approach
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manifesting. And it's one of it's by one of
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my favourite Aussie authors, Jordana Levine.
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She she's got her own podcast. She's got lots of information If
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you just search Jordana, Jordana Levine, if you just search her,
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she's got lots, but she's actually written quite a few
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books. She's written Make It Happen,
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Make You Happen, and quite a few others.
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But those are the truth that I'm focusing on at the moment.
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But she breaks manifestation down in a really simple,
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practical way. And it's something that I think
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every teacher could benefit from, and especially if you've
15:04
ever rolled your eyes at the idea of someone telling you to
15:07
just think positive. She says that manifestation is
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about not just about your thoughts.
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It's actually a bit of an equation.
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And who doesn't love an equation as a teacher, Maths, whoop,
15:19
whoop. I actually really struggle with
15:21
math, but this equation works. So let me explain.
15:25
So Jordana explains that manifestation is an equation and
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it is your thoughts plus your feelings plus actions plus faith
15:36
equals manifestation. And honestly, this makes
15:41
complete sense in a classroom too.
15:43
So let me break it down for you. Your thoughts.
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What's the story telling you? Are you walking into your week
15:50
thinking that your class is a nightmare, You hate Mondays,
15:53
It's going to be chaos. It's just going to be a horrid
15:56
day. Those thoughts are creating your
15:58
lens. But what if you shifted the
16:01
thoughts just a little bit? Maybe just change them to this
16:04
class challenges me but I've had worse.
16:07
I'm open to it going smoother than expected.
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It's not about lying, it's about lightening the thought.
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Just enough to give yourself some space.
16:16
Then you go into your feelings. What energy are you in?
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So even if you say positive things, you're still carrying.
16:24
You could be still carrying stress, frustration, or
16:27
resentment. And the vibe does not lie.
16:30
Your kids will feel it. You will feel it because it
16:33
leaks into everything. So you need to check in with
16:36
yourself. Ask yourself, am I bringing calm
16:40
or chaos? Do I feel supported or
16:43
scattered? Can I intentionally shift how I
16:46
feel before I walk in the door? Try a 62nd ritual in your car
16:51
before you get out. Take a deep breath, OK?
16:54
Say to yourself some of your affirmations you may have
16:57
written. That's when you could put on
16:59
some of your scent to trigger yourself back into those
17:02
grateful moments and say to yourself that I am calm, I am
17:06
grounded, I'm enough. Whatever you want your
17:09
affirmation to tell yourself to be.
17:11
So you're going to focus on that.
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Then you have your actions, so are you aligning with what you
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want? And this one is big.
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If you want to smooth the week, are your actions supporting
17:22
that? Are you planning ahead so you're
17:24
not chasing your tail and scrambling around to find
17:27
things? Are you saying no to the things
17:29
that stretch you too thin? Refer back to set episode about
17:32
learning how to say no and setting boundaries if you need a
17:35
bit of a refresher on how to do that.
17:37
Are you making time for your own rest, prep or joy?
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Again, go back to previous episodes and remind yourself
17:44
that self care is important and what you can do to have time for
17:47
yourself. Manifestation is not just
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dreaming, it's doing and doing with intention.
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OK, the last one is faith. So do you actually believe that
17:58
it's possible? And here's the kicker.
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You can do all that mindset work in the world, but if you deep
18:05
down do not believe yourself that it is possible for your
18:08
term to feel easier, more aligned, more joyful, then that
18:12
disbelief. Disbelief will become your
18:14
block. OK, It becomes a limiting belief
18:17
and it will block you. Faith in a classroom sense could
18:21
sound like. I trust that I can figure this
18:24
out. I believe that things can get
18:27
better, even if it's slow. I am open to support and I don't
18:32
have to do it all alone. Sometimes faith looks like
18:36
setting boundaries. Sometimes it looks like asking
18:40
for help. Sometimes it's just trusting
18:43
your intuition even when no one else gets it.
18:47
Or maybe they can't see the bigger picture yet.
18:50
So yeah, manifestation isn't just about vision boards and
18:54
vibes and all the woo woo. It's honestly about checking in
18:58
with what you're thinking, how you're feeling, what you're
19:01
doing, and whether you actually believe that a better term is
19:06
possible for you. So if nothing else, I want you
19:10
to walk into this week with a clearer thought, a lighter
19:14
feeling, one aligned action, and a little more trust in yourself
19:19
because that's the real work. And honestly, it works.
19:24
So my love, what are you calling in this term?
19:27
And if you try one of these mindset shifts or rituals, you
19:30
can tag me on Instagram, send me a DM.
19:32
I love seeing what lights you all up.
19:35
Let me know what you're letting go of this term.
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Let's release it together. And if this resonated with you,
19:41
share it with a fellow teacher or educator who's open to a
19:44
little bit of the woo woo or just needs a simple vibe check.
19:49
Remember to do all of the things like clicking, follow, sharing
19:53
it around so that we can help as many teachers and educators as
19:57
possible. So until next time guys, stay
20:01
grounded and remember that I believe in you and you are the
20:07
vibe. Talk to you soon.