"Walking" the Walk

"I will never try that." 

"Don't ask me to step outside of my comfort zone."

"They aren't capable of _________."

"We have never done that before."

"I don't have time for _________."




I'm sure all of you at some time or another have heard some of the phrases that are listed above. A great mentor and friend Jimmy Casas would refer to the people who repeatedly use this type of language as the B3's or bottom thirds. These are people that choose to continuously try to poke holes in ideas and tear others down. Many leaders in education and other professions spend a majority of their time trying to bring up the B3's usually resulting in many frustrating days and nights.

I have recently made a personal commitment to spend more of my time focusing on my own health. For the past week or so I have been trying to walk every day as well as eat better. Now this may seem like a common sense type of decision but for me it was not. I have always put others ahead of myself, including my own personal well-being. I would much rather spend time working with students, other adults, attending conferences, etc... than work out or "eat healthily." I feel as though for the past 2 years I have been stuck somewhere between the first and third steps in the picture above. Maybe every once in a while I may get to the fourth and even possibly the fifth but never to the final three steps. I firmly believed I wasn't capable of it nor did I believe I had the time to focus on me. I felt like in my personal life I was becoming a B3...something I most certainly did not want to become.

I think it's important to realize that all of us start at the bottom step in different situations throughout our lives. What we can't allow ourselves to do is remain in these bottom three steps. The moment you move from "wanting" to asking how is the moment that your mindset begins to shift. Those with a fixed mindset are squarely content on remaining in the bottom two steps. The more steps you take the more you will grow. We have to stop spending so much of our time and energy trying to change the B3's and spend more time building capacity around us with those that are willing to take steps alongside you.

As for me, I will continue to try to "walk" the walk not only professionally but more importantly in my personal life as well. I will not be satisfied until I can stand at the top and say "Yes, I did it!"

Until next time, Be A Light!
-Derek