Uncovering My Courageous Word of the Year

Feeling stagnant in your personal growth journey? Join me as I share the power of choosing a defining word for the year, and how it has led to greater courage and empowerment in my life. But what happens when the word you've chosen puts you in a challenging situation? Find out more in the next episode.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Develop the courage to overcome fear and challenges in your daily life.
• Discover the power of setting goals for success and personal growth.
• Embrace the mindset of personal empowerment for a fulfilling life.
• Choose a defining word to inspire and guide your journey of self-improvement.
• Learn the art of embracing courage in life to transform your mindset and actions.

The key moments in this episode are:

00:00:05 - Welcome and Introduction 

00:01:09 - Childhood Curiosity and Career Path 

00:02:43 - Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Courage 

00:03:47 - Discovering Your Word for the Year 

00:06:54 - Conclusion and Call to Action 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Welcome to Teach Hustle Grow, the podcast that aims to turn frustration into freedom, empower you to thrive in both your teaching career and side hustle. Join us as we explore the path to success and discover the strategies to unlock your full potential. I'm Tiniol Martinez, a fellow teacher, coach and side hustler, and I'm excited to have you here today. Before we jump into today's episode, I want to invite you to join our community by signing up for the weekly newsletter. It's packed with exclusive teacher tips, resources, recommendations and, of course, a bit of humor to brighten your day. You can find the link in the show notes. Alright, let's get started with today's episode. Get ready to be inspired and empowered. Today I want to share a personal story of how I discovered my word for the year and what it truly means to be a courageous teacher while pursuing dreams beyond the classroom.

Speaker 1: 1:03

Growing up, I was known as the social kid who preferred books, writing stories and daydreaming. I was always intrigued by how things unfolded and eager to hear family members and elders narrate their tales of origin and life experiences. Yes, just like many, I enjoyed a good story and I wanted to know where they came from. What was their story, their journey? So, as I grew older, this innate curiosity followed me into adulthood and eventually shaped my career as a teacher, despite my initial resistance. I, even though I played teacher when I was a little kid, didn't want to become one. However, it's always been a calling. But yet I yearn for more. I've always possessed a certain level of courage. It's just been part of my nature. Yet there were still numerous factors holding me back. In previous years, I carefully chose words that capture the essence of specific experiences, aiming to evoke their true nature and significance. In one year it was a word limitless, and I encountered countless opportunities to push myself beyond my boundaries. Another year it was resilience, and now it's courage. Don't misunderstand me I've always been courageous in action, but when it came to showing up and using my voice, expertise and experiences, especially among adults, it has always been daunting and nerve-wracking. I recall feeling the same way when I first started teaching. I challenged myself to explore new methods of teaching that propelled me far from my comfort zone. There was always a difference with teaching students than it was to be in front of a group of adults. Slowly but surely, after years of practice, my confidence has definitely blossomed. Now, as a successful educator and entrepreneur, I no longer shy away from challenges or allow fear to hinder me. At least, I've tried really hard for it not to. I firmly believe that I can achieve anything I set my mind to. It's simply a matter of getting out of my own way. I wholeheartedly embraced my word of the year as a constant reminder to be bold and courageous in every facet of my life. That's precisely why I'm so passionate about helping others discover their own word for the year and utilize it as a catalyst for personal growth and transformative experiences.

Speaker 1: 3:41

If you haven't chosen a word for the year yet, take a moment to journal and discover one. Get your favorite journal on pen and let your defining word reveal itself to you. Don't overthink this process. Write for a few minutes to see what comes up to the surface. So let's begin.

Speaker 1: 4:00

The first step is reflect on the past year. Take a moment to think about your greatest accomplishments, challenges and lessons learned. Get some clarity and identify areas for improvement or goals. Now don't spend an entire hour journaling. Just take some time. Write down those key points to see what surfaces, what comes up. Step two is identify your goals. Think about what really matters to you, whether it's family, personal growth or making a difference. Align your goals and actions with your core values. Step three and I really want you to think about this question what would you like to have in abundance? Don't think about negativity or the negative aspects that happen to you in life. Write down the things that bring you the greatest joy in life, those things that make your heart sing and soar just thinking about them. Write those down.

Speaker 1: 5:00

And now step four review. Are there any words that keep catching your attention? Take a moment to explore their literal meanings. Do these words resonate with you? Do they truly capture what you desire?

Speaker 1: 5:15

And now for step five activate. Now that you've found your word, dive into how you will plan to embody it. How will you remind yourself of its significance? And take a moment to jot down your thoughts. This is where we put it into action, because writing about it and not doing anything about it is pointless. We want to make sure that we put it in action. So step six, and this is your final step stay motivated. Find what fuels your motivation, especially when it surrounds this word. Visualize it. Visualize your goals. Find someone to hold you accountable or treat yourself along the way. Keep this word present. Find a graphic, or even create one using Canva to represent this word and put it on your phone. Have it as a background screen to make sure that it keeps pushing you forward to embrace this new year with this word.

Speaker 1: 6:17

Don't forget personal growth is vital for a truly fulfilling life. Take these steps to discover the word that will shape your entire year and life. Remember personal growth is crucial for a truly satisfying life. Follow these steps to uncover the word that will shape your entire year and existence. Thanks for joining us on this courageous journey. Don't forget to listen to our next installment, where we explore courage in the classroom and empowering our students to be courageous as well.

Speaker 1: 6:54

Thank you for tuning in to another empowering episode of TeachHussell Grow. We appreciate you investing your time with us today. If you found value in our conversation, don't forget to hit the follow button and leave a rating or review. Your feedback fuels our mission to support educators like you. Connect with us on Instagram at TeachHussellgrow, share your takeaways, insights and any other aha moments from today's episode. We love hearing from our community and don't miss out on the wealth of resources in our show notes. Click the links to join our information-packed weekly newsletter. It's your gateway to relevant blog posts, resources, teaching tips and more. Remember your journey to personal growth and empowerment as an educator is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep hustling, keep growing and we'll catch you in the next episode. Until then, stay inspired.