Self-pity makes us live beyond our values, which makes it difficult for us to live with integrity, and therefore impossible to gain peace and serenity. Read the text of this episode on Medium: https://medium.com/press-pause/self-pity-is-the-enemy-of-integrity-ed92570c7b7f?source=friends_link&sk=60e44bc28a38521cd0e3a3aca5a2ff67

As an educator, I have been watching ChatGPT with great interest. The opportunities for learning from AI are quite boundless, when used effectively. You can read the text of this episode on Shaney Crawford dotcom. https://www.shaneycrawford.com/2023/03/i-asked-chatgpt-to-analyse-my-writing/

I have never been fond of doing dishes. In fact, I don’t like doing anything that never gets permanently “done”, like making my bed, doing my laundry, cooking, or cleaning. Read the text of this episode on Shaney Crawford dotcom. https://www.shaneycrawford.com/2023/03/living-in-a-fantasy-world-where-dishes-do-themselves/

Trying to figure out DEIJ in schools is hard work, or rather, complex work, but it is important for all educators to have a very robust understanding of how power, privilege, oppression, and marginalization play out in schools. You can read the text of this podcast on Shaney Crawford dotcom: https://www.shaneycrawford.com/2023/02/staying-open-humble-and-teachable/

This week, I had one of those days where I couldn’t seem to win. I had two particular encounters on that day that didn’t go my way. In the past, this would have been a very good reason for me to go out and eat fast food, or junk food, or a lot of food, and then go to bed with a stomach that was too full. In this episode, I mention "exploratory writing".  You can read more about this idea here. Exploratory Writing: Everyday Magic for Life and Work by Alison Jones

In August 2022, one of my colleagues introduced me to the concept of coaching. Everyone knows what a coach of a sports team does, but this was different. He was talking about a coach who works with you in your workplace to become better at what you do. Read the text of this episode on Shaney Crawford dotcom: https://www.shaneycrawford.com/2023/01/getting-out-of-my-own-way/

As a workaholic, I have a tendency to forget to put white space around my time and energy, in particular. I will use up these resources right until the last drop and not leave any extra for later, like I somehow believe that time doesn’t apply to me, or that I have limitless energy. Read the text of this episode on Shaney Crawford dotcom: https://www.shaneycrawford.com/2023/01/leave-some-space-around-it/

I like the idea of making small commitments to action rather than large, wide-ranging, and ill-defined resolutions (e.g. “lose weight”, “be happier”, “make more money”). I think that taking small, concrete actions over a longer amount of time is more likely to get me moving in the right direction. You can read the text of this episode on Shaney Crawford dotcom: https://www.shaneycrawford.com/2023/01/small-commitments-to-action/

The key point here is that you need to start by having a conversation with yourself about WHY you want to spend less time on your phone. If you can figure that part out, the rest of it has a chance to fall in place. Without the why, all of the tricks and tips in the world probably won’t help. Read the text of this episode on Shaney Crawford dotcom: https://www.shaneycrawford.com/2023/01/how-to-divorce-your-phone/

Last year, I gave myself a goal: Chase serenity. I want to keep that as my main focus for 2023, but I will aim to get myself to a more serene state by focusing on simplicity this year. I think that simplicity will lead to serenity. You can read the text of this episode on Shaney Crawford dotcom: https://www.shaneycrawford.com/2023/01/simplicity-simplicity-simplicity/

In 2021, when I started on my journey of recovery from food addiction, the serenity prayer was reintroduced to me in the context of addiction. I had never thought about the connections between addiction and serenity, courage, and wisdom before. I thought addiction was just about the substance, and I didn’t realize that it’s our thoughts that bring us to addiction, and that serenity, courage, and wisdom could help get us out of it. You can read the text of this podcast on Shaney Crawford dotcom: https://www.shaneycrawford.com/2022/12/chase-serenity/

I recently read that what people really want is reassurance.  We want to know that we are going to be okay.  (I don’t know if that is true or not.  It certainly has a truthy ring to it.) You can read the text of this podcast on Shaney Crawford dotcom: All we need is... reassurance? Here is the video of the girl reassuring her baby sister. https://youtu.be/7Ygcl_DQ-Q4

When an interviewer asks about our weaknesses, we aren’t going to tell them how lazy we are or how we have a rebellious streak.  It’s much more likely that we will try to find a “benign weakness” or one that is actually a backhanded compliment to ourselves, like “I’m a perfectionist”. You can read the text of this podcast on Shaney Crawford dotcom: Perfectionism: Superpower or Character Flaw?

For the last year, I have been waking up early, well before the time I need to leave for work. This may not seem like a very big deal, but for me, it is. You can read the text of this podcast on Shaney Crawford dotcom: Can a night person become a morning person?