End of the Year Review

Well, it's the end of another school year. And once again I've been atrocious at keeping up with my blog posts.

For me, the approach of May is usually an opportunity for me to look back on the school year and reflect on what went well and what didn't. Sometimes it's easy to get bogged down focusing on what didn't work. It's easy to be overly critical of ourselves. We're supposed to demand perfection, aren't we? But at the same time, if you don't acknowledge the progress you're making, then it becomes tough to motivate yourself to move forward.

I think this can be true in a lot of areas of life, not just in work. It's true in athletics and physical fitness. How can you push yourself to run a faster mile time without celebrating your previous milestones? Or in marriage. How can you feel like you're being a better spouse without looking back and laughing at just how clueless you were in your first year? Or even your relationships with siblings, parents, friends, or even God. Wherever there is growth, there is an opportunity to celebrate steps in a journey.

Yesterday Christina and I got to celebrate yet another step in a journey. Ellery ate cereal for the first time. It's another step that not only marks the beginning of her use of real food, but also marks the progress and growth she's made since the day she was born.

Graduation is approaching for a lot of our seniors. Many of them will celebrate it as the end of a phase of their life. But maybe they should be celebrating the progress they've made and will continue to make.  The majority of our seniors (not all, but the majority) are very different people than they were when they were freshmen. Their knowledge has increased. Their writing skills have increased. Their social skills have increased. It's a time to reflect on all the things they've accomplished and all the things yet to come.

Because here's the truth: You're going to continue growing. You're going to continue learning. Four years from now you may look at the person you are today and roll your eyes and grimace. You might look at the person you are right now with jealousy or even disdain because things will be more challenging in the future. The only thing for certain is that the person you will be four years from now will not feel like they are looking into a mirror when they look at you.

Change happens. And that's reason to celebrate.