After the New Year came and went, I found my resolutions were not concrete. I knew I wanted to focus on being a humble leader (professionally and as a disciple of Christ) one who would truly help others see their potential, discover their passions, and live fully - not trapped in anxieties and compliance - but empowered by the Spirit in all we do.
What do I need to change in my life to better achieve this? For me, the answer was focusing on relationships and truly listening, but how could I make this goal more real and measurable?
One thing I hear teachers say over and over is that there is just not enough time to fit it all in. One night when all the kiddos were in bed, I decided to spend some time simply searching…not my interior self…but the internet. I came across Pareto’s Principle.
While this principle is applied mostly in the business world, it got me thinking about applying it in other disciplines. Here is a basic summary from a Forbes article applying this principle to financial decisions we make:
“Vilfredo Federico Damaso Pareto was born in Italy in 1848. He would go on to become an important philosopher and economist.
Legend has it that one day he noticed that 20% of the pea plants in his garden generated 80% of the healthy pea pods. This observation caused him to think about uneven distribution.
He thought about wealth and discovered that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by just 20% of the population. He investigated different industries and found that 80% of production typically came from just 20% of the companies.
The generalization became: 80% of results will come from just 20% of the action.”
After applying this principle to daily aspect of living… For example, you probably wear 20% of your shoes 80% of the time. Or, you rely on the same 20% of the grocery store to satisfy 80% of your needs. Or let’s get very real - it is the same 20% of parents volunteering for PTO or church volunteers in stewardship roles.
I, of course, am not the first educator who came across this principle. But, I did start talking to my teachers about their 80/20.
What do you invest your time and energy in that you think has the greatest impact on students? If you were to narrow it down to 20% of your day or your focus is meeting 80% of your kids needs - what would it be? On the other side of the coin, what energy traps do you find yourself in?
The results in my school were amazing as I went around teacher to teacher to discuss this concept. Building relationships and small group instruction time were repeated over and over again.
Relationships.
This blog started in an attempt to foster healthy relationships with each other especially through the challenges of change and having a growth mindset in our relationships. Of course, the most important relationship is with God as we strive to be holy people that truly hear His will and pursue it, despite failures and setbacks.
So, as Christians, let’s take the 80/20 rule and apply it to our personal relationship with God. For each person this will be different. For example, if you are a Catholic reader, we know that full participation in the sacraments is probably at the top of the list.
I cannot count how many times I’ve looked back on my week and wondered where the graces came from to meet the challenges…I know deep in my heart that the graces have come from receiving Eucharist on Sunday - even if I myself was distracted by a toddler in a meltdown or my own thoughts. God’s grace works through our human weakness.
I often have to make choices about quiet time - being a mom of 3 children and a principal of over 700 - time alone with God is rare. I have to wake up very, very early to get my daily regiment of prayers and scripture in…or to journal, blog, exercise, read. There are many days that my little slice of time gets interrupted by a tiny person who can’t sleep or heard me shuffling around and wants to cuddle because they woke up and are scared.
In these moments, my prayer is the deepest even if I am not reading scripture… I am living it. I hold the child in my arms trying desperately to wish away thoughts of aggravation because there is so much I wanted to do with my teeny tiny moment of quiet. Instead, I try to be mindful and present in the amazing gift of life.
I feel a little foot pressed against mine and I ask God to hold me in the same way all day despite the unexpected challenges I might face. I ask Him to guard my decisions. Just as my little one trusts that I will not leave him in the midst of his fears of the dark, I ask God not to abandon me in the unknown.
I think God and the saints agree these moments are part of my 80/20 …living them fully is best gift I can give Him.
