Newberg NationThoughts…

~Principal Risen

Change is an interesting thing, isn’t it? Life, in its own right, is truly about change! Whether the changing of the seasons, the changing phases of our lives as

we grow, or choosing to make personal change, our lives are full of so many choices and seemingly endless change at times.

Perhaps this is why we are naturally skeptical when it comes to change. We innately fear change while also looking at change as something that will demand more mental, physical or emotional effort from us. I can certainly attest to this having lost nearly 50 pounds over the past few months! It is so difficult to change!

As you know Tigers NHS has been through a profound change over the past twelve months and more changes are yet to come, as alluded to in the opening article of this week’s newsletter. So how do we go about creating a mindset that all change is not bad and that some change might actually be beneficial? For it is not the actual change we fear, it is impact the change may have upon us, how it impacts our world as we know it, and the effort it will take for us to adapt to the change that actually cause us stress.

What has helped me in developing an optimistic mindset about change is developing and maintaining my own philosophy about change, a worldview that includes accepting the idea that change is inevitable in our lives and that if I spend my energy figuring out how to embrace the change and unlock how it can potentially be a positive impact on my life, then I can quickly move forward and find the silver linings most often affiliated with any change.

Frankly, it is developing this mindset that can truly guide us through moments of change in our lives, regardless of how big, or small, the change is. Another strategy many employ in developing a change mindset is to approach change as inevitable. Think about it, don’t we all change over time? Don’t we all want to continue improving our lives day after day, year after year? Is this not part of the American Dream? Is change not the very rationale for education, as the more we learn the more change/impact we can have on our own lives?

As the first quote below states if we want Newberg Nation to be the best school and community in the state of Oregon, or perhaps the United States, then we must embrace a change philosophy and reach, grab, stretch, pull and change in ways we never have in order to have that! We must seek to continuously improve and in so doing know that we are building something beyond belief, larger than ourselves, our lives, and that we are not only a part of creating this amazing school and community, we are building it for both the now, and for our future. But we simply cannot do this unless we are willing to change.

Socrates certainly developed a change mindset some 2,400 years ago when he talked about focusing our energies on building the new! With that spirit in mind I challenge all of us here in Newberg Nation to focus, and in so focusing help us with ideas, suggestions, recommendations, innovations, creations, visions, dreams, hopes, aspirations and effort in making Newberg Nation the best community, school and district in the nation! Yes, I said the “NATION!”

I believe we have the potential to be the best school, district and community in the nation as measured against any standard anyone wants to apply! But to aspire to this we will have to dream, change, and focus on the idea that if we “want something we have never had” we will have to “do something we have never done!”

Keep Flying Tigers, we are just beginning to lift off to new heights!

Flying Tigers…

“If you want something you have never had,
then you’ve got to do something you’ve never done!”

~ Unknown

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new!”

~ Socrates