#ONEWISH

Posted on February 11, 2018

I wonder, if you had #OneWish what would it be?

I know, some of you might not believe in wishes. I mean the magic of Christmas is a couple of months behind us, and the lure of St. Paty’s day is still around the corner, and we are a few days from the hunt of Cupid’s bow, yet, each day, I believe that we can make our own magic. I also believe that magic has the power to initiate thoughts, dreams, inspiration, and that we must have personal wishes that lead to hope, more thought, ideas, and actions.

So, this morning, I ask you, what is your #onewish?

Here’s my #onewish: For each child to be provided an environment where they can grow in peace, be engaged, be supported, be empowered, allowed to innovate, create, and develop the #resilience skills to become the persons they choose to be, who in turn, will place the needs of those in their world above themselves.

Some might say, this type of pie in the sky wish is simply unattainable, yet, I state again, that I believe we must have wishes, which lead to hope, which leads to more thought, dreams, inspiration, ideas, action. Then, once we allow these wishes to percolate to cogitate in our brains, hearts, souls, and minds, the potential for a new way, system, paradigm and an improved world becomes closer!

I do hope that you never give on #wishing, that you plan for it, and that place some passion behind your wishes to empower yourself in your world. Please let me know what your #Onewish is and how you are trying to make it happen.

#ACSAPowerfulTogether #VOTESuperRob4VP #ACSABuildsLeaders

Dr. Rob Martinez is known as @ResiliencyGuy. He often speaks on issues of #resiliency development and is the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources. He is currently running for the Vice President position for the Association of California School Administrators #ACSA

Do you see your shadow?

Posted on February 3, 2018

Did you see your shadow? Are you hiding in the shadows? Have you found your spotlight? Will you share your light with those around you?

Questions, questions, questions, all about ourselves.

Are you happy with your answers?

Often enough we move from moment to moment, day to day, etc., and we do not stop and consider what we have either accomplished during our moments and days, or if we are actually being successful. We might either be resting in our own shadow, comfortable and calm, or we might be dancing in the sunlight ready to move forward. For each person the choice to hide in the shadows or dance in the light is personal, yet, if we become too comfortable in one location we just may fail to gain the perspective from another view. Strive to see yourself and others from multiple perspectives.

Try to appreciate the coolness in the shadows, while also recognizing the warmth from standing in the light. Learn to move back and forth between the shadows and light, while allowing those around you to shine, and rest as needed. It’s knowing that the flexibility inherent in being a human adds to the greater mastery called life. Peace!

Dr. Rob Martinez often writes on issues of #Resilience and is becoming well known as @ResiliencyGuy on twitter!

Powerful Together

Posted on October 12, 2017

“Powerful Together”

As I sit for a moment and allow my thoughts to calm, focus, and reflect, I was struck when I thought about the synergy of energy that occurs when people work together. It could be two people, a handful, or even 18,000 strong, and what happens is that the pure energy that can be created by one person is multiplied many times over, when two of more connect. I see this as being #PowerfulTogether.

Several times in my life I had the opportunity to work side-by-side with my father. It might have been in the garage, the backyard, at his work-site, or even washing the cars, and each time we worked together he guided me, he taught me, he explained to me, and he listened to me. In those moments, I was learning, growing, and developing and becoming more “Powerful.” Each moment, each lesson, each caring minute was empowering to me, and I can see now that in those moments, my father was also becoming “Powerful” as a man, a role model, a teacher, a guide, and a caring compassionate individual.

At other times in my life, I have worked with groups of people focused on many shared missions. Whether it was through Site Council at our children’s school, little league, youth soccer, and even my college fraternity. Or, in professional orgnizaions such as the Association of California School Administrators, our ACSA Solano Charter, my school district’s Cabinet Leadershp Team. In each of these groups, the ideas that were Crete by the group process could never have come forward from one mind. The “Power” in these moments is palpable. For each person involved in such an endeavor there is an art form that occurs. The skills of communication, perspective building, creating, being innovative and building true actionable strategies to get the mission accomplished are all enhanced when we work with others.

This morning, I have been nominated for the Vice President position for the Association of California School Administrators, an organization of 18,000 plus school administrators and leaders, who are focused on supporting each of our 6.5 million public education students in the state. I believe that our inclusive members are truly #POWERFULTOGETHER!

I am humbled by this nomination, and excited about the opportunity to work with each of our members to build leaders, to share experiences, to become more powerful, in the way my father became powerful, by working with me hand-in-hand. I envision that each member with whom I can connect through this process I can learn from, and I hope to be able to serve them in some way. If you are an #ACSA member, that’s great, and please consider telling your Region leadership to consider my candidacy. If you are simply looking to grow and evolve, to develop and learn, to increase your personal power, then I tell you to become a part of a group, work with people, build your skills, and in turn, you will build them. It is in our hands, we simply need to act and connect. #PowerfulTogether.

Dr. Rob Martinez, AKA @ResiliencyGuy is the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, currently a Board of Director for Region 4 for ACSA, and is running for the Vice President position for ACSA. “Let the life we help others live be the measure of our success.”( Martinez, 2013)

#TRANSFORMATIONAL #RESILIENCE AND YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Posted on February 27, 2017

Tonight I had the privilege of presenting the concepts of #Transformational #Resilience to my  colleagues from  #ACSARegion17 Association of California School Administrators in Anaheim. Each time I have the opportunity to share my ideas, thoughts, concept, and perceptions on #resilience development I learn something new about myself, my thinking, my beliefs, and I try to share the ideas and concepts that are swirling around in my mind in a coherent manner so that those that have committed some time to come and hear me receive a benefit that they might not have otherwise have received.

The attendees tonight included teachers, site administrators, budding administrators, educators of all kinds, who at their hearts care about children. In my talks I often share a bit about myself, my early development, some of the trauma that affected me in my early development, and how the process evolved to allow me to face the many early adversities that I endured to become the educator that I am. I then go through a process that seeks to allow the participants to reflect on their personal development. I ask questions about their stories, their families, their teachers, their experience, as a way to assist them in connecting with some of their personal stories that are meaningful to them, and to some of the stories that they might have forgotten about themselves.

I think that for educators to advance their knowledge and understanding of #resilience for others they must first think about the ways in which they themselves have been resilient. Yes, sometimes I believe that people forget. They forget the adversities that they have endured. They forget the hardships that they have been through. They forget their personal development, and what has brought them to this moment, and I believe that as they remember they actually become more able to be able to #connet with their students, their teachers, their staffs, and those that they work with on a daily basis. The process is easy for some, and more difficult for others. I think it has to do with several factors. 

If we suppress some of the difficulties that we have endured as children it is more difficult to call those incidents to mind. If that trauma, adversity, or hardship was never really dealt with it might also be difficult to manage years later. This is absolutely normal as our brains seek to protect ourselves from these difficult times, and yet, if we don’t remember, I think that we might not be as attuned to ourselves as we need to be to be able to then consider how our children may be suffering in silence. Tonight a few folks assisted me in a simple rope trick to test their #resilience, and they struggled to be free. Like these simple ropes trauma ca bind children’s mins, and stifle their resilience. 

I believe that when we are better able to consider our personal development, when we are able to recognize what and how we have overcome our adversities, our personal #resilience becomes more real in our minds, and I believe we, as educators who care for children, are then in a better place to support these children. One day, I hope to show you the secret to the ropes, and ease your mind.

Each child, each moment, each opportunity, each #asset that we can impart to our children, each collaborative moment that we can build together – yes, it all matters! I believe that each one of the attendees tonight is a special individual. I believe that each person who attended tonight’s presentation is on a unique personal journey towards educating children, the adults in those children’s lives, and each other. I believe that you, if you have taken the time to read this blog post is also special and unique, and I hope that you consider just how special you are, and that you also consider how important it is for you to work to build environments where all of our children can grow in peace.  

Tonight I’ll close this blog with this quote: “Let the life we help our children live be the measure of our success.” I’ve said this many times, and tonight one of the attendees shared that this really impacted her thinking. I was humbled.  

In these times others will seek to tell us if we are effective or not, and yet, it is our hearts, our minds, our souls that will truly tell us if we are being effective in the work we do that seek sto engage others in building support for al of the children in our lives.

Dr. Rob Martinez, AKA @ResiliencyGuy is the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, and co-moderates #Resiliencechat on Monday nights on #Twitter. He is passionate about building opportunities for children to develop #reilince skills, and is working on his book #TransformationalResilience.