It is easy to get swept up in everything you have to do for your certification.
With laser focus, you can achieve everything you need and excel while doing it.
Unfortunately, you can also set yourself up for burnout.
While meeting your certification requirements is important, you also need to consider your own personal fulfilment and how you can balance everything in your life during this time.
Here are some ideas for how you can do that.
The Importance Of Creating Personal Fulfilment During Certification
What Is Personal Fulfilment?
Personal fulfilment refers to the deep sense of satisfaction, contentment, and happiness that you can get from achieving your goals, pursuing your passions, and living in alignment with your values and aspirations. Basically, it’s all the things that fill your cup.
Without personal fulfilment, it won’t take long for you to feel dissatisfied with what you are doing. It might even lead you to experiencing the exhausting state of burn out. But, the thing with personal fulfilment is that it’s a subjective and highly individualised concept. What brings fulfilment to one person may be different from what brings it to another.
So, it is vital that you find the things that give you joy and fulfilment as they could be completely different to what fulfils your friends, family, or colleagues.
The Importance of Personal Fulfilment
Putting a focus on personal fulfilment during your certification journey is crucial. That’s because it is closely tied to your job satisfaction. When you find personal fulfilment in your career, you’re more likely to enjoy your work as an ECE teacher. This can lead to a more positive and enriching experience for you and the children in your care too.
It can also help you to be more motivated and provide better education to the children. When you have the enthusiasm and passion for your profession, it has a direct impact on the learning and development of the kids at your centre.
And finally, the inquiries, assessments and practical experience requirements involved with provisional teaching can be demanding. Personal fulfilment can serve as a source of motivation and resilience, helping you overcome any challenges that arise and stay committed to your goals.
Creating Moments of Personal Fulfilment
Creating moments of personal fulfilment while undertaking your ECE teacher certification involves a combination of self-care, goal setting, and a positive mindset.
Here are some steps to help you on your journey:
- Discover Your Why: Define your goals and objectives for why you are taking this career path. Knowing why you are pursuing ECE will help to keep you motivated and focused.
- Create A Schedule: Establish a routine that helps you balance your certification requirements, teaching, and personal time. Consistency in your schedule will help you avoid burnout.
- Practice Self-Care: Prioritising self-care helps you to maintain your physical and mental wellbeing. At a basic level, this includes getting enough sleep, eating healthily, and engaging in regular exercise. But it is also about giving yourself permission to do the things you enjoy too. It could be getting a massage, reading a book, or spending time with friends.
- Stay Organised: Keeping track of your inquiry deadlines, teaching obligations, and family commitments can help you stay organised and reduce your stress levels. You can do it in whatever way you feel most comfortable – a paper planner or an online calendar.
- Seek Support: Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Connect with your mentor and the other teachers at your Centre, as well as your family and other key supporters. There are also external support sources like myself if you feel you need more help.
- Reflect On Your Progress: As you progress through your provisional teaching period, periodically reflect on all you have achieved and how far you have come. Celebrate your accomplishments and use any setbacks as opportunities for growth.
- Connect With The Children: Building positive relationships with the children at your Centre (and their families) can be incredibly rewarding. Engage in meaningful interactions and open communication to fill your cup.
- Practice Mindfulness: If you are receptive to these kinds of activities, incorporate mindfulness techniques, meditation, or yoga into your routine to assist with managing stress and maintaining a positive mindset.
- Keep A Journal: Journaling can be a great way to get the thoughts out of your head and onto the paper. It’s a safe and private space for self-reflection and expression. By writing, you can gain clarity on your thoughts, emotions, and goals, fostering a deeper understanding of yourself. A therapeutic outlet, you can facilitate a path towards greater fulfilment.
- Celebrate Milestones: Celebrating the wins keeps you focused and motivated to achieve more. So, when you finish an inquiry or reach a certain milestone, make sure you acknowledge and celebrate it!
- Maintain A Growth Mindset: There will be some speedbumps in your journey. Rather than letting them get you down, embrace challenges and setbacks as opportunities for learning development. A growth mindset can help you stay resilient and motivated.
- Give Back: Just because you are in a period of learning, it doesn’t mean you can’t still give back and share your knowledge where you can. There are heaps of ways you can do that too, like partaking in educative mentoring, volunteering your time or simply helping your colleagues puzzle out tough situations.
Connecting and Support
It’s important to remember that personal fulfilment is a unique journey, and what works best for you may vary. Regularly assess your needs and make adjustments as necessary to maintain a sense of balance and satisfaction throughout your ECE certification program.
This may involve seeking additional support and connecting with other provisional teachers on the same journey as you are. You can find that in the Roadmap to Success – a companion guide to help you and your mentor tackle the whole provisional teaching period effectively and with as little stress as possible!
The Roadmap can also give you access to other teachers at the same stage as you via a private Facebook group to connect and ask questions. Find out more about the Roadmap here. Check it out here: https://steppingforwardtosuccess.co.nz/roadmap-navigating-ece-provisional-teaching/
Click here to read more about the Roadmap or click here to purchase the Roadmap to Certification e-book for Provisional Certified Teachers. Alternatively, if you are wanting to learn more about my packages, reach out today.
Useful links:
My Website