How often do you reflect on your teaching and students’ learning? Do you ever unfairly critique yourself? When was the last time you celebrated your ELT life?

Each of these questions relates to the third phase in the Plan, Do, Thrive Process, which I’m talking about in this episode.

We often think of thriving as being successful. While success is definitely part of it, thriving doesn’t necessarily mean everything is perfect or that an end goal has been met. Thriving means you're in the act of growing and developing.

Here are the three actions you need to take to thrive:

1. reflect,
2. forgive yourself, and
3. celebrate the wins.

There are many different ways to reflect, each one taking a different amount of time and having a specific purpose; all of them are valuable. You should choose the methods that fit your schedule and match your personality and goal.

If you find yourself critiquing what you said or did in class -- or what you didn’t say or do -- you’re not alone. And if you ever feel guilty for not meeting your own expectations for serving your students, I know of many other instructors, including myself, who deal with that feeling right alongside you. Making the effort to forgive yourself is one step toward thriving.

And while you may think you’re too busy to stop and have a party, celebrating your wins is just as important as the first two actions!

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