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I started out by asking the crowd of 63 graduates and their guardians to raise their hands if they thought that it was difficult to get good grades or a good job. Most of the graduates raised their hands. Then I asked them if they thought that it was hard to make a lot of money. Once again, virtually all of the graduates-and their parents raised their hands. Next, I asked them to raise their hands if they believed they could be, do, and have any and everything they wanted in life.

I have to admit, it shocked me to see all of the graduates’ hands go up again. That’s when it dawned on me that many of us are on both sides of the box (inside and outside) when it comes to what we truly believe to be true about our place in the world and what we are capable of doing. How could these children, so bright and full of potential, believe that on one hand they are limited in their abilities, and then on the other hand believe that everything is open to them? Sounds like a recipe for confusion.

So, what does living on both sides of the box do to your students, or even to you? What it does is this: It causes you to become totally and unbelievably frustrated in your life when you feel like you’ve been hoping and praying for certain results, only to feel like your prayers are sitting on the back burner. Some of us then decide that maybe a higher power has another plan for us. Others of us just shrug our shoulders and forget the true power that we have to create exactly what we want in our lives!

Well, I have news for you. As I told those graduates the other day, your higher power created an intelligent universe that acts as a very real mirror in response to your thoughts and beliefs. To put it simply, whether you believe you can, or you believe you can’t, you are right. In my experience, your higher power does not make decisions on whether or not to grant you your most treasured wishes. When you ask, it is ALWAYS given. It is up to you to let it in!

Now, you might be wondering how you let what you want in, or how to help your children to get what they really want, too. Well, the first place to start is by thinking outside of the box. Do not allow others to feed you your beliefs on any subject, especially when those beliefs teach you that you are limited in any way. You must understand your own power and your ability to create whatever you believe. That is why it is so important to pay close attention to what you choose to be true in your life.

The last thing is to realize that every word, every thought, and every emotion is like a wish from Aladdin’s lamp, and you WILL experience the results in your life. Once you are clear on what you want, you must stay in line with that train of thought and look for evidence that it is true. That means if you want a respectful class that wants to learn, don’t complain about how bad they are and how much work they don’t complete! That means you are mixing your signals. What you want is already there waiting for you, and now here you are asking for more of what already is. Which one is it?

Make a commitment to stand outside the box, because your potential has no limits and cannot be contained. When you get this right, everything you and your students could ever desire whether in classroom or life will be right there, and you will know that you have completely blown the lid off your box!

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Discussion for:
Coaching the Urban Educator- What Side of the Box are YOU On?
Kioni Carter (February 2009 Gazette)

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