by Gilda Bonanno LLC
For many in my state of Connecticut, this week marks the first day of a new school year. I love this time of year and fondly remember my own back-to-school days (though back in my day, school started after the Labor Day holiday).
I loved the smell of new pencils, the feel of fresh notebooks, the exciting potential of what we were going to learn and seeing my friends again after what felt like a long time - because summer seemed to stretch for so many days that I filled with reading, ice cream and play (and we didn't have cell phones or social media to keep in touch constantly)!
While out running errands, I met three little girls:
Liliana, Annabella and her older sister, who are getting ready to start 1st,
4th and 5th grades tomorrow. They were so excited about the first day of
school and their enthusiasm was contagious. Even Liliana's little
brother, Daniel, who is too young for kindergarten, shared their excitement.
Annabella was delighted to practice the Italian she was learning with me
and she said she was too excited to even sleep tonight!
It is such a contrast from how most of us adults approach learning
something new or even the start of a new workday.
Somewhere along the way, many of us lose our optimism and
excitement about learning and even our enthusiasm and joy about life in
general.
Watching children can remind us of that excitement and challenge
us to recommit ourselves to lifelong learning and to living joyfully.
To all the children starting school, I wish you success and
happiness so you can have fun and learn all that you can. (And a big thank you
to the teachers who make such a positive difference in so many lives!)
And to all of the adults, what are you looking forward to learning
this year? How can you live with more joy and enthusiasm, despite whatever
challenges life has thrown at you?
© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 1.5 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com