3 Mottos
At ISL Qatar, we have 3 Motto`s to help us adapt to the “New Normal”
Can you remember a time when you fell? Like your mom telling you how many times you stumbled when you took your first steps or falling off your bicycle for the 10th time, falling down the stairs or losing your grip on the monkey bars and falling into the sand. There may have even been a time when you forgot your words during a class presentation or even failing your Maths exam! Come to think of it, the list of you falling, failing and fumbling can go on forever! That's life, right? We are never always happy, nor are we always sad. There are good days and then of course also bad days, but somehow it all comes together in this beautiful thing we call LIFE!
Let's take a moment to think about a Butterfly. We all want to be like the butterfly, but do we really want to go through the process that it takes to become one? Try to think about all the changes it needs to go through in its life to become a pretty butterfly? Tons right! Without the struggle, the butterfly would never, ever fly.
A caterpillar starts its life tiny, fragile, vulnerable and of course, hungry! They must eat, A LOT so their body can be strong enough to embrace the change that awaits them. They then seem to hide from the world for a while in their cocoon. Even though the caterpillar is uncomfortable, he remains optimistic and flexible. He starts to push and shove until he breaks free, and from isolation, life emerges strong and beautiful…a butterfly.
The story of the tiny caterpillar changing, growing and becoming a butterfly relates to our lives, right now and in fact all the time. There has been and will always continue to be, things or events that we cannot control, things that will bring us worry and make us feel uncomfortable, but there will also be times when things make sense, and everything is good again. Ever since the Pandemic started, our lives have been turned inside out and upside down. We had to practice being flexible and re-learning what we thought was normal. Initially, the change was overwhelming, but we had to embrace it as we had no other choice. Working together and staying connected to our family, friends and teachers was and is the new norm. Yes, it has indeed been challenging, and with it came a range of different emotions and feelings. We may have felt fear, worry and confusion. Panic even? Uncertainty and frustration! Maybe… even a little anger?! But we've also found that living this way can be fun, interesting, challenging, busy and exciting! We're spending more time with our loved ones than ever before, we're getting creative in the kitchen, and we're learning in a whole new way, online! In more than one way, we are just like tiny caterpillars, growing, evolving and changing (even though it is hard at the best of times) to become colourful, beautiful butterflies!
What it all bubbles down to is this one thing, RESILIENCE. Resilience means we stay optimistic when things become challenging and, we`re flexible enough to embrace change when needed. We bounce back. We push forward. We try and try again and again. We keep going... But most importantly, we NEVER GIVE UP! So instead of saying, `oh gosh, what now…`, we should strive for, `oh gosh, what`s next!
In line with the story above, the 3 motto`s that ISL Qatar follow are:
1. Embrace CHANGE
2. Maintain OPTIMISM
3. Practice FLEXIBILITY
In writing this article, I was inspired by these 3 books listed below. Have a read through them and see if they inspire you as much as they did me.
- The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
- Resilience by Jayneen Sanders
