JumpStart Name Your Car Day (10/2/23)

It's also Custodian Day.  Last week we honored food service workers.  This week, let’s thank our custodians!  At one of the schools I used to work at, Mr. Hudson was way more to our community than someone who kept the place spotless.  He was a mentor to students, the girls’ basketball coach, and one of the nicest humans ever.  Who deserves a shoutout in your building?
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Do you name your car?  I do.  I have a red Subaru Forester named Merlin.  The car before that was a 2002 Honda Accord coup that my 4-year old named Gadget because it had power everything (…so it’s fitting that it’s now his car).

Quote:  "Pleasure is the lightheadedness you get from a bit of grain alcohol; enjoyment is the satisfaction of a good wine, properly understood."  -Arthur Brooks

This last week, I had the honor of watching Illinois State Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders’s conversation with author Simon Sinek.  Several interesting points were made (that may pop up in later newsletters), but one in particular caught my attention:  the difference between pleasure and enjoyment.

After digging into this difference a bit further, I found a couple interesting definitions:

Harvard Professor Arthur Brooks says pleasure happens to you; enjoyment is something that you create through your own effort.

Simon Sinek says that pleasure is personal; enjoyment is pleasure with another person.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi writes that pleasure is when we feel our biological needs are met within the context of our societal expectations.  Enjoyment comes when we go beyond meeting biological needs and push ourselves forward into the realm of novelty and accomplishment.

In my trainings, I’ve often said that in order to remain in your resilience zone, you should choose activities that are inside > out rather than outside > in, meaning that contentment and resilience after a long day come when you choose activities that involve part of your inner self, for example writing instead of reading.

I think it’s all along the same idea.

This week, try this: At the end of a long day, regain your equilibrium with another person or by engaging in an activity that will challenge you to grow.  You may not find immediate pleasure, but you’ll find the enjoyment afterglow will stick around longer than the hangover.

Educator Resource:  Positivity, Energy, & Purpose Conference (PEP Con)  Michael Bonner, Joe ‘Mr. D.’ Dombrowski, and Monica Genta all in one place.  FREE!  February 21, 2024 at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, IL.  8:30 am - 3:00 pm.  Lunch on your own, Funded by the ISBE SEL Hub #5.  Limit 300 people.

Dad Joke:  My principal asked me why I only get sick on school days.  Must be my weekend immune system.

October! I say that Fall is now officially here. Find some time to go outside and enjoy the cooler weather.

~Matt