JumpStart National Coffee Day (9/29/25)

QUOTE:  "Remember, no one make you feel lousy.  You do that brilliantly all by yourself." (Peter Crone)

As educators, we’re well acquainted with challenges: lesson plans that fall flat, students who resist engagement, parents who worry, and the persistent feeling that if we could just get everything right, the classroom would flourish. Acclaimed coach and “Mind Architect” Peter Crone offers a liberating shift in perspective: you are not your problems.

Crone invites us to see problems not as truths but as perceptions—stories we sometimes mistakenly weave into our identity. In his words, “It’s tempting and might seem logical to try to fix your ‘problem’, but this simply perpetuates your own belief that you have one.” Rather than attaching your identity to a conflict—“I am failing,” “I am overwhelmed,” “I am not creative enough”—Crone encourages noticing the struggle as a separate phenomenon, like graffiti on a wall, not the wall itself.

Imagine shifts like: I’m experiencing frustration with classroom management today rather than I am a bad teacher. By recognizing problems as temporary and external to your essence, you create room for clarity, compassion, and renewed purpose.

A fitting quote from Crone that resonates deeply with this mindset is: “You can allow everything and everybody to be exactly the way they are, and still be completely at peace.” For teachers, this approach cultivates a classroom environment rooted in acceptance—of students, colleagues, and oneself—without being defined by chaos, setbacks, or pressure.

If you're eager to explore more of Crone’s insights, one accessible resource is one of his  interviews on the Know Thyself podcast (one of my favorites!), where he elaborates on non-identification and guides listeners toward deeper awareness and freedom.

Practicing non-identification with problems frees you from seeing every challenge as a judgment on your worth or effectiveness. Instead, you learn to hold space for struggles and yourself simultaneously—with patience, awareness, and forward motion.

Teaching truly is a journey in infinite mindset. By embracing Crone’s wisdom—seeing thoughts and problems as passing phenomena—you step into each day with greater resilience, presence, and purpose.

This week, try this: Try doing this Problem as a Cloud exercise:

1. Daily Pause (3 minutes): At the end of each school day, pause in a quiet corner or before you head home.
   
   
2. Name the “Cloud”: Write down one recurring difficulty from your day—for example, a student’s resistance, an interrupted lesson, tech not working, feeling overwhelmed with grading.
   
   
3. Frame It as a Cloud: On your page, draw a small cloud around the description and beneath it jot: “I am not this cloud. I am the sky in which it floats.”
   
   
4. Detach and Observe: Take a deep breath, reflect for a moment, and notice your broader capacity—your purpose, values, and intention as a teacher—that remains steady regardless of the cloud’s presence.
   
   
5. Shift Your Story: Finally, write a simple statement reframing the day: “I witnessed the cloud of frustration today—and responded with care.”

Repeat this each afternoon. Over time, you’ll sense more mental calm and a stronger connection to your deeper self—not the day’s problems, but the abiding purpose behind your teaching.

DAD JOKE:  What has four wheels and flies?  A garbage truck.