I am going to have fun every day – if I am not having fun I will change something.’
One of the challenges of working with children and young people is how to motivate them, build their awareness and appreciation of their special talents and skills. In an era where everything around us is ‘fast track’ and we are continually bombarded by images of highly successful people, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking ‘What can I do? What do I have to offer.’

The students at my school were fortunate this year in being exposed to the philosophy and inspiration of Vicki Hannah Lein when she spent a few days with them prior to presenting at the Association of International Schools in Africa annual conference in Addis Ababa. Vicki is an award-winning counselor, singer/songwriter, international keynote speaker, author, teacher trainer, and comedienne who delights in traveling all over the world inviting people to come out and play with possibility. Through her singing and speaking she inspires her audiences to find magic, humor, and perspective in the adversities of everyday living. Legally blind herself, Vicki's compassion, enthusiasm and willingness to embrace life emboldens all of us in the "human club." “We all have genius in us, “she says. “If we learn to trust the gentle inklings and nudges that are leading us to creativity, then our homes and careers can be transformed.”

Three nuggets of Vicki’s wisdom that are basic common sense; things that we are all aware of but need constant reminding of to be successful in life:

Persevere! If you practice something you get better at it

Conversely: if you don’t practice something, you get better at not doing it. ‘There are untapped resources in the human spirit and all we have to do is set an intention and then go for it, just keep at it. There is nothing else to do.’

Listen to your muse

Vicki puts this in a wonderful way for children; using puppets, she describes how we all have a dinosaur inside us who tells us that we are useless at doing something, can’t do it, shouldn’t try, will look silly etc. We also, however have a muse, which is the small brave voice saying ‘wouldn’t it be lovely to learn to dance/sing/take flying lessons (whatever your dream is)’ What she encourages children to do, is NOT listen to the dinosaur. She tells them ‘When I was writing my book my dinosaur kept saying select all and delete.’ ‘Say it out loud to your dinosaur -even if it just in your head. You are trying to squish my future and I am not going to let you!’

Use your sphere of influence ‘Here is what I do with that so I can get up in the morning: My being miserable doesn’t help anyone, the dinosaur wants to steal the spirit from you. Think: what can I do? I can listen, I can honour and have the guts to lean into it and do what I can. Since I started thinking like that, I have had so much more influence. We cant depend on politicians. We cant wait. Quit waiting for whoever it was to take care of whatever it was. We are so blessed that we can do so much with so little. My spare change can change some ones life and I don’t even notice it. Too many people don’t take advantage of it’. Vicki uses humour a lot in her work, but gives a conscious warning: ‘Humour shouldn’t validate negative things, I cant do that! Life is hysterically funny, of course, there is tragedy, there is also a lot of humour’ She recounts a recent experience, quite remarkable for someone who is legally blind;

‘Yesterday I went through the biggest rapids of my life. It’s a grade 5, humping and heaving and spitting and hissing. Afterwards they drop me off. I am supposed to climb up the banks of the river. I cant see the path. There are rocks, cows, dung. Pouring rain. I’m sliding down mud. The skies open. I am drenched.

It is funny!

This is drowned rat!

I’m wet so if I can see the cosmic joke I do better.’

Vicki believes that losing her sight changed her life. In the same year that her husband left her, she lost her job and her sight. She says it taught her to try something she had not had the faith to try before, and to see the world in a different way. ‘My life got so much better when I started hearing poems and songs everywhere’

A parent at our school greets Vicki and says, ‘Thank you so much for giving my kids these tools to help them deal with criticism and self doubt.’

It’s something for both educators and parents to muse on.

If interested, you can find out more about Vicki from her website:
www.stepintoyourgreatness.us