The Morning That Re-centered Me

It was barely 7:00 a.m., and the building already felt awake.

Not rushed, not heavy, just alive. The lights were

on. Custodians and maintenance were finishing up the morning to-do list. A few students were moving through the hallway now that the first buses had arrived, quiet but hopeful, carrying backpacks and the possibilities of whatever the day would hold.

By the time I reached the school building, I had already responded to a late-night parent email, checked in with a counselor about a student, and looked ahead at a calendar that was already full. Meetings, conversations, decisions, all connected to people who matter.

My cell phone buzzed again before I reached my office. One of those messages that reminds you leadership is rarely neat or predictable, but it is always human.

I sat down for a moment, not to work, just to breathe. It was only 7:10 a.m.

I looked at my schedule and felt something familiar, not stress, not dread, purpose. The kind that reminds you this work matters because it touches lives.

Later that morning, in the space between a discipline conversation and a classroom walkthrough, a student I had checked on weeks earlier stopped me in the hallway. I remembered finding her just days before, sitting quietly in a booth in the passive commons, overwhelmed and in tears. This time, she smiled and said, “Dr. B…I’m doing better. Thanks for checking in on me.”

It was a small moment. But it didn’t just change my day, it changed my focus.

Because standing there in the hallway, I was reminded that the most important moments in leadership rarely show up on the calendar. They show up in people. And that is the work beneath the work.

Remembering Why We Said Yes

That reminder matters, especially in a profession where it’s easy to move from purpose to pace.

There is a moment every leader remembers.The moment you said “YES”.

Yes to the interview, yes to the responsibility, yes to the opportunity to serve as a school leader.

We did not say yes because it was easy.We said yes because it mattered.

We said yes for students who needed to be seen, supported, and believed in.We said yes for staff who needed trust, partnership, and advocacy.We said yes for communities who needed leadership grounded in care and conviction.

The work has always been demanding.

And it has always been meaningful.

That hasn’t changed.

What sometimes shifts is how closely we stay connected to our why. The work didn’t lose its purpose, sometimes we just move so fast we forget to pause long enough to feel it.

The Work Is Hard, and It Is Good

And when we remember why we chose this work, something important happens.

We stop seeing challenges as signs that something is wrong and start seeing them as evidence that the work matters.

Leadership asks a lot of us.

It asks us to think deeply, listen closely, and show up consistently.

It asks us to make decisions that shape culture and conversations that build trust.

Hard does not mean harmful.

Demanding does not mean draining.

When our work is rooted in purpose, it becomes sustainable.

The joy of leadership is not found in avoiding challenges.

It is found in knowing why the challenges are worth facing.

It lives in classrooms filled with learning.

It lives in hallway conversations.

It lives in growth we may never fully see, but know is happening because we showed up.

Purpose doesn’t remove the hard parts, it gives them context.

Joy Comes From Alignment

That context is what allows joy to exist alongside the hard parts.

Joy in leadership does not come from doing everything.

It comes from alignment.

From leading in a way that reflects who you are and why you lead.From saying yes to what matters most and releasing what doesn’t.From trusting that you do not have to carry everything alone.

Joy is not extra.

Joy is essential.

When leaders lead with clarity of purpose, schools thrive.

When leaders are grounded in their why, cultures grow stronger.

When leaders believe in the work, others believe too.

This profession deserves to be spoken about with pride. The work is meaningful. The

impact is real. And the “WHY” still matters.

Which brings me back to that quiet hallway moment, and maybe to one of yours.

Reflection

Before moving on, pause for a moment.

Sit with these questions.

1. Why did I say “yes” to leadership?

2. Where do I see my purpose showing up in my daily work?

3. What moments remind me that this work brings me joy?

This series is an invitation to reconnect, not because something is wrong, but because purpose deserves attention.

Leadership is challenging, yes.

But it is also hopeful, fulfilling, and deeply human.

And when we lead from our why, the work doesn’t just continue, it comes alive again.