Introduction

Here is the Crescendo Music Education Podcast – Episode 145.

This podcast is being recorded on the lands of the Turrbal people. I acknowledge them as the traditional owners of the land and pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging. They were the first music makers on this land.

About ‘Read the Episode’: Sometimes, we would rather skim visually than listen to a podcast! That’s a great way to learn too!
The transcript of episode 145 of The Crescendo Music Education Podcast is below.

Debbie O’Shea 

Hello. Debbie O’Shea here for the final quick solo episode where I’m talking about my favourite mindset shifts, my favourite sayings that have helped to inspire me and improve my practice and help me thrive, I guess. This one is moderation in all things and in all things moderation. The art of balance if you like. It’s a little bit extra special today because this was one of my father’s favourite mantras. It’s shaped the way that I approach both life and work. Oh, I’m not saying I always manage it, but it’s what I aim to do. I think it’s a very simple phrase, but it holds some deep wisdom. I think it particularly matters because we live in a world of extremes. There’s hustle culture, all or nothing, burnout. We hear phrases like this all the time for good reason. They’re happening all the time. This reminds us that balance is key in work, in play, in ambition, in rest. Hmm, I’m wondering if some of you are starting to think, oh, yeah, I’m not very good at moderation in all things.

Moderation In All Things

Debbie O’Shea 

Let’s have a look. Where does it come from? Okay? It echoes some ancient philosophy often attributed to Aristotle and his concept of the golden mean, meaning that virtue lies between excess and deficiency. So that’s quite a good concept really, that virtue lies between those two things, excess and deficiency. I like it. It’s been adapted across cultures. It appears in literature, religious teachings and even in modern self improvement. I read a lot of self improvement, self help type literature, so the concept of moderation and balance appears a lot.

So moderation in all things and in all things moderation. I just love the way Dad used to say it and I’m not sure where he got that exact phrase from and I can’t find an exact reference, so I’m just saying it’s Dad’s okay. I miss him, by the way. Anyway, let’s go back to today, talking about life and balance of life, because too much of a good thing can be harmful. Moderation isn’t about limiting yourself. It’s about sustainability, intentionality and control.

Sustainability, Intentionality, Control

Debbie O’Shea 

So let’s look at a few sort of examples. My dad believed that whether it’s work, whether it’s health, whether it’s fun, if we’re always working in extremes, things will fall apart. In moderation it’s not just about cutting back. It’s about knowing when enough is enough. So let’s look at work. I will put my hand up here and say, I don’t really think I’ve succeeded in moderation in all things when we look at work. I tend to go a little overboard, jump in a little too deep and lose that balance a bit. I’m the first one to admit that I am working on that.

You’ve got to know when to push in work and when to rest, to try to avoid burnout and to actually set boundaries. Oh, I shouldn’t laugh but I’m not very good at setting boundaries around my work. There seems to be a real move in education at the moment, certainly in teachers that I work with and meet with, there’s this big drive for the right to disconnect. Of course teachers should have the right to say I’m not answering emails at 11 o’clock at night from parents. Of course there are lines that we need to draw, but this right to disconnect has become a very big thing in education lately.

Many teachers I know are now going, I’m not taking work home.  I don’t know how I could possibly get my work done without taking it home, but that’s just a bit of a Debbie problem. I’ve admitted I am struggling with this. But there are ways to do that and there are people who are very successful in their teaching career, who don’t take work home, or who take limited work home. Like when we get to assessment time, when we get to reporting. But even that, reporting is so much quicker now the actual reporting process. I am so old that when I started reporting I hand wrote my 1000 students per week.

That’s for music, because I did have 1000 at one stage, per week. I hand wrote their reports, individual comments and it was inserted into their report card. Now I click a grade, an achievement rating, an effort rating and sometimes the school asks to just pop in a cut and paste comment. Other times not. So things are a little easier to navigate in some ways, so maybe we don’t have to take as much work home as we used to. I digress. We’ve got to really try to take less work home. But I think it’s very hard in a career like education.

Creativity And Passion

Debbie O’Shea 

Okay, let’s talk about creativity. Our passion can drive you. Oh, my goodness, I know about this, but obsessing over perfection can kill the joy. Allow yourself to create and produce something, but don’t obsess over its perfection. In health, goodness, crash diets, extreme workouts. Balance will always win. So you like to have a glass of wine. Another area I will admit that I struggle a little with because I love having a glass of wine. I love that it relaxes me a little. I love the taste and then I should stop. But then I’m like, Oh, just have another one. Moderation in all things and in all things moderation. In relationships, moderation, too much control, too little effort.

There is a balance in there. Moderation in your connection and your communication. It’s important. So excess is not the goal. Longevity is the goal. Balance doesn’t mean passive. It means being intentional. I really do think that you need to look at the demands at the time and your season of life. You can’t say moderation in looking after the children when they’re babies and they have to be fed and looked after. No, it’s not good balance I’m not going to bother doing that today. No, obviously there are seasons of life and there are times when you will have to give a lot more than you would if there was a good balance.

Debbie O’Shea 

But just keep in mind the moderation mantra. So perhaps you could ask yourself, Where am I pushing too hard, or where am I not pushing enough? Look at your work life balance and I do believe that doesn’t mean 50/50. It means you do what works for you in your situation. Look at your personal habits. Look at your emotional energy. Find the middle path. You need a path that’s sustainable but also fulfilling. You want to feed that passion and drive, but you don’t want to burn out in three days. So this phrase is useful when you’re maybe looking at making a career choice, knowing how much risk is too much risk. When you’re managing your energy, learning to pace yourself instead of sprinting and collapsing.

Setting Personal Goals

Debbie O’Shea 

I have so been guilty of this, by the way. When you set your own personal goals. So avoid that trap of all or nothing. Don’t think like that. It’s not all or nothing. Let’s start the pathway to your goals. Don’t go all or nothing. It does not apply to some things in life, such as kindness. Please don’t be moderate with your use of kindness. Use it all the time, integrity, honesty. You need these things all the time. Please do not apply my moderation in all things to kindness and honesty and integrity. Use them all the time and sometimes you could disguise your inaction as moderation, because there are times you need to go all in. There are times. All right, moderation in all things and in all things moderation. It isn’t about holding back. It’s about finding balance that lets you thrive long term.

Debbie O’Shea 

Wisdom that I learnt from my father and it’s something I strive to live by every day. I am not always successful, but I am trying. Where in life, do you need more balance do you think? Are you overworking or overthinking or overindulging? A little bit too much chocolate, perhaps? Or are you not pushing yourself in some areas? I would love you to come and connect with me on the socials, on Facebook, wherever. Send me an email info@crescendo.com.au and I would love to hear if this saying has resonated with you. This is the last in my little series of mindset shifts. I hope you’ve enjoyed the change of pace. I’ve really loved doing them. Next week, I am back to having a fabulous guest, tune in then. Bye.

Sign-Off

Thank you for joining me for this podcast. Don’t forget, you’ll find the show notes and transcript and all sorts of information on crescendo.com.au. If you’ve enjoyed the podcast or found it valuable, you might like to rate it on your podcast player and leave a review. I’d really appreciate it if you did. All I can be as the best version of me. All you can do is be the best you. Until next time, bye.

Just for Laughs

As we know, laughter relieves stress, don’t lose sight of the funny side of life.
You know that writing with a blunt pencil is really pointless.

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

📜 Crescendo Music Education Podcast | Episode 145

Where to find me:

• The Stalagmite Effect: How Small, Consistent Actions Build Extraordinary Lives by Debbie O’Shea https://www.balboapress.com/en-AU/bookstore/bookdetails/865572-the-stalagmite-effect
• Crescendo Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crescendocommunity
• Official Crescendo Page: https://www.facebook.com/CrescendoMusicEd/
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• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-o-shea-62a3741b/
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• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/crescendodebbie/