The Worst Advice You'll Hear This Month
February's loudest advice is "just push through." It's also the worst. Here's a 2,000-year-old Stoic framework for choosing where your limited energy actually belongs.
Here's a quote, a resource, a book, and an affirmation to help power you through the rest of the week.
QUOTE
"You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." — Marcus Aurelius
RESOURCE
The February Lie: Why "Push Through" Is the Worst Advice You'll Get This Month
Somebody's going to say it to you this week. Maybe they already have. A colleague in the hallway, an admin in a meeting, a motivational poster nobody asked for. Some version of: "We're almost there. Just push through."
Push through to what, exactly?
Spring break is still weeks away. Testing season is right behind it. There's no finish line — just the next Monday, and the one after that, and somewhere in there you're supposed to find the energy to keep being excellent at a job that keeps taking more than it gives back.
The lie isn't that February is hard. It is. The lie is that the only response to hard is harder. Grit your teeth, put your head down, just survive it. And it sounds right because nobody's ever offered you a different option.
The Stoics had one. It's 2,000 years old and still more useful than anything in your last PD session.
Epictetus taught what he called the Dichotomy of Control — some things are within your power and some things aren't. The suffering comes from pouring energy into the second category while ignoring the first. And February? February is full of things you can't control. The calendar. The weather. The testing schedule. The fact that nobody has had a real break since December.
Pushing through all of that isn't strength. It's just expensive.
Try this. Grab a piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle. Left side: "Can't Control." Right side: "Can Control." Fill it in honestly. The left side will be long — that's the point. The right side might only have three or four things. But those three or four things? That's where your energy actually belongs.
You can't control that February exists. You can control whether you answer that email at 9 PM tonight.
You can't control the testing schedule. You can control whether you eat lunch sitting down tomorrow.
You can't control the culture of "push through." You can control whether you believe it.
Sometimes the strongest thing you can do isn't pushing harder. It's choosing — deliberately, honestly — where the limited energy you have left actually goes.
That's not giving up. Epictetus was teaching this to his students two thousand years ago. Some things don't expire.
Read more: "What Is Stoicism? A Definition & 9 Stoic Exercises To Get You Started" — Daily Stoic
BOOK
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman - 366 days of Stoic meditations — one page per day, each short enough to read during your planning period. (Or what's left of it.) Holiday translates Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca into language that actually lands in a modern life. If the Dichotomy of Control idea resonated with you, this book will give you a daily practice for it. No fluff. No hustle culture. Just ancient wisdom that still works. 👉 Get it on Amazon | Teacher Reset Book Recommendations
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WORTH YOUR TIME
🎙️ "What 33 Years in the Same Classroom Taught Me About Staying" — My conversation with Dan Tricarico, The Zen Teacher. 33 years, same classroom, same four walls. What he figured out about subtraction and survival.
✍️ "Emotional Labor in Teaching: The Science Behind Your Exhaustion" — Why you're wiped by 7pm on a Tuesday. The science of invisible work — and what to do about it.
📖 "3 Ways to Set Boundaries to Protect Your Time and Energy" — Edutopia on the Eisenhower Matrix, saying no, and why caring without boundaries isn't sustainable.
AFFIRMATION
I don't have to push through everything. I get to choose where my energy goes.
TEACHER COMMUTER PLAYLIST
It's back. Each week in the Lounge, we keep adding to the playlist. Songs that lift our mood on the way to work. This week's recommendation comes from Sarah.
P.S. Something new. I just launched The STRONG Teacher Core — a paid membership that bundles premium newsletter content with full access to The STRONG Teacher's Lounge. Monthly deep dives, seasonal survival guides, the complete course library, and a community of teachers building sustainable practices together. $79/year — less than a single PD workshop, and a lot more useful in February. Learn more here.
Strong Teacher Pep Talk Playlist
