Today's guest post is brought to you by the author of three DBC, Inc. books, Allyson Apsey!

You don't want to miss this!

Guest Post by Allyson

When embracing a trauma-informed approach with students, teachers ask, “But, how can I know if a student has experienced trauma? I won’t always know what they have been through.”

This statement is true, rarely will we know the full extent of someone’s experiences. That is okay, because what we do know is that everyone deserves grace. Everyone deserves an opportunity to grow and learn without the fear of judgement. We all deserve to be handled with care.

Life is hard on its own. For our students, for our colleagues, for families, for ourselves. We have a beautiful opportunity every day to lessen the loads of others. Yet, often we inadvertently contribute to the weight on each other’s shoulders through judgement, complaining, or being grumpy. We all want the best for one another, but how can we make that happen in our day-to-day lives?

I was honored to write Through the Lens of Serendipity and present research, thought-provoking ideas, and strategies in a story format, designed to help readers reflect. I love this quote by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, “Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror.” This is the beauty and power of Dave Burgess Consulting books, and helps explain their popularity; educators can step through the window to become part of the book and see themselves reflected in the pages.

Through the Lens of Serendipity offers a window into our day-to-day world and peels back the curtain so we can understand what might be behind the smile or the grimace of someone we encounter. It offers an angle we can’t always see in our interactions with each other. The book then invites you through the window to relate your own stories and experiences to the research, ideas, and stories presented in the book. Through this process, the book becomes a mirror where we self-evaluate, set goals, and ultimately begin to see the world through a different lens--a trauma-informed lens that helps us lead with grace and hopeful curiosity.

As a teacher, it is hard to know how to support students, colleagues, and families--especially those who frustrate us the most. This book is for you, and for you to circulate among your colleagues. And, give to your sister who is a nurse because she often comes home from work frustrated, wanting to help others discover the best in themselves but unsure how. And, to share with your neighbor who is constantly gossiping about the families around the neighborhood. And to your brother, or to your friends, or to your daughter about to enter college.

As a principal, often teachers behave differently when you are around, which makes it challenging to coach individual teachers to give grace and lead with hopeful curiosity. You want to guide your staff to become trauma-informed AND to support each other in positive ways. This book is for you and your staff. If you choose Through the Lens of Serendipity for a book study, please contact me for swag, for resources, and to set up a video conference. I LOVE connecting with educators around the world!

As a person who really wants to see the good in everyone around you but can’t quite get there, this book is for you. I would love to support you on your journey--feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (@AllysonApsey), use the hashtag #SerendipityEDU, or email me at AllysonApsey@gmail.com.

Through the Lens of Serendipity is an entertaining and easy read, but filled with important and serious lessons. It can be best summed up with the eight goals of the book:

• Know that there is always more to someone’s story than what meets the eye.
• Review (or learn about) Glasser’s five basic needs and expand on that learning by understanding how to change how we are thinking and feeling.
• Understand that looking for the good in all people benefits more than just the people around you—it benefits you as well.
• Begin to understand how our brains work and why someone might choose fight, flight, or freeze over pausing and problem-solving.
• Understand what trauma is and that the same compassion and supports that those who have been affected by trauma need benefit all people.
• Know that others’ past experiences change their view on the world, their perceptions of others, and motivate their own self-preserving behaviors. And our own past experiences change our view of the world.
• Understand that we impact each other with our behavior, and this impact can be negative or positive.
• Passionately believe that in order to support everyone, we have to HANDLE each other with care.

Hope is everything.

Assure safety.

No shoulda’ needed.

Do things differently.

Listen to understand.

Establish trust.

I cannot thank you enough for joining me on this journey to not only become the best versions of ourselves, but to also help others discover the best in themselves. The world is a better place because of YOU!

Thank you, Allyson!

If you'd like to check out the first few chapters of Through the Lens of Serendipity click the link below and scroll down to "Free Preview." You might also want to check out Allyson's two other books, Path to Serendipity and the Princes of Serendip.

Also, be sure to follow Allyson on Twitter @AllysonApsey and her website allysonapsey.com .