I don’t know about you, but my world has been rocked over the past few weeks with the death of the Queen. Many, many wonderful things have been said about her and I honestly thought she would last forever! But looking past all the jewels and the pomp and the status, there are personal qualities that Elizabeth Windsor was famous for that we can learn a few things from.
Family was important
We all have families made up in a myriad of different ways. I often refer to Red Bird as a family because I think we look out for each other, encourage one another and support each other. Like a good family should. I’ve loved seeing her with her younger family members doing ordinary things in their extraordinary world. Here is a lovely clip.
She always turned up and worked hard
In her 89th year, in 2016, the Queen carried out 341 engagements. This was the year that she surpassed Queen Victoria’s long reign. Taking out weekends , Christmas and Easter, that’s an awful lot of smiles and handshakes each day. Last year, she still completed 192 engagements and even embraced online technology so that she could be present. She was determined to keep working, despite being tired, bereaved and unwell and was undertaking major engagements just 2 days before she died. That’s some work ethic. Our Red Bird mugs say ‘Stay Positive, Work hard, Make it happen!’ We could all take a leaf out of the Queen’s book here, I think.
She was curious
Watching the commentary over the past few weeks, something that struck me was that she was really curious about lots of things. She researched and asked poignant questions again and again, connecting and impressing people from all walks of life and from all cultures. Curiosity is the route of all learning and if a learner is curious, it makes my heart sing a little. And if we can instill that curiosity at Red Bird, then I can be seen doing a happy dance.
She was funny and good fun
Another personality trait that came across is that she was a funny and witty person with a great sense of humour. Goodness knows what mischief her and Prince Philip got up to! When I have an initial chat with tutors, I look for this spark of humour and sense of fun because I know that these are our sort of people. Seeing the less serious side of life makes everything brighter and is an every session part of what we do at Red Bird.
She had determination
When the Queen’s father died, she was only 25 and had two very young children. She had already been thrust into the line of succession and so knew at the age of 10 that her life would follow a very different path. On her 21st birthday, she made a promise and by all accounts, stuck by it her whole life. Here’s the recording: On This Day: 21 April 1947 – Princess Elizabeth’s Incredibly Powerful 21st Birthday Message
We always ask our students where they are heading to or what aspirations they have. Keeping focussed on that, as the Queen did, can take you on an extraordinary journey in life.
Thank you your Majesty, for everything.
SUE
Owner of Red Bird Tutoring
Sue launched Red Bird Tutoring in 2018, combining her 20+ years experience as a teacher and school leader with her interest in coaching.
Since its launch, Red Bird has helped hundreds of learners achieve success!