Right Here, Right Now - September 2026

After faraway adventures, roadtrips to visit friends or making headway through a year-long to-do list, colleagues across the country are now reconvening in their schools for the start of a new journey, 2026-27!

We will see new cohorts of children/students coming through the doors, with no sight of those we worked so hard to support at the end of last year as they now continue their own journeys elsewhere.

Capturing the passing of time

Similarly, new staff will arrive, others will have moved on. Indeed, maybe you’re one of those, starting afresh.

As we make plans, set expectations and prepare logistics for the road ahead, it’s natural to keep eyes firmly facing frontwards. However, I’d like to offer you this moment to look through the wide-angle lens of your own personal, lifelong journey and invite you to sit with the idea that you’re already doing enough. Right here, right now.

As part of my Political Literature module at university, I studied ‘The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia’ written by Samuel Johnson in the 1750s. Exiled from his luxurious palace in Happy Valley, the prince, along with his wise companion Imlac, philosophise about the meaning of life. One quote particularly stuck with me (and quite literally stuck to my various bedroom walls for several years afterwards): "The truth is that no mind is much employed upon the present; recollection and anticipation fill up almost all our moments… While you are making the choice of life, you neglect to live”. From the moment I read it, I felt determined that I would always try to appreciate the here and now.

And so we are encouraged to “embrace the freedom of being here”.

For example, Leadership Edge was shortlisted for two National MAT Excellence Awards earlier this year. In June, we attended the glitzy evening event but came home empty-handed. If we focused on The Gap, we could have felt disappointed and spent time wondering what else we needed to do to win the accolade. But by instead focusing on The Gain, we can enjoy all the positivity of the impact we see our work having day in, day out, alongside the beginnings of this being recognised by a sector so richly served by many decades-long-established organisations.

“Being fixated on external reference points put you in The Gap; being directed by your own internal reference points strengthens being in The Gain.” – Sullivan & Hardy

The book also shines an uncomfortable light on the education system itself, framing it as “a desperate race to achieve external ideals.” In which “children do not learn to set their own reference points for success.” As a result, children - and adults - are set-up to sit in The Gap, forever trying to reach an ideal (and that’s before we layer in the comparison culture of social media – I recommend 'The Anxious Generation' to explore that challenge further).

Of course, as an educator and coach, I’m very keen to support people in getting clear about their aspirations for the future, becoming the kind of person they want to be, and creating the steps to get there! Focusing on The Gain is not about being passive or having low expectations. It is about balancing your ambitions with appreciation for where you’ve already got to; gaining satisfaction and confidence from all the “wins” you’ve had along the way, as well as seeing the opportunities ahead.

‘Who are you becoming?’ and ‘Where do you want to be in 3-5 years?” can be powerful coaching questions. But so too can ‘Who are you right now?’; ‘What does success mean for you today/this week/this month?” and “What are you currently bringing to others and to the world?’

One practical idea from ‘The Gap and The Gain’ is to create your own success criteria for being the person I am right now: 10 sentences beginning with ‘I know I am being successful when I…’

For example:

• I am being successful when I get out of bed within 5 minutes of waking up

• I am being successful when I keep my inbox organised

• I am being successful when I am fully present in meetings

• I am being successful when I give myself dedicated time to think every evening

• I am being successful when I exercise twice a week

• I am being successful when I read my child their bedtime story

• I am being successful when I listen to the compassionate voice in my head

Etc

These can change whenever you want them to; they are self-determined. You are therefore in control of choosing your own point of reference; you are self-determined.

Success is complex, often wrapped up in our equally complex sense of identity.  For instance, we are so careful in how we speak to students when they don’t hit their final grades, “they don’t define you, they’re just a step on your journey” etc. Yet we spend so much time leading up to that point instilling the importance of meeting those expectations. If we can encourage ourselves, and those around us, to dig deeper underneath the surface of all these expectations to the “real me” and what do I want to  be the best version of me TODAY, perhaps we will not only be happier on a daily basis but also achieve more in the long run, too.

And let’s face it, the future is forever changing. What the world, economy, technology, job market, education will look like in 10 years’ time is unknown to us.

Having a sense of our Ideal is definitely helpful to give us a direction of travel. But holding too tight to the specifics could leave us forever chasing a mirage. Instead, having a crystal clear sense of our true identity – who I am, where I’ve come from, what I’ve achieved and contributed, my strengths and values – evidenced by truths of my lived experience, can be a more grounding mindset to explore.

If you’re able to take a few moments to reflect on the three questions below, I hope it may help to ground some of your own thinking about your personal experience of being in the Here & Now:

• What are you currently using as your reference points for “success”?

• What are you in “The Gap” with right now? How could you shift your thinking to be in “The Gain”?

• How will you be the best version of yourself TODAY?

  
  

By coincidence, my daughter - who has just received her GCSE grades and is about to start college to study Creative Media - sent me this short animation of her own changing journey and sense of identity which feels so relevant to this month’s reflections, I had to drop it in: The Real Me

As the pace of life speeds back up, the demands become more pressured and the to-do list overwhelming, remember that you are also on your own journey, and have come so far already; you have what you need to “succeed”. Embrace the self-determination to make choices which help you to be the best version of your self. Right here, right now. By focusing on becoming a truer version today, and every day, the “Then & There” of the future should largely look after itself.

Warmest wishes,

Catherine Hulme

Owner Director

catherine@leadershipedge.org.uk

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Leadership Edge is a growing team of experienced school leaders who have seen person-centred coaching create high-performing, happy and healthy cultures within our schools. Our mission is to empower other school leaders to create positive workplaces where staff are solution-focused and actively responsible for their own personal wellbeing and professional development.

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