Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: you’ll know him as a blockbuster actor, former wrestler and pumper of iron.

What you might not know is that he often shares some pretty great insights and wisdom through his social media channels. Check out his Instagram, for example. 

He’s equal parts inspiring, encouraging, and motivating – not to mention always grateful – so we’ve put together a few things DJ (as he likes to call himself) has said to challenge, stir and uplift you in your practice as a teacher. 

Take what you will from these quotes and enjoy – there are great lessons here for your students, too.

 

10 lessons for teachers from The Rock

1. You can’t control anything – except how much effort you put in

 

“[I learnt as a teenager that] only thing I had control over was my effort, so I got my ass to the one place I could give that effort — the gym. I’ve never won a Super Bowl or a Gold Medal. And I’m not a pro athlete. But I am the hardest worker in the room.”

“Effort creates action, action creates momentum, momentum creates success.” 

“Be relentless in your effort and intensely focused on your result.”

 

2. Be present

“Personal connection is everything to me. It’s my fuel, fire and energy … I stay as present as I can possibly be in every moment. Life is short, life is fast. We gotta stay grateful and present; work hard and make it all count.”

 

3. Learn from others

“[I met] the first American amputee to climb Mt Everest, Mr. Jeff Glasbrenner.

I’ll never forget [the words] that you shared with me when you first lost your leg, Jeff: ‘You can choose to be powerful or you can choose to be pitiful, but you can’t be both.’ Amen.” 

“[I met Nick Santonastasso, who] was born with one arm and no legs. In his mind, there's nothing he can't do... and he's right. He's right because he does everything he sets his mind to. We chatted after my workout about the power of choice. He said, ‘I could've been pissed at the world for being born like this, but instead I choose to live life to the fullest, be happy and crush everything I put my mind to and hopefully, I can inspire people to do the same.’ 
Yes sir. Life deals us cards on a daily basis, but we always get to decide how we're gonna play 'em.”

 

4. Be grateful

“Life is crazy and busy for all of us, but when we can fuel it with a lil' gratitude and humility - life becomes that much better. “

“I’m a grateful and lucky SOB to have accomplished a few things here and there.”

“I’m a very grateful man.”

“Grateful and blown away." 

“I’m grateful to the bone.”

“Thank you.”

“THANK YOU.”

(Get the point?)

5. Look after the people around you

“The most powerful thing we can all do is lead with strong empathy and love. Never let yourself get caught up in petty sh*t and keep your thoughts and energy optimistic and big picture.”

“Struggle and pain is real. We’ve all been there on some level or another … We always gotta do our best to really pay attention when people are in pain. Help ‘em through it, get ‘em talkin’ about the struggle, and remind ‘em that they’re not alone.” 

 

6. Don’t let stress control you

 

“I understand what stress and pressure is; what it’s like to be pulled in 10,000 different directions in a day. When you think no one else understands the pressure you’re feeling. I get it. The key, though, is remembering that the noise of pressure and anxiety is always gonna be there, but you can’t let it control you. You gotta block out the stress and noise, listen to your gut and to keep moving forward. Always keep moving forward.”

“We’re all looking to improve our management skills and find that all-important balance of our busy lives: family, our jobs, raising our babies, payin’ the bills, relationships, the world pulling you a million different directions. We all go through the same complex sh*t, just different degrees of volume and intensity on a daily basis. Take care of and protect your [mind and body] and find your anchor.”

 

7. Your time is valuable

 

“My most important currency is my time. If I’m giving you my time, then you get me at 100%: fully committed and a passionate SOB who’s going all in. Be protective of your time. It’s the one thing we can control where it goes and who gets it.”

 

8. Take time to recharge

 

“[It’s] important to recalibrate and take mental inventory on this crazy little thing we call life. There’s no stop button on this treadmill we’re all on, so reflect and recharge when you have to and always be grateful we get another shot to be on this ride and get some good sh*t done.”

  

9. Expect and appreciate failure

 

“I wanted to win, but I was willing to fail because I knew that my effort was the only thing I could always control. And if I got my ass kicked and failed but gave great effort, I’d always come out the other side a better man.” 

“I didn’t understand the value of it then, but I certainly do today – making the NFL was the best thing that never happened. Remember that when life kicks our asses and crushes our plans. Have faith because sometimes the goal we've worked our ass off for years is never achieved and we realise later it might be the best thing that never happened.”

  

10. You choose your attitude and your actions

 

“I’m not certain what all the answers are, but I am 100% certain I control my own actions. Live as greatly as we can, lead by example, lead with strength and lead with love.”

“When life gets tough, you get knocked down and you're going ‘through the sludge’ … You gotta have faith that if you just keep pushing through it, on the other side is something greater.”
 

We’ll leave you with this:

“Cheers to living, learning, evolving and growing. And to the positive disrupters ready to dent the universe.”

 

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Anything in particular here resonate with you? Let us know on Twitter, we’d love to hear from you!