Mitzi Neely

Teacher Support Specialist; former Assistant Superintendent; Servant Leader; Devoted wife, mother & educator; Lifelong learner;

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@Soaringeagle45 Great reminders!

[🇺🇸 🦅Simple Man 🦅🇺🇸 @Soaringeagle45]

Did your mom teach you any of these gems…

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

My mother taught me LOGIC. "Because I said so, that's why."

My mother taught me FORESIGHT. "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

My mother taught me IRONY. "Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

My mother taught me about PATIENCE. "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

My mother taught me about WEATHER. "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until we get home."

My mother taught me about RECEIVING. "You are going to get it when you get home!"

My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

My mother taught me HUMOR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

My mother taught me about my ROOTS. "Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

My mother taught me WISDOM. "When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

My mother taught me about JUSTICE. "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@AnchorLightPub She is spot on!

[𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 @DrBradJohnson]

Dear parents,
Your child does not need to be the smartest in the class, the best on the field, or the most talented in the room.
But they do need to be teachable.
We are raising a generation that can Google anything, yet too many are forgetting how to listen, how to respect, and how to learn.
Being teachable is not about grades or intelligence. It is about humility.
It is about knowing you do not have all the answers.
It is about being open when someone is trying to help you grow.
Our job is not to raise kids who always get it right.
It is to raise kids who can take feedback without shutting down.
Who can admit when they are wrong.
Who can disagree without being disrespectful.
Who can be corrected without becoming defensive.
Because in the long run, teachability will take them further than talent alone.

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

James Clear on having high standards:

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@1Nicdar @markemoran This is a great story about a young man who has worked hard and defied the odds.

[DK🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 @1Nicdar]

130 schools said no.
He led the losingest program in college football history to a national championship anyway.
Fernando Mendoza was a 2-star recruit from Miami.

He tried to walk on at his hometown school. They passed.
So did FIU.
So did FAU.
So did everyone else.

At 17, he was sitting in his bedroom, crying over a silent recruiting inbox—after driving to 18 camps with his dad and sending highlights to more than 100 programs.
Not one FBS offer.
His only option? Yale. No scholarship. No NFL path.

Everyone told him to be “realistic.”
“Know your place.”
“Be grateful.”
He didn’t listen.
Because Mendoza understood something most people miss:
The worst outcome isn’t failing.
It’s never getting the chance to try.

Two weeks before signing day in 2022, his phone rang.
Cal needed a body. One offer. Out of 134 schools.
He took it.
He arrived as the third-string quarterback.
Spent a year on the scout team.
Lost his first four starts.
Got sacked 41 times behind a broken offensive line.

Still got up. Every time.
Then Cal brought in a transfer instead of building around him.
So Mendoza left the only school that had ever said yes.
He transferred to Indiana—the losingest program in college football history.

People laughed.
“Career suicide.”
“Graveyard program.”
“Nobody wins there.”
One coach told him something different:
“I’m going to make you the best Fernando Mendoza possible.”
That was enough.
Mendoza wasn’t just playing for football.
His mother has battled multiple sclerosis for 18 years.

Before every snap, he thought of her.
“My mother is my why.”
Indiana went 16–0.
Beat six Top-10 teams.
Won their first Big Ten title since 1945.
Mendoza threw 41 touchdowns.
Won the Heisman—first in school history.
First Cuban-American to ever do it.

Then came the title game.
Miami. Near his hometown.
Fourth-and-4. Season on the line.
Quarterback draw.
The kid 134 schools rejected spun through defenders and dove into the end zone.

Game over.
Indiana—national champions.
The losingest program became the best team in America.
All because a 17-year-old refused to believe “no” was the end.

Rankings don’t decide your ceiling.
Gatekeepers don’t write your ending.
Being overlooked isn’t a verdict—it’s a starting point.

Sometimes all you need is one shot…
and the courage to bet on yourself when nobody else will.
Don’t quit.

Credit: Barclay Mullins

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@coachrob0718 Most important decision ever! Way to go Avery.❤️🙌

[Jon Gordon @JonGordon11]

25 years ago, on New Year’s Day, I stood at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean with fear in my heart and uncertainty in my life…

Two weeks earlier, I had been fired from a dot-com company.
Two weeks of severance.
No insurance for my two young kids.

At the same time, my wife and I had invested everything we had, even a second mortgage and $20,000 on a credit card, to open what would become the first Moe’s Southwest Grill in Florida.

The restaurant was opening in 12 days.

And now…
I had no job.
No salary.
And no idea how we’d pay the mortgage.

As I looked at the icy water, I realized something.

Fear was everywhere.
But fear didn’t have to win.

So I jumped in.

Not because I wasn’t afraid…
but because I decided this would be the year of NO FEAR.

I chose to trust. I chose to be bold in action and faith. I chose to act like my future depended on me…and pray like it depended on God.

That jump became a declaration.

No longer would fear cut off the flow of positive energy. No longer would it paralyze me. Instead of fear, I would choose trust.

Now, 25 years later, I’m jumping in again on New Year’s Day.

It’s my ritual.
A reminder to follow my passion.
To live fully.
To surrender.
To stay one step ahead of the fear that hovers around.

And today, I want to invite you to jump in with me.

Not into the ocean but into your mind. This leap doesn’t require water. It requires faith.

No one will push you into the life you want. God will nudge you but you must take the leap.

Not a leap of fear.
A leap of faith.

You will always feel fear. Everyone does.
But when your trust grows bigger, your fear becomes  smaller.

And when you trust, you become a conduit for miracles.

I’ve seen it firsthand.

Opportunities appeared.
Checks arrived.
Doors opened.
My family was carried.

And one leap led to another…
which led me to writing, speaking, and doing the work I love today.

If 2025 wasn’t your year, that’s okay.

The New Year is a fresh start.
A new opportunity.
A new choice.

Jump in.
Trust bigger than your fear.
And take the next step toward who you’re meant to become.

I’m wishing you an amazing 2026. I’m sending positive energy your way.

[𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 @DrBradJohnson]

2026 does not need more resolutions. It needs no more excuses.
This starts with the small things. The everyday commitments that seem insignificant but are not. Showing up when you said you would. Being on time instead of explaining why you were late. Following through even when no one is watching.
Traffic is bad. The morning is hectic. The day gets away from you. And because the excuse sounds reasonable, you feel okay about it. Nothing feels lost in that moment. It feels harmless. Understandable.
That is how excuses work.
They train us, quietly, to lower the standard we hold for ourselves. Not all at once. Slowly. One small justification at a time.
And once that habit is in place, it does not stay small.
We do the same thing with our bigger goals. Writing the book. Going for the promotion. Getting the degree. Starting the business. We wait for things to settle down. We tell ourselves we need more time or confidence.
Before long, our excuses start defining what we think we are capable of. Not our talent. Not our ability. The excuse.
This year is about stopping that pattern. About noticing the excuses we have normalized and choosing differently.
Start with the small things. They decide the big ones.
No more excuses.

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@BurksrBurks Congratulations!!

[Maree Dee @MareeDee_]

Ever walked away from a conversation wishing you had responded differently? Reacting vs. Responding makes all the difference. Learn how biblical wisdom can help you communicate with grace instead of emotion. https://t.co/kwqB44NTm6 via @DrMBengtson

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@BurksrBurks Congratulations to you and the Ladynecks!! 🙌

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@TimTebow Congratulations to you both! Blessings.❤️

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@TXKGazette @_CoachWilson_ Congratulations! Very talented!!🧡

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@ReadersLeadPD @spencerideas @YouTube One of the best stories ever! Read it annually to my students. The gifts are from their hearts. Treasure them!❤️

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@RYHT_ETexas @lesialewis121 @RYHTexas Thank you for coming! We appreciate your support as we move forward in giving students the best education possible.

[Jon Gordon @JonGordon11]

•Be FAITHFUL when you feel fearful.
•Be POSITIVE when you want to be negative.
•Be THANKFUL when you feel entitled.
•Be LOVING when you want to fight.
•Be GENEROUS when you want to be selfish.
•Be MINDFUL when you want to hurry.

[Bobby Ott @OttTempleISD]

Plain to me 👇🏻 Or do we only
honor the Constitution when convenient?

[Mitzi Neely @MitziNeely]

@CoachrMcknight Best wishes for a great year!