Stretch

Not sure where I picked up the habit of choosing a “word for the year” but it’s something I’ve been doing for 4 or 5 years now.  

In 2021 my word was Renew. I renewed my commitment to learning and bettering myself. I renewed my commitment to family and friends. Despite the ongoing craziness of COVID, 2021 was a good year for me. I became a Six Types of Working Genius facilitator, I FINALLY got to go through the Lego SeriousPlay Training. (Which by the way, was totally cool!)  I completed my hours and jumped through the rest of the hoops to become an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation. And had the unexpected opportunity to do certification training with Michael Hyatt and the Full Focus Planner.  An amazing year of learning!

As 2021 was coming to an end, I was struggling to come up with my “word” for 2022. The only word that came to mind was “STRETCH.” I also connect a Bible verse (or 2) to my word. As I thought about this word STRETCH I thought, “Hey, instead of doing a bunch of learning, 2022 I’m going to STRETCH by doing stuff with the learning. Maybe MAKING some money instead of SPENDING money!

Was I ever wrong!?!?!

January 2022 our interim president, along with the interim CFO, Provost, and Board chair announced a significant cut in the budget for the fiscal year 2023. All of a sudden the word STRETCH had a whole new meaning. 

Long story a little shorter. April 18, 2022 ended a 36 year career at a wonderful university. Honestly, it’s still surreal. I’m struggling to wrap my head around what has happened. Struggling to shift my mindset from vacation or furlough to I no longer work there. 

But that’s where coaching comes in.  I have an amazing coach, who specializes in grief coaching. I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing Patrick Lencioni’s podcast Change is Easy, Transition is Hard. He shares the work of William Bridges on transitions. The reality is, this change is a loss. I have had a significant loss in my life and I have to identify, choose my response and move through the neutral zone to the new beginning. (I know you want to go listen to those two podcasts!!) 

I’m excited for my upcoming coaching session and how Jinnie will help me through this. 

This experience will make me a better coach. 

I’ve heard it said many times, everyone needs a coach and I’m here to tell you:

“Ain’t that the truth!”

I am a lifelong learner, and this year will be full of learning opportunities as I STRETCH