Earlier this month we held our third virtual connect for graduates of Women Moving Forward® (in-house workshops). We started this in April, as a way to support folks during the pandemic. In addition to checking in on how everyone is doing, each time I also have a question for the group. The question this month was "what are you holding on to that you need to let go of?" There were some great answers. The most popular response by far was control.
What a year. The pandemic has slowed things down, for sure. For me, that isn't all bad. More time at home. Less time on airplanes. More time with family and an amazing opportunity to learn. Learn about ourselves, about others, about our communities and country. Where we are strong and where we have cracks. What we should celebrate and what we still need to work on.
I know you want to say 55. Five + Fifty equals 55, right? Well, not in this case. It was 5 years ago that I started this new business, company and career. And since then I have written 50 blogs (this blog is #50!) So for me, Five + Fifty = Three.
So here we are, most of us still sheltering at home. Week 6? Candidly, I try not to count. And at the same time there are many modern day heroes helping us through these strange and stressful times. We are so grateful for you.
Earlier this year, you likely heard about Christina Koch and her record-breaking space mission: 328 days in space! In the CNN article, her message is to "follow your passions, live the life you've imagined and do what scares you." But what really struck me was how she handled those 328 days, isolated from her loved ones and her planet. Her world as she knew it. During her time away, Christina chose to focus on the fact that her time in the space station was special rather than focus on what she missed on earth. And that led to a new appreciation for what she left behind upon returning to earth 328 days later.
Does it feel like you are tromping through the mud lately? Life a little arduous? Heavier lifting than usual? One thing that helps me during times like that is to remember to look up. Pause and look up. And breathe. Take a minute, as my friend Mary Ann often says. When lists are long, and filled with items I may not always enjoy doing, and I am grinding them out, it is important for me to do this. Pause and look up.
Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful and enjoyable holiday. As you head into the new year (and decade) my question for you is: "Are you Looking Back or Looking Forward?"
With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror and the upcoming exits of Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years quickly approaching, I just have one question for you this month. And no, it's not "Are you ready?" (Because really, are we ever completely ready?)
This past month, my Father, Fred Gruninger was inducted into the Rutgers University Athletics Hall of Fame. Even though he played and coached sports at Rutgers, those weren't the main reasons for his induction. His induction was primarily driven by his leadership and impact as Athletic Director for 25 years. And while this wasn't his first Hall of Fame induction (in 2006 he was inducted into the National Athletic Directors Hall of Fame), it was more significant in that it was a testament to the way he led...with high ethics and focus on what was most important.
As summer fades to fall, I am grateful for the opportunity to have slowed down over the summer. It wasn't a complete shutdown, as I had thought it would be (see June blog), but it was definitely a slow down. I knew I needed it. Largely because I needed time to recover from a very busy spring. As it turned out I would also need it to prepare for a fall that will be more demanding. After sharing that I will be traveling every week until Thanksgiving, my brother-in-law said to me, "now that you have your own company, couldn't you have planned that a little better?" That made me laugh. I suppose so. But the truth is, I am ready to go again. And all of it, both the personal and professional that is planned for the next 9 weeks is all good, all important, and will all get done.
It was great to hear about some of your plans for a Summer Shutdown. One of my favorites was: "I'm 11 days away from my sabbatical and I already feel somewhat lighter...I put together/aligned my final deliverables...drove conversations about what I'll start up when I get back...I've even made a breakthrough with my mgmt on the career front...Not sure any of this would have happened as easily if there wasn't the real deadline...forcing the conversations...so, I'm heeding your advice, creating my own hard stop/pause and am extremely grateful!"
Thanks for your feedback on last month's blog - Second Hand Smoke. Here are a couple of comments to share with you:
"A friend just released his book "Memoirs of a Guilty Bystander.' The title came from when he got mugged and while lying stunned under a streetlight a foursome playing cards saw it all and didn't get involved." - Connie
"A great story! I definitely try to live my life this way but it can be difficult at times." - Nicole