How Are You Feeling?

So how are you feeling at this time of year? Really feeling.

I’m slightly overwhelmed with the thought of making the holiday season, as well as the end of the year, a happy experience for everyone in my life. I’m a tad anxious at wondering how a blended family will do over the coming days as we all adjust to a new family situation. I’m a skosh nostalgic of family gatherings in the past and trying to live up to expectations. I’m more than ticked that I can’t stay focused in the present.

A few weeks ago I mentioned in my email about this year’s annual fund drive how it is so easy to hide from the world and that we have so much to want to hide from. Most of what we want to hide from is made up in our head. We catastrophize every world event, every awkward look, every miscommunication into something that is 10 times worse than it might actually be. In many ways, we can look back on the year and feel the same way.

The missed opportunities. The failed relationships. The use of the wrong word. The pain we take on.

I’m not going to do that any more. I mean it.

I used to think that life was supposed to be perfect. That I was supposed to be perfect. I thought that I could solve everything, be everything, fix everything. That hasn’t worked for me.

What has worked is to show up as authentically as I can. Admit my mistakes. Say I’m sorry. Listen and don’t solve. Be present. The best gift or experience I can give my family, friends, and colleagues is to be present and raw. Be vulnerable. Realize that the end of the year can bring a ton of feelings that can be positive and negative. They are just feelings. We all have them.

Let’s embrace those feelings and be thankful for the messes in our lives. Be grateful for the “warts” in our families. Be accepting of the process that we are all in.

Take a deep breath and realize we are all imperfect. Imperfections make the best stories. The best memories. The best laughs.

So instead of looking at the end of the year as a time of never ending lines, unlimited sale advertisements, and guilt for what we haven’t done, let’s focus on the present. The good right in front of our eyes. The smiles we can return. The nods that let someone know that we see them.

Those feelings are the ones we will cherish. The ones we remember. The ones that make us smile.

That helps to make a more just, caring, and thriving world.

Paul

Pebble Club: 2015 Campaign, Part 4

The final post in our Pebble Club series introduces you to three more donors. Meet Ted, Hope, and Viancca:

Ted Grossnickle
Connection to LeaderShape: 
Cluster Facilitator at Campus Session, Summer 2011
On-Site Coordinator at National Session, Summer 2011

Why I support LeaderShape through the Pebble Club:
I believe in supporting organizations that align with my core values and make a positive change in society.  At one point in my life, I was able to dedicate time to LeaderShape, and hope to again in the future.  Currently not having the schedule flexibility to be directly involved with LeaderShape sessions, I embrace the opportunity to stay connected via monetary support as a member of the Pebble Club.  I am proud to know that I am part of the support group that contributes to the advancement of this wonderful organization.

One piece of advice I would share with someone participating in a LeaderShape program is:
Embrace the opportunity.  Fully embrace it.  Diving in head first to this experience will be a decision you never regret when reflecting on how positively such a short amount of time could be so impactful on your life.

I live the lessons and mission of LeaderShape in my own life by/through:
Currently, I am the Director of the Michigan Creativity Association - an organization charged with creating the next generation of innovative thinkers and leaders.  I have the opportunity to live the lessons of LeaderShape by creating opportunities for K-12 students to live, lead, and learn with integrity in a creative exploration context.  Embracing a healthy disregard for the impossible, I have taken on the monumental task of providing international learning experiences for students, which have included trips to Beijing, China and Wrocław, Poland for global celebrations of student creativity.

Hope Miller Miles
Connection to LeaderShape: 
Our institution hosted the Catalyst program and has also sent students to the annual Leadershape Institute hosted by Baltimore Collegetown organization. I am also a close personal friend of Leadershape staff member Kristen Bendon Hyman.

Why I support LeaderShape through the Pebble Club:
I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to take part in this life-changing program and I fully believe in the mission of Leadershape.

One piece of advice I would share with someone participating in a LeaderShape program is: Go in with an open mind, open heart, and be open to learning something you might not have recognized in yourself and in others.

I live the lessons and mission of LeaderShape in my own life by/through:
Living with passion and remembering to make each day an opportunity to impact the world around me.


Viancca Williams

Connection to LeaderShape:

Co-Lead Facilitator

Why I support LeaderShape through the Pebble Club: 

I believe LeaderShape is the preeminent leadership and personal development program in the nation for college students. The focus on leading with integrity and having a healthy disregard for the impossible lines up with my values set and gives me hope for a better world.

One piece of advice I would share with someone participating in a LeaderShape program is: Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable! This allows you to reflect in a deeper manner on who you are and allows others to see that you’re human. 

I live the lessons and mission of LeaderShape in my own life by/through: 

Reflecting on my values daily and making sure that my decisions and actions match those values

If you are ready to join the Pebble Club, you can do so by visiting the Donate page on our website. Don't forget to click the "Pebble Club" box. 

#Day7: Lifelong Learning

We recently received an email from a 2010 LeaderShape Institute graduate. She was reaching out because she hadn’t written a thank you letter to a donor who helped provide a discount for her fee to attend the program and wondered if she could still send it along.

We don’t often get emails like this so it was a bit of a surprise. We either get the thank you letter shortly after the Institute or we don’t get it at all. This letter was going to be different and we were all curious and eager to read what it would say.

The opening line of the letter reads, “It has been about four years since I attended The LeaderShape Institute back in August of 2010. Although this letter is very long overdue, I feel that now, years later, I can truly express how this program benefited me.”

These words are a terrific demonstration of how the processes of learning, meaning-making, and sharing can continue beyond an actual experience. LeaderShape talks a lot about the importance of being a life-long learner. Often times this sentiment is talked about in the spirit of current, active learning.

Perhaps the concept of being a life-long learner can also represent being open to learning from past experiences as well.

Our perspectives change (and maybe even evolve or expand) as we are exposed to new people, ideas, and circumstances. As we move further away from an experience, our take on it may change as well. This shift can open up new or deeper lessons. It can expand how we view what we thought, how we behaved, and what we learned last week, last month, or, in this instance, years ago. We can continue to learn from something, even years later.

When we think about #Day7 - about staying in action even after the Institute has ended - a part of it is about this commitment to lifelong learning. 

Lifelong learning - from the past and in the present. We are onboard with this.

How are continuing to learn from experiences you’ve had in the past? Tell us about it in the comments below.