Doin’ New Things this Week…

In August, I joined a local Toastmasters Club, fulfilling a dream that I have carried for almost thirty years. On Wednesday, I delivered my first “Icebreaker” speech to the club. Want to read what planned to say… check it out here. 

This past summer, I made a list of all the local places that I might like to volunteer. In a previous generation of my life, my volunteer hours were all taken in an isolated silo. Any extra I had of course were given to supporting Marc and the kids (gladly!). This new season of calendar space has had me branching out with curious adventure. This past Sunday, I volunteered at our favorite local professional theater – The Warehouse Theater –  as an usher. I had a blast being part of the hospitality team that welcomed patrons to Ms.Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B. (If you are in Upstate SC, get your tickets now!)

When I began to think about the 100 days left of the year, (96 when this newsletter gets sent out), I set out a few stakes in the sand to guide me for the rest of the year. One of those intentions is to post something somewhere every day. That will be on the blog, on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram, or within our Quadrant 3 Leadership Coaches community. 

Speaking of Quadrant 3 Leadership Coaches – we’ve begun Cohort 10 this week! The next eleven weeks will include intensive learning that includes what distinguishes coaching from leading and training, the leadership journey that Marc wrote about in the Surprising Gift of Doubt, Goals, Values, Hardwiring and more. It never ceases to amaze me how I keep learning this material even as I’m now leading it with Marc. 

It is unusual that I pick up so many new things at once. I love the adrenaline and the sense of stretching an old boundary that comes when I do new things. And to be clear, it has been quite a few years of living in a comfort zone that preceded this season of new things sprouting. 

How often do you survey your life? When do you prune and when do you plant? When do you wait? 

Waiting is both my favorite and least favorite place. When I’m in a healthy stance toward life, waiting is full of wonder and mystery. It is pregnancy before the first kick – knowing that someone is there and having to be in full trust that it is ‘all good’. When I’m in an unhealthy space – waiting is impatient and wanting to MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN – which often stifles or stalls or stops the growth of the unseen. 

Let me be clear. That previous paragraph is an aspirational thought – not something that I live all the time with no imperfections. 

What season are you in? Waiting? Pruning? Planting? Resting? 

Let me challenge you to take some time with your favorite drink and a candle. What season are you in? Isn’t she (he/they) lovely?