Gratitude...

Last week I had the incredible opportunity to spend three jam-packed days with over 150 change makers from over 20 countries, and I am feeling nothing but gratitude for the experience.

In January I joined the 2019 cohort of the Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania - an 8-month online and in-person program for leaders working to make community change. Our in-person convening came at the conclusion of our first six-week on-line learning module that served as an introduction to social impact strategy. Needless to say the week together in Philadelphia provided me some much needed inspiration and connection; and was a solid reminder that there are amazing people out there doing the hard work to bring positive change to communities.

Going into the week I made a concerted effort to limit any phone use, I wanted to focus my energy on being present with the material and all of the people in the room. We had such a short period of time together that I wanted to absorb all I could (I was largely successful, minus having to deal with a couple work issues throughout the week). It was refreshing to disconnect from social media and email, and to be fully present with people focused on building connections and learning.

As Emily Dickinson wrote, and a classmate kindly reminded us all, of the importance to "dwell in possibility." This was among many takeaways from the week, some others that resonated with me included:

• Share your story;
• Lead with empathy;
• Focus on connection;
• Find purpose in service;
• Limit distraction; and
• Challenge yourself.

I haven't written in over a year on this blog, but this experience and a couple others over the past couple weeks (the Robyn concert in NYC, reconnecting with old friends, and playing tourist in DC) have made March a month that has served to fill me up with energy more than drain it. Poignantly, my last blog post "Feed Your Soul..." was exactly on this topic - taking the time to do things that bring you joy and fill you with energy. 

In that post I also wrote about the need for a change, and my personal homework of finding a better balance between my gut and my head. And if you asked me how I was doing on all this over the past year I would simply say "working on it," until this very moment. After re-reading "Feed Your Soul..." I was like all be damned, I actually have been working on it, and to some success!

I'm still figuring out my change, but joining the Executive Program was the result of a chance meeting with a friend, and my gut telling me this is exactly what I needed. Life is a constant work in progress, and sometimes if you take a moment to reflect you can amaze yourself at how far you've come without even knowing it. 

So take some time out to reflect on your journey. Find what inspires you and brings you joy, and do more of it!

With love,
DC3FO


P.S. If you're new to the blog or need a refresher on how it got its name check out my first post "Welcome to my blog."