Post-Thanksgiving Reflections
Now that another Thanksgiving is in the rearview mirror, let’s not miss the opportunity to reflect on what we’re most grateful for. I’ve personally had Thanksgivings in the past that were a stressful crush of relatives and gatherings where I didn’t pause and make time to inventory what I’m grateful for.
Here’s my list this year. I’m grateful for:
The occasions where I “instantly lost my deodorant” in a moment of panic. Ever have your phone ring in the middle of a speech by your boss’s boss? Realize you forgot to check the right box after submitting an important application? Here’s a good one - filled out the bubbles on the answer sheet to the GMAT but realized at the end of the exam that you were one bubble off for the ENTIRE TEST (true story)? These are life’s self-generated teaching moments that we should all pay close attention to and learn from. Painful at the time, but invaluable lessons for future versions of ourselves.
My teachers, mentors, and coaches for all the life lessons they imparted on me. I’m most thankful for their patience, persistence, and perseverance when I didn’t get it right the first time. Yes, I’ve had many teachers who carried around an unyielding, fixed mindset, but have been fortunate to have a number of teachers with an agile mindset who exhibited the right balance of empathy and accountability. We need more teachers who understand this balance since we have our most impactful learning experiences when we’re uncomfortable. We need more teachers who will pick us back up without judgment after we’ve fallen. We need more teachers who are fair, inclusive, and dole out criticism constructively.
The leaders in my life like Roger Leithold, Carl Schweser, Andy Rosen, Don Graham, and Jonathan Grayer who have seen more potential in me than I was able to see in myself at the time. I have been blessed with leaders through the years who were able to effectively delegate responsibility and cultivated a keen sense of stewardship within me. In retrospect, none of the opportunities I’ve been afforded were magically bestowed upon me, but were instead the result of consistently showing up with a light in my eyes and consistently demonstrating the value I add to the organization. Opportunity is a two-way street.
My bandmates and the production crew for The Remainders. I’ve found that music is an essential ingredient in my life and I’ve paid a high mental health price during those times when my life has been devoid of music and musical performance. Cultivate your multidimensional self by investing in your passion or exploring new potential passions. Don’t let life slip by as a unidimensional cog in the great wheel of life. Life’s literally too short.
The 22 years I spent at Kaplan. Although I’ll be leaving the company at the end of this year, I’ll forever carry a deep sense of gratitude for the thousands of people who worked with me over the years to create “yahoo moments” for millions of students and customers around the world. If you’re working a job that you don’t love or for a company who’s values and mission don’t mesh with your personal purpose, make a change. I’m so thankful for the privilege of waking up every day, secure in the knowledge that we were going to help individuals achieve their educational and career goals.
My ability to sleep. As I age, I’m realizing that my ability to manufacture calm in my mind/body and employ that gift to drift off to sleep is more rare than it is common. One piece of advice for what it’s worth, spend a few moments of your own post-Thanksgiving reflective time to catalog the “unnecessary busy” that swirls in your life and pledge to look for and eliminate/reduce its root cause. Having less unnecessary complexity won’t be a silver bullet, but it sure helps unclutter my mind.
Oh, and please don’t roast me for leaving out the usual suspects. Of course, I’m grateful for family, friends, the roof over my head, the food we eat, and the time you invested in reading this muse.
Grace. Dignity. Compassion.
Andy
