It was the best of times; it was the best of times…
As I stirred from a good night’s sleep this morning, I relished the thought of lounging in bed with my wife, a few cups of coffee and the newspaper; this being one of my favorite ways of starting my weekend days and it being the last day of the year. But, as I slowly came to consciousness, I thought better of it and decided to spend a few minutes reflecting on the passing year and looking forward to another new one…
2011 has been a year of change and transition: Joy and I both turned 50 this year and celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, Jamie turned 21, and Lauren turned 18, graduated high school and started college. As newly minted empty-nesters, Joy and I traveled to China together and are going to Cabo with friends in six weeks.
At 50, I find myself a step slower, my eyes not as good as they used to be (I got my first pair of glasses) and we’ll have to see what the treadmill test and other magic 50-year old scans have to say in the next few weeks. Overall, I would say that, while perhaps I am a little bit worn, I am still very serviceable. Joy, on the other hand, looks amazing and seems to just keep getting better with age.
After 25 years of marriage (and over 31 years together), Joy and I fit together like hand and glove. We get clearer on what we are willing to put up with (or not), who we want to be around, where we want to go and what we want to do. The relationship is still evolving and we are starting to design what the next phase of life holds for us and what we want to accomplish together. Travel and giving back are both important themes for us, as is having a warm, inviting home for the girls, our extended family and friends to visit.
At 21, Jamie is a junior in college and is staring to look at internships and what life will be like after graduation. She does well in school and has learned what it is like to live on her own; able to graduate early, I am encouraging her to take a minor and use the full four years at university to her advantage. No stranger to the Xbox or the nearby beaches, she is certainly not all work and no play.
Lauren has now left the familiarity and relative security of high school for the newness and explorations of university life in San Diego. While Jamie is a 3-hour car ride away, La flies back and forth to school and it is a bit harder for us to visit her there. She is adjusting well, as are we as new empty-nesters; she took my advice to take a fun class every semester and just go her first ‘A’ in surfing. I was initially surprised (and now am very pleased) when Lauren joined a sorority on campus; she has been participating in their community service events and getting to know new people.
Business-wise, I am just completing my fourth year with the Strayer Consulting Group. I am grateful for the opportunity that the Strayers afforded me and am glad that I took the step when given the opening. Financially, it has been a rewarding trip with increasing revenues even through the downturn. Beyond the financials, though, I am fulfilled in the work that I do and appreciative of the client teams who bring me into their confidences and trust me to help them work more effectively together by making new choices around commitments and accountability. They (and I through them) learn that responsibility really means able to choose our responses.
So what does 2012 hold for me (and us)? Let’s work backwards through the list above… My business seems to be starting the year well, with a few projects crossing the date line and a few new ones just starting up; I will also continue in my retained role guiding the curriculum and coaching the Kauffman Fellows. I will bring a few people into the business to help extend our capacity in the marketplace. Lauren and Jamie will continue to evolve as students and young adults at school and as members of the work force in their part time roles at school and during the summer. Joy will continue her work at the hospital while she figures out what she wants to do when she grows up; meanwhile, she provides us with good benefits and accumulates PTO so we can travel to distant lands. We can finally focus on the front yard and finishing decorating touches inside our house.
Ultimately, we ask: what is success? Success in 2012 means softening my demeanor and approach to others, slowing down the pace a bit, and getting more work/life balance (less work and more joie de vivre). Success is allocating more time for reflecting and writing. Success in 2012 is rewarding conversations with friends and family over good food and nice wines. Success is watching my women continue to grow and learn and explore their worlds.
A friend of mine wrote an interesting blog entry on energy yesterday; he spoke about generating and being around positive energy and getting rid of negative energy. I enjoyed the post and found it both funny and poignant at the same time; I appreciate his perspective and reflections on what works and doesn’t for him. It made me think about expectations and alignment, which, beyond energy, for me define how I shape my life and help others do the same. Setting and managing expectations are central to managing our relationships at home, at work and in the world at large; establishing and recreating alignment is what allows us to build commitment and achieve results against our goals. My hope for 2012 is that I set and manage expectations with you and that we remain aligned; let me know how I can be of help in your goals for 2012.
Cheers and here’s anticipation for a healthy, happy and prosperous new year. All for now…
