I took an unintended break from my coffee check-ins last week. There was a pretty awesome project I was concentrating on since last Friday was the deliverable deadline, but I was also just very much in my head - in a less-than-positive sense. I wanted to work through that while also concentrating on that project, so by Wednesday, I decided to take a little break, focus on work, and then do some strategy work related to these check-ins.
I missed sharing my random(ish) thoughts over my morning coffee, but conserving my mental energy for work and the strategic work I was digging into has already paid off, and I'm excited to hop back in your feeds today! I'm always an advocate for thoughtful and intentional strategy; however, I am in the camp that believes that room for flexibility is part of a good strategic plan. Another way to think of it is intentional balance. I've been pretty flexible with my strategy over the last few months, but I'm starting to tighten up it now as I've learned a bit more (about home buying and freelance work for instance 😑) in general about what I want in my professional journey and how I operate (personally and professionally) without a set schedule.
One of the aspects of my work and life that I want to be better about is connecting more with those who...well, I connect naturally with whether in-person or online. Seeing my sister for the first time in her derby bout last month is a prime example of this intention. My sister joined roller-derby nearly 15 years ago, and because of mostly work (restricted time flexibility) and financials (the only job I've made a livable wage was the last one that I was ironically laid-off from and had for only a year and a half), I wasn't able to see my sister skate in the activity that has defined a majority of her life for 15 years because I've been trying to survive.
I wasn't OK with it then - each year that her team's schedule came out, I tried to coordinate a bout I could see, and each year it was too stressful, costly, or time-consuming to make happen - and I'm not OK with it now.
Especially after being laid off from a job and company I loved and made such a positive difference. I'm taking control of my narrative, mindset, and journey, and intentional, authentic connection is incredibly important for me. While I love creating authentic online engagement and connections through the work I do, I've spent so much time in that space for others I need to feed my soul, which in turn motivates and inspires my work and professional life.
And I was fortunate to have such an experience this weekend, which was a huge inspiration for this morning's check-in (along with an absolutely wonderful conversation with my husband yesterday)! We were in Atlanta over the weekend for another roller derby bout for my big sis, and I meet up with my former professor from the DEI in Marketing course for my WVU IMC program! Jad is an incredible instructor who's also on top of and heavily involved in the latest in the marketing industry and with DEI, which in my opinion and experience, is a very rare combination and talent in coordinating the two that most collegiate professors don't posses (but I digress, and we'll save some Higher Ed and Marketing talk for another time 😉). He's very involved and connected with his students, and I needed that personally at the time I was taking that class.
Jad helped shape how I incorporate and advocate for DEI in my life and workplace and how it continues to be a critical part of our lives. He was one of the first people I texted when I was laid off, and he's been a champion of my professional journey, especially after I was laid off. I consider him to be a mentor of sorts, but honestly. I consider him more of a friend who also works in marketing and higher ed! Getting to finally meet him in person was incredible, and we could've chatted ALL day. And I needed the GIANT hug he met with, and I instantly felt like I belonged and was motivated and inspired by the positive energy of our conversation at brunch.
It's also important to have offline "me time," and I have my husband to thank for the tool that will help with that aspect, and something I've wanted for a REALLY long time.
Cooking and baking have been a source of stress relief for me since I was in middle school. I even considered culinary school, I loved it so much! I'd wanted a KitchenAid Stand Mixer since I first utilized one in my high school culinary class, but after I was diagnosed with celiac, I thought it was a good thing I hadn't been gifted or gotten myself one. There's been a LOT of progress made in alternative and now gluten-free flours since then. In the last few years, I've been baking more and more again, but not as much as I'd like, as we don't have much room and only have some basic tools. My husband wanted to get me a mixer about a year ago, but I told him to wait until we bought a house. At the time, we thought and planned on buying a house in the next three to nine months. Life has other plans, and since my layoff, I've been itching to bake and cook, but the things I wanted to make would be a lot easier if I had a certain tool 😎 I *may* have hugged the mixer after taking it out of the box last night. My inner 15 year-old is beyond happy!! So be on the lookout for some biscotti and other yummy goodies in my coffee check-ins coming up soon!
Tomorrow I'm digging more into strategy and what strategic planning and action looks like with my ADHD, nuerodivergent brain! Happy Monday, y'all!!
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