This Week's Peeks

Such a cute title demands explanation. This is a running list - a peek back, if you will - of significant events that have happened so far in 2016, as well as a subject-to-change peek ahead.

January

8th - Chaired "Leadership Day" for the McLean County Chamber of Commerce's program Leadership McLean County. The presenters exceeded my expectations (some risk as I'd never heard most of them speak before!) and the class gave upbeat reviews. I gave a 2-hour presentation on "Performing Under Pressure" and was subsequently invited by ISU to do the same for the leadership of their Administrative Technologies department.

15th - Wrote and recorded a Superman-themed voice over track for Darren Freidinger's American Ninja Warrior application.

22nd - The speaker I'd aligned to present on "Developing Others" for LMC had an emergency. Fortunately the topic is one of my personal passions, so I was able to put together a presentation overnight which got good reviews.

26th - Presented "Living and Working with Passion" with Lisa Hurley for the Chamber of Commerce's Next Professionals group of 30 or so young local employees.

28th - Met Rich Fatznytz, director of change management at State Farm, a well-connected guy.

February

5th - Unable to climb the stairs, Mom needs a hospital trip to correct swelling in her legs. I spend Friday through Sunday in Bloomingdale shuttling between the house and hospital. I discover the Elderworks resource hotline which connects me to Sunrise assisted living facility and begin determining options, including a facility tour.

11th - Recorded "Making of a Savior" voice over promotion for Vale Church's upcoming sermon series.

Ahead:

February 25: Serve as a guest leadership speaker for Illinois State University's Administrative Technologies Department.

March: Visit with a local church to consult on possible ways to improve "inreach" to their congregation.

Spring-summer: Repair front sidewalk, add gutters to front porch and garage, and thicken our front lawn grass.

May-July: Audition (and hopefully perform) for Beauty and the Beast.

2016 Goals Update

Dena and I have toyed with designing a new season to follow the end of the Christmas/holiday season, something to replace that sense of loss that happens when taking down the lights and realizing that spring is distant. 

Our working title is "Pre-Spring." So far we've leaned heavily into nature-scented candles. We've bought one decoration that's a sunburst, and another that's a yet-to-bloom tree, each festooned with sparkling white lights that preserve the holiday glow and remind us of the warmth to come.

We've yet to decide upon the beginning and ending dates of this season. Maybe it starts January 2 and ends as soon as we've had five consecutive 70 degree days. The possibilities are fun.

Meanwhile, it's time to check in on how this year's goals are going.

Physical Health

- Exercise/stretch 5+ days per week

- Body fat 14%

- Healthy knee

- Fruits/vegetables 5+ days per week

- Read 10 books

I've taken a fresh approach to knee health, discontinuing gym visits and replacing it with yoga (too much knee strain, promptly abandoned) and general stretching, though not 5+ days per week. The body fat and fruit/vegetables goals are met. I'm deep into the book "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle which prescribes a unique approach to personal peace by mentally detaching ourselves from our ego and negative emotions, viewing them as objects (and somewhat intrusive ones at that) rather than an integral part of our naturally happy selves.

Financial Health

- Improved tutoring records

- Set and meet a budget for 2016

Happy to say that my spreadsheet for tracking the tutoring business continues to run strong, so I can easily throw out figures like 32 students and 117 hours tutored so far this year. And in case the IRS is reading this, 152 miles traveled to and from the library. The budget still needs to be made.

Community Engagement

- Volunteer for a new organization

I'll pursue this one over the summer once school's out. I've been spending lots of time coordinating the leadership training program for the Chamber of Commerce, preparing a seminar on Performing Under Pressure for a group of 40+ leaders at ISU, and starting the early designs on a larger retreat to help people become more mindful (and thereby more peaceful).

Personal Character And Leadership

- Blog weekly

- Make 10 new acquaintances, including a mentoring relationship

- Arrive early/discipline

Whoo boy, I guess I did say weekly and not monthly didn't I? I've posted in two weeks out of seven, so there's more to be done here. Those new acquaintances are more likely to happen over the summer, although I have made at least two that I can think of.