I have two clients who returned to grad school this season. Neither of them started working with me thinking this would happen, but now they’re as happy as pigs in mud. And they didn’t just enter any programs, these are save-the-world folks who will be helping us to combat climate change and the national loneliness epidemics. And one is even being paid to study!
Have I mentioned how awesome my clients are?
So back to you, awesome client: How are you thinking about your own learning and development at this phase of your life?
Most large corporations have learning and development departments, that help employees build skills so the organization stays competitive. I believe it’s vital to continue learning and growing, whether it’s physical (pickleball, guilty as charged), spiritual (kabbalah class?), or academic.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it’s vital that we continue to learn so that we can grow, stay engaged, feel the flow of achieving something just out of our reach and enjoy life through engagement.
While you’re thinking about your own growth path, I’d love to offer you two channels of possibility. I have two FAVORITE newsletters, and they always point me in the direction of learning.
These two newsletters couldn’t be more different. One is written by Susan Cain, famed author of Quiet, while the other is written by Luvvie Ajayi, who keynoted the last ICF trade event I attended in Prague. She’s a sparkplug, noted author and influencer.
I love learning in their spaces.
Susan’s newsletter appeals to my desire for quiet and depth, art, and seeing the world through a gentle contemplative lens. Luvvie takes a torch to all that, sees the things makes me shake my head yaaaaas, says it with a humor and sass that leaves my jaw on the floor.
They are my newsletter yin and yang, powerful influencers, smart and funny. Have a look and I hope you enjoy.
Something that’s stuck with me over the last month is a comment that Luvvie made in a newsletter —
We need soul care, and that is often in community. Self-care, without community care isn’t as useful.
Preach, Luvvie. After writing a book on self-care, I both embraced and tried to distance myself from the concept that quickly became tired and over-commercialized. But soul care, oh yes Luvvie. That resonates. Soul care requires the elevation of spirit, and as it is written, you elevate spirit when in the presence of something bigger than you. A friend, a child, a tree. A sunset, an ocean. The other folks on a plane during mad turbulence. Your soul is supported by living others – animals, plants, humans.
While you think about the way you’d like to learn this season, may I encourage you to level it up to learning that takes care of your soul? It may be physical, spiritual, or academic. It’s likely social.
I’d love to hear where you’re choosing to learn.
Get after it,
Allison
