An 8 Minute Read, By Anthony (Tony) J. D’Angelo, founder of Collegiate Empowerment Posted May 28, 2020
Amidst all the uncertainty the industry of Higher Education is facing, one thing is sure: a new normal is slowly emerging as we live on in the COVID-19 pandemic. We don’t quite know what that new normal will look like yet. We do know it’s going to rattle, change, and transform the way we do things. Yet, at Collegiate Empowerment, our mission has not changed. Our mission, your mission, the mission of Higher Education is to help college students get what they want and need. We are playing this game for the long haul. But you cannot take your students to a place you yourself have not yet been.
We are continuing with our Collegiate Empowerment Community Coaching Program. For those who have been enrolled in the program or working through these tools on your own, you are taking this time to invest in yourself; for your own personal benefit, and so you can be insanely useful to your students, your institution, and the industry. What's starting to surface from this intentional self-study is a new sense of your vision as you answered the X-Factor Question. You've thought about your concerns, your excitement, and your confidence through the CEC Conversation. You're learning the mindset of, “We focus on progress, not perfection”.
Now we’re going to introduce our next tool: The Commitment Cultivator. The Commitment Cultivator is about three simple words: Continue, start, and stop. Recall your four-year vision. Think out four years from now (May 2024 at the time of publishing). In order to realize our vision, we need to first ask the X-Factor Question, “What needs to happen over the next four years for you to feel happy and successful about your progress?” Then we need to take it further. What do you need to do right now to work towards that vision? What do you need to continue doing, start doing, and stop doing?
CONTINUE:
Collegiate Empowerment is all about power in the context of energy. There are certain energies that you are putting yourself toward that you want to continue doing. They're helping you; they're supporting you; they’re serving you. Acknowledge the things you are doing right now that are helping you move towards your bigger future. These are the actions and habits you want to cultivate every day. These are your positive energies. Honor the things you are already a Rock Star at. What do you need to continue doing?
START:
Then there are those energies you need to engage in for your future success, but you just haven’t gotten there yet. This is about cultivating new actions and habits to lead you to your vision. You must ask yourself, “Assessing where I am now, what do I need to start doing to get to where I want to go?” If you want to run a marathon, you need to run that first mile. You've got to give yourself the grace to go ahead and start working towards your goals. These are your potential energies; energies that inspire and motivate. The powerful thing about the shutdown is you now have a cleared space. You have a level playing field. What do you need to start doing?
STOP:
After you take the time to evaluate the great stuff you are already doing, and you figure out what good stuff you need to start doing, then you need to deal with the difficult stuff. Perhaps these are the things that you keep secret or you’re not proud of. Maybe you’re hanging out with people who hold you back. You’ve been putting some unhelpful stuff in your body. You’re having some thoughts that are paralyzing your success. You’re derailing who you really want to be by getting in your own way. These are your negative energies. If you really want to have an awakening, an epiphany, a big change in your life, stop doing the things you know that are sabotaging your success. This is where transformation happens. Stop it.
The Eight Categories
It can be overwhelming at first to think about your life in this context. Let’s take it step by step. You may not know where to focus first. Here are eight categories of your life to apply the transformational power of The Commitment Cultivator.
1) Time: Time is moving differently for many of us these days. You likely have found yourself with more time on your hands. How are you using that time? What are the things you’re doing that deserve your attention? Keep doing those! What goals or tasks need some of your focus? Start putting some time into those areas. Maybe you find yourself scrolling on social media or pressing “next episode” one time too many. What things are sucking away your time?
2) Money: Finances are a concern for many of us right now. What are the ways you can continue to use your money wisely? Are there ways you can start to save and invest your wealth? Perhaps the shutdown has caused you to realize you were spending $20 dollars a day at Starbucks, getting your Frappuccino! What has the shutdown revealed to you about how you need to continue, start, and stop spending your money?
3) Health: What are your continues, starts, stops around your health? Currently, I'm doing intermittent fasting. I'm losing weight and feeling great. It’s keeping my emotional eating in check too. That’s one positive energy I’m going to keep going! One thing I've had to stop doing because of COVID is yoga. So, I want to start my yoga practice again. Lastly, I need to stop drinking too much alcohol. I need to make certain I stop by my third beer or my third glass of wine as that’s what’s best for my physical and mental health. What about your health goals? What can you continue, start, and stop?
4) Relationships: The shutdown has made all of us realize just how important our relationships are to us. Maybe you’ve gotten clarity on who your tribe is, your most important relationships. Continue to grow those relationships, even in isolation. Maybe there are new relationships and partnerships that you want to start or are starting. Maybe there are toxic relationships that you are now able to get space from. You don’t have to see that individual or individuals every day. That can be incredibly therapeutic. Don't underestimate the value of a stop when it comes to relationships.
5) Projects: What projects have you begun now in COVID, that you want to continue doing, start doing, and stop doing? Give yourself the grace to use this time to reinvent yourself. The shutdown is giving us all space to evaluate. If a project you’ve been engaged with no longer serves a need, it’s time to stop it and move on to something else.
6) Cleanups: Think about your continue, start, and stop in the form of cleanups. What cleanups have you been making in your life that you want to continue? People have been doing spring cleaning, downsizing, and getting rid of old clothing and stuff, because they have the time to focus on their home and what’s really important to them. What do you want to start doing? Maybe there's an outside home project that you’ve been putting off for a while. What do you want to stop doing? In the context of cleanups, maybe you keep picking up somebody else's mess. It’s time to set some boundaries.
7) Capabilities: The one thing you want to do during a shutdown like this is while cash is tight is develop and hone your capabilities. One of the continued skills for American Higher Education professionals is the ability to be ridiculously productive with digital meetings, either via phone, Zoom, or some other type of video conferencing. This is a great game changer. Start developing new capabilities that will make you useful to the industry and the students you serve. What do you want to stop doing? What capabilities do you have that you don't need to be doing anymore? One skill that used to be relevant: faxing. Send them text. Release capabilities that don’t serve you anymore to make space for ones that do.
8) Enjoyment: At Collegiate Empowerment, we come from the mindset that life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured. It’s important to take joy in the work you do and the life you live. Many of you have been discovering new things that you like. Maybe it’s going on an evening walk with your partner. Keep doing that. Maybe you really enjoy reading, but you haven’t had the time. Start reading again. Perhaps you loved to play video games but you’re realizing now that is more of an unhealthy escape than something you truly enjoy.
The Energy You Bring
Right now, so much is outside of our control. Still, we are responsible for the energies we bring to our lives. Through these coaching tools, you've been given an introduction to a foundation for intentional living. This program and these tools are about empowering you to take ownership for your life, your actions, and your vision. So, what are you going to do? What are you going to continue doing, start doing, and stop doing? It’s your life.
Make the commitments and great things will happen.
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Anthony (Tony) J. D’Angelo, is founder & Chief Visionary Officer of Collegiate Empowerment, a educational production company dedicated to serving the US Higher Education Industry. Since 1995, Tony has served as a coach and strategic consultant to thousands of Higher Education Professionals and University Executives from over 2,500 US colleges. Learn more @ www.Collegiate-Empowerment.org or Follow: @TonyDAngelo on Twitter.
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