Memorial Day weekend is here. Living in Indianapolis, that means it is The Race weekend. But not only in Indy, but across the entire country it should mean so much more to all of us. Whatever your beliefs are, it is important to take not just a moment, but several moments to reflect on those that have helped shape this country with their lives. To all veterans of all wars, I say thank you. Your sacrifices have allowed me to grow as an adult and bring my own child into this world. Not to be cliche' but you really can't put any kind of price tag on that type of freedom.
I also want to take this weekend and remember those people from my family or people I have had the pleasure of meeting and knowing. Everyone has someone they should remember during this weekend. Family members, friends, colleagues, leaders, mentors, teachers...there is someone out there that made sacrifices for you and I. Two people that I remember on a daily basis, but particularly this weekend are my Uncle Tom who passed away a couple of years ago and a friend of mine from when I lived in Seattle who passed away far too young. Both gave me direction and insight about life that I will always carry with me. Although it is convenient to remember only on Memorial Day, I like to take time and recall greatness about those that I have known throughout the entire year. So in between race parties, cookouts, trips to the lake and spending time with friends and family, really take some moments and remember. Remember those that have impacted you that are no longer with us, and remember those that impact you today that you can still reach out to. You never know what your feelings may mean to someone who helped shape who you are.
To all of my friends and family, I remember you and thank you for all that you have given me. Have a great holiday everyone.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Transitions
Switching gears from my last, less than uplifting post, I thought I would try and sprinkle some positivity throughout cyberspace. Spring is a time of change and re-birth, and I have gone through a lot of this lately. My employer recently switched its name, my brother just had twins (a boy and a girl) to go along with their other son, my daughter is enthusiastically and aggressively potty training herself and at 36, I am learning that I may never fully become an adult.
As of Monday April 27th, Indiana Business College became Harrison College. As an organization, we all are extremely excited for this transition because our name now better represents who we are as an academic institution. Of our 30 programs, more than half of them are in fields other than business. We will be opening our first campus outside of Indiana in September of 2009 in Columbus, OH. Our online division represents students from 30+ states and 5 countries. It was the right time for a name change, all while maintaining our company core values and hands-on relationships with our students and graduates. On top of all of this, Harrison College was named to the "Best Places to Work in Indiana" list for the second consecutive year, and is the only education based company to make the list. Although this process was over an 18 month period, the amount of work that went into this transition was monumental. But already we are seeing the fruits of our labor with incredible positive feedback internally and externally. It is an exciting time to be a part of Harrison College and to be in this industry. Change isn't always well received, but in this instance, I think things went better than expected. I am fortunate to be a part of this transition.
On top of a name change, I am blessed to be an uncle again, two times over! My brother and his wife were able to successfully deliver twins last weekend and the babies and mom are all home and healthy. I know that my brother and his wife are in for a giant transition, but I am confident that they will flourish with the support of both sides of the family. Having had my own child, I am constantly amazed at the entire process of bringing a child (or in this case, two children) into the world. Although stressful and life changing, I am happy to see two great parents have the opportunity to impact and develop two new children.
How can I possibly top the last two big events in my life recently? Well, for those of you that are fortunate enough to have potty-trained a child, I probably don't need to explain the giddiness associated with this monumental step. For those that haven't had this experience let me tell you, it is both prideful and hilarious. I am not sure I ever envisioned making up potty songs, cheers, clapping routines, high-fiving displays, dances and family bonding over a 23 month old asking to go potty. And then to see her laugh uncontrollably after doing her business, well, for those that know me, it is nothing short of spectacular. My parents used to bribe me with M&Ms when I went the bathroom. For our daughter, it is Elmo stickers that motivate her...combined with my singing and clapping. My wife often threatens me that she is going to get the Flip camera out and post on Facebook my horribly uncoordinated "Potty Dance" routines after each successful deposit by our daughter. So far, I have been able to prevent this from happening, but stay tuned...my wife is pretty stealth.
All of this brings me to my last point...I still don't feel like a full adult yet, and I am actually great with this. I stress like an adult over mortgages, the market, unexpected expenses, etc. But part of me is still able to keep things somewhat in perspective. I have a beautiful family, I enjoy my career beyond my wildest dreams and I can still have a lot of fun with my friends and wife. All in all, things are pretty good. I am not naive enough to think that everyone is as fortunate as me right now. There are a lot of people going through many more difficult transitions. My only advice is to look to the past and the future for happier moments. I am a big proponent of Lou Tice and his thought that (paraphrasing) "saying is believing." If you say that things will get better, you ultimately will believe things will get better, which will eventually make things better. Remember the positive factors in your lives and either continue your current transition upward, or help pull yourself upward over time.
As of Monday April 27th, Indiana Business College became Harrison College. As an organization, we all are extremely excited for this transition because our name now better represents who we are as an academic institution. Of our 30 programs, more than half of them are in fields other than business. We will be opening our first campus outside of Indiana in September of 2009 in Columbus, OH. Our online division represents students from 30+ states and 5 countries. It was the right time for a name change, all while maintaining our company core values and hands-on relationships with our students and graduates. On top of all of this, Harrison College was named to the "Best Places to Work in Indiana" list for the second consecutive year, and is the only education based company to make the list. Although this process was over an 18 month period, the amount of work that went into this transition was monumental. But already we are seeing the fruits of our labor with incredible positive feedback internally and externally. It is an exciting time to be a part of Harrison College and to be in this industry. Change isn't always well received, but in this instance, I think things went better than expected. I am fortunate to be a part of this transition.
On top of a name change, I am blessed to be an uncle again, two times over! My brother and his wife were able to successfully deliver twins last weekend and the babies and mom are all home and healthy. I know that my brother and his wife are in for a giant transition, but I am confident that they will flourish with the support of both sides of the family. Having had my own child, I am constantly amazed at the entire process of bringing a child (or in this case, two children) into the world. Although stressful and life changing, I am happy to see two great parents have the opportunity to impact and develop two new children.
How can I possibly top the last two big events in my life recently? Well, for those of you that are fortunate enough to have potty-trained a child, I probably don't need to explain the giddiness associated with this monumental step. For those that haven't had this experience let me tell you, it is both prideful and hilarious. I am not sure I ever envisioned making up potty songs, cheers, clapping routines, high-fiving displays, dances and family bonding over a 23 month old asking to go potty. And then to see her laugh uncontrollably after doing her business, well, for those that know me, it is nothing short of spectacular. My parents used to bribe me with M&Ms when I went the bathroom. For our daughter, it is Elmo stickers that motivate her...combined with my singing and clapping. My wife often threatens me that she is going to get the Flip camera out and post on Facebook my horribly uncoordinated "Potty Dance" routines after each successful deposit by our daughter. So far, I have been able to prevent this from happening, but stay tuned...my wife is pretty stealth.
All of this brings me to my last point...I still don't feel like a full adult yet, and I am actually great with this. I stress like an adult over mortgages, the market, unexpected expenses, etc. But part of me is still able to keep things somewhat in perspective. I have a beautiful family, I enjoy my career beyond my wildest dreams and I can still have a lot of fun with my friends and wife. All in all, things are pretty good. I am not naive enough to think that everyone is as fortunate as me right now. There are a lot of people going through many more difficult transitions. My only advice is to look to the past and the future for happier moments. I am a big proponent of Lou Tice and his thought that (paraphrasing) "saying is believing." If you say that things will get better, you ultimately will believe things will get better, which will eventually make things better. Remember the positive factors in your lives and either continue your current transition upward, or help pull yourself upward over time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)