Sunday, February 14, 2021 (Happy Valentine’s Day)
New Meditation Music: Balance: Liquid Mind – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge066guNr90
Question: What do you remember (or imagine) being worried about 10 years ago?
Answer: It was my third year at UNCG and we were dealing with another year of budget cuts. Since the money for my position came from faculty lines, a few faculty felt that my position should be eliminated and given to the faculty. The Dean at the time, (Celia Hooper, a goddess in my eyes) told them that she was definitely not giving up my position! In fact, she told them to wait to see what he’s able to do…and you’ll leave him alone. Needless to say, I was able to finally get retention and graduation rate numbers, showing that the work that I was doing was increasing retention and graduation rates, they left me along. She had faith in me and what I was doing, which doesn’t always happen in higher education. I learned how much ego plays a HUGE role in decision-making at an institution, which is a large reason why higher education is in the predicament they are in right now. And yes, that will be another post down the road. It was also the first time where I felt I could stay for a while, since I felt in my heart that I wouldn’t last five years. Today, I would be shocked if I’m there for the duration of my contract (June 2022), since I know that the Life Design Catalyst work that I’m doing is not considered valuable at the institution, despite the significant increases in retention and graduation rates. This time, I’m not sure I have similar backing, since there’s a few administrative changes coming in 2021 – and I’m not sure where I fit in the future plans. Anybody hiring?
Other Stuff
If you know me, I’m a BIG fan of self-awareness and personal development, so much so that I teach classes at my institution (UNCG) titled, “What Could I Do With My Life” and “Redesign a Life You’ll Love.” There aren’t many places that teach a course on how to live your life.
One of my goals this year, as I continue this daily routine of journaling every day, was to provide people with resources (articles, videos, music, etc.) that could be useful in self-awareness and personal development. In these blog post, I’m sharing a resource that I found useful in my journey, then compiling the information on the Dream Dean Resource Page. It’s my hope that at least one person find the information useful in their journey.
So, here’s another article on self-awareness that’s more comprehensive than most that I’ve read over time. Part of the reason I like it is that it actually provides a definition of self-awareness and personal development, which at least provides a frame for the author’s suggestions. It had a lot of great information, so check it out here:
- Why Self-Awareness Is Important and How to Develop It – https://www.success.com/why-self-awareness-is-important-and-how-to-develop-it/
Feel free to share any thoughts or takeaways that you might have from the article in the comments box. Enjoy!
The Dream Dean 
The work you do is powerful, valuable, helpful, and important. I hope that you remain at the University, as I know your impact is much more than anyone can measure.