I feel like 2010 is starting out a bit like a fire hose and I am trying to keep control without much success. When I have had a chance to sit down to blog I have found my mind too busy to focus on any one subject long enough to write. Sure I could tell you about the current Bailey challenges. However, a dog’s digestive tract just doesn’t seem like a topic worth sharing. There have been some really positive things happening. We found an excellent trainer and are regularly going to class as well as puppy and dog social hours. This has been time well spent because Bailey is enjoying a great variety of dogs of all ages and sizes and we are getting trained along the way.
Then there’s work which is picking up. We had an excellent session with a team we had not been with for a while. They have done some great work building cohesion and clarity based on some of the original work we did. It’s neat to see what folks do with what they have learned!! Now we are prepping for a much larger group. Shortly we’ll be presenting in front of a group of 150 financial folks. This will be bit more challenging because there is more of a speaker element to the day and we will be talking more to leaders then to teams. I like the challenge and of course with anything new there is some anxiety.
Then there’s the Board that I am on for the school I am a part of here in Whitefish. Last year was a year of significant transition for the school and though I think we did a good job of shifting from a founder as leader to a broader group of folks leading, we are still dealing with some transition issues. The founder hasn’t found the shift easy and there’s tensions that have yet to resolve. Because the school is a centered around a spiritual community and focus there is a belief that the issues are somehow unique. I am not so sure about that. Basically the hardest issues the school faces seem pretty much the same as any business I have worked with – breakdowns in communication and silo’s activity that slows down overall progress.
Of course I also am trying to stay enagged in the various activities happening at The Haven. As part of the core faculty there I like to stay as informed as possible. I love the times that I am there leading programs. Over five years ago The Haven went through it’s on transition as Ben and Jock stepped away from being involved in day to day operations. That transiton was very difficult for me because The Haven was more family then buisness. I struggled with the shift and at one point pulled way back. I have reengaged though not quite at the same level. Some of that is because I moved to Montana and I am not at The Haven as much or in contact with folks who are there as frequently. Some of it is because I have become more enagged in the community out here and don’t have the band width to stay fully present in both worlds.
So my life is busy. I have no doubt everyone goes through their own version of juggling what’s most important in their lives. It’s not easy to keep a healthy balance.
I do have a image in my mind of trying to control a fire hose with the water turned on full force. Right now I feel like the hose is whipping around in too mnay directions. I either need to get a firmer grip on the hose to control the flow or I need to expand the hose so the water has more room to flow.
Next week I’ll be offline at a yoga retreat. Lots of time to figure out which way I want to go!