Apr 2, 2008
Have you ever done something for a while and it went really well and you wondered how long it would last? So you push it for as long as you could, then all of a sudden it crashes, turns bad. Then there are people that seem to recognize when it’s a good time to get out. When it’s time to retire, move on, change jobs, close a business or end a relationship. They just seem to have a knack. They get out just at the right time!
I have been presented with many different examples of both. Just yesterday I had one of each. I had a chance to meet Paul, a 60 year old camp owner/director. He has decided to close his camp. I had a chance to spend about 90 minutes with him. I asked him why he was “getting out”. He said. “I wanted to leave when I still liked what I was doing. I have had 20 great years. It’s time for something else.” He wasn’t upset, maybe a little sad but confident with his choice.
He went on to say, “I am proud of the lives that I have affected, some of my staff from the past has become teachers, great parents and some work with service organizations. I had an impact. Their lives are different, better because of this camp.”
I like Paul. I hope our paths cross again. He inspired me and made me think. It’s amazing how people enter your life at unique times.
The second person I crossed paths with was a young, first year university student that can’t seem to let go of High School. She wants to return for a school conference that she was involved with last year. The teacher advisor has had to put a stop to the return so that the current student leaders won’t have any distractions from this former student leaders return. We all need to move on. It’s knowing when that is the secret.
There are many reasons why we don’t move on. There’s comfort, staying with what you know, fear of change, fear of failure or the unknown. The thing is that life was meant to be lived. It’s not a bad thing to do something different or go out on a limb… isn’t that wear the ripest fruit is!? Think about it. If you decide to make that change, make it on your terms. Enjoy the ending, don’t regret it.
Here is today’s question… Read it, write it, answer and SHARE your thoughts here on the BLOG!
Take a personal life inventory, is there something you need to let go of? Is there something that you could try that’s new?
Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Apr 2, 2008 at 5:47 pm | Permanent Link | Comments (5)
Comment posted on Jun 6, 2008 at 3:15 pm by Ann Marie (YLCC Guest)
Trrremendous blog today Stu. It hit me very hard. Letting go is a very hard lesson to learn, and even when you think you’ve got it down…Bam, it just might get you again.
The biggest source of “newness” in my life right now is the search for the right grad school program. The freedom of this choice is both liberating and terrifying. Stay at home? Move away again? Public school? Private school? Big school? Small school? Assistantship? Internship? Gah! But despite the stress of the choice, lies the confidence of the decision. Like your friend Paul.
So I’ll continue to navigate the unknown, and seek out a program that best matches my needs and talents. Thank you for your support, Stu. It’s always easier to move ahead, with a strong force behind you.
Comment posted on Jun 6, 2008 at 3:16 pm by Hill (YLCC Guest)
I personally am trying what I have always wanted to! I came travelling overseas by myself. I am definately not regretting my decision to do this. I am gaining so much here.
I will miss YLCC, but I feel as Paul does. This year it was time for me to move on, it may only be temporarily, I may end up there again, but for now I’ve had to let it go for this year and it was hard, but I’m glad I did it.
I will miss YLCC incredibly this year! Great blog Stu…
Comment posted on Jun 6, 2008 at 3:16 pm by Carolyn (YLCC Guest)
This spring is the first spring that I don’t already know if and when and how I’m going to be at YLCC. Almost three years ago I was certain I was never coming back, and then I was gifted with two incredible life-altering summers on staff.
But this summer is different. This is my first summer without camp.
Instead, this summer I am moving to Vancouver, BC for three months, 1 and 1/2 of which I will be on my own, once my sister leaves for Europe.
This will be my first time living alone! I will have a job. I will be paying rent. I will be pursuing volunteer and research work up at the university. I will be writing the Graduate Record Exam and preparing for my grant applications for the fall. I will be doing preliminary research for my undergraduate thesis.
All this because *next* summer I will be preparing to move out permanently and heading into a Master’s program somewhere else in Canada. Momma’s girl that I am and belated as my departure may be, I am going to be giving up my home in order to make a new one.
YLCC has also been my home. It breaks my heart to know I won’t be spending those hot July weeks with the fantastic people I love and the fantastic people I haven’t even met yet.
But homes are the places you travel from and come back to, not the places you wait around in.
Fabulous blog, Stu. Best of luck and best of the season to all of you up there.ad
Comment posted on Jun 6, 2008 at 3:17 pm by Stacey (YLCC Guest)
Take a personal life inventory, is there something you need to let go of? Is there something that you could try that’s new?
Wow! Great question, it really makes you think about everything. My life has always been the same, I have lived in the same town, had the same friends since grade 5 , and the same boyfriend for 5 years. I have made the decision to leave all of this and go to school at UBC. I am not leaving everyone for a new life, nor am i leaving because I need to get away. I am just going for a new adventure, a new experience, and I am looking foward to it!!
Thanks for this blog Stu, it was a good one!!a
Comment posted on Jun 6, 2008 at 3:17 pm by Jessome (YLCC Guest)
Take a personal life inventory, is there something you need to let go of? Is there something that you could try that’s new?
It’s been a busy year. March is always a series of all-nighters while I grind out a group of essays, and then I find myself exhausted in April. I know I need to let go of the unnecessary stresses that I invent in my life, but it’s difficult in such a transitional month, when I have so many things to take care of.
This year however, I have tried to make it different:
- I left my job at the resort before April even started
- I’ve turned down a roadtrip that’s happening a few days before camp, so I can spend some time at home and celebrate my mom’s birthday
- I’ve even turned down coming to camp early, because I know I need a week to relax, so I can be prepared for the summer.
With these three steps, I’m hoping to allow myself some breathing room. This breathing room is going to protect me from feeling rushed, and I’m going to be relaxed. Once I’m relaxed, I’m not accepting stress as inevitable this summer, and I’m going to be organized and more prepared than ever.
Great Blog Stu.
Fantastic Weekend.
See you in less than two weeks!