Word Press – Walk Into the Future

Irie vibes–control the controllable

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them”.

(Maya Angelou)

Control the controllable is one of my favorite sayings. Do not remember where I heard it first, but it has been a way of thinking for many years. Try to leverage this saying when things appear difficult and I need to remind myself to trust the process.

I shared the saying in a LinkedIn post back in April and was pleasantly surprised with the number of views (900+), reactions (20+) and comments the post garnered. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we view normal and it can be easy to get overwhelmed with everything happening around us.

Dictionary.com defines control as the power to influence or direct people’s behavior or the course of events.

Control the controllable can serve as a positive mantra to help tackle difficult times and situations.

Take care of yourself

Taking care of yourself can be done in many ways. For some this may mean ensuring you make time to exercise. For others this can be done by eating a healthier diet. This combination is a critical aspect of controlling how you function daily. A key component some of us may have forgotten until now is the mental and emotional elements in your life. COVID-19 has made us view life differently and reveals the importance of mental health. The ability to seek and find clarity should be at the forefront of taking care of yourself.

Take care of others

Who are YOUR tree branches? Make sure you reach out to them to help them navigate this new way of life. Most people will tell you they are doing okay but keep checking on them. They will appreciate the effort and it helps you keep your tree growing. You can also reach out to people who are not tree branches; make someone’s day and become a mentor to help move them forward and provide some guidance.

Continue to practice physical distancing

The government and news agencies penned the term social distancing. Believe this connotation has been a problem from day 1. Most people had never heard of this term prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and it may have confused some. I like the term physical distancing because it says right in the title to stay away from others. We have got enamored with social media and everything that comes with it—think a lot of people could not understand what was really being asked of them when told to practice social distancing. Regardless how you address the term, physical distancing is something we have some level of control.

Create personal outlets

Look for personal and creative outlets to leverage the things you can control. The Walk into the Future blog has become a major way for me to express a creative side I really did not know existed. I get excited researching topics and then challenging myself to create an article someone else may want to read. Have no idea if anyone is really reading this stuff but I keep plugging away because it is something I control.

Running and weightlifting are other outlets I utilized to control the controllable for myself. Journaling outside of my work on the Walk into the Future blog has a calming effect for me. Most times when writing in my journal I can generate work and life ideas to implement later. Handwriting content in the journal also makes me slow done a bit and really think through what I want to write down. Always recommend journaling to anyone who will listen to me because it is an excellent outlet to express thoughts—try it! 😊

Reggae and the beach are other outlets I have available to me daily.

Open your eyes and your mind to see your outlets!

“The control center of your life is your attitude”.

(Anonymous)

Live, love and laugh

Life can be a compilation of good and bad. Let’s focus on the good and leverage the positive energy this mindset brings. Live daily, love often and laugh always! (I just made that up). 😊

What daily things are within your control? How do you maintain this control? Thanks!

“The moment you give up, is the moment you let someone else win.”

(Kobe Bryant)

Zoom into the Future

zoom

(Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay)

“When in doubt, zoom out”.

(Reggie Watts)

I like starting Walk into the Future articles with a quote to inspire my thought process and get me going. Well, the quote above is the best I could find with zoom in it but has nothing really to do with this article. Forgive me but thought it was funny and had the appropriate word (zoom) I needed to move forward.

The last several months have been productive, exciting, and frustrating (COVID-19) but progress has been made daily. The Zoom application has become a popular way for the workforce to keep making positive things happen considering the COVID-19 pandemic. More people are using this platform to ensure daily operations and tasks are completed in this new way to go to work.

Zoom interview

My first foray using the Zoom application came back in February when I was introduced to it for a first-round interview. I have used Skype to interview for past positions and to interview candidates for openings on my team. Did not know much about Zoom but found the process a lot more seamless than the Skype application. Simply receive an email with a link, click on the link at the appropriate time and you are meeting with the folks on the distant end. Zoom provides the capability to host multiple people in multiple locations so this appears to make getting a team together to interview candidates a bit easier than Skype. I am sure there are still uses for the Skype platform but thought Zoom took pressure off me as the candidates since I did not have to test my computer/software as in the past.

Zoom team meeting

Leveraged my newfound appreciation for Zoom by hosting my first team meeting with my new team at Indian River State College prior to starting work. Again, COVID-19 has most organizations working remotely to avoid large meetings and practicing physical distancing. I wanted to get a head start on teambuilding prior to moving to Fort Pierce and Zoom was the perfect application. We were able to host 10 people in 5 different locations (physical distancing) and build a team foundation to help us find ways to ensure students, faculty/staff and employers continue to receive world class customer service. I have talked with tree branches who are using Zoom but found it to be an even better platform than described.

Zoom work process (onboarding, team meetings, teambuilding)

Realize there are several who will read this article who have been using Zoom for a while. I am just getting my feet wet and see so many useful ways to use this platform even after we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff on satellite campuses can continue to participate in meetings, workshops, and teambuilding activities without having to drive to the main campus. There will be times when they need/want to be present, but Zoom can save time and driving to and from the main campus. Also, see the benefits of conducting one-on-one sessions with distant students, employers, and staff. Just getting my thoughts together but I am sure I will leverage Zoom to find ways to ensure our students have the best employment opportunities available. Zoom appears to be setting the pace for a new world order! Stay tuned as I will continue to share how I am zooming into the future. 😊

How does your organization use the Zoom platform? Do you have tricks of the trade you can share? Thanks!

NOTE: Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Blackboard Collaborate are three platforms I am actively using at work. The three platforms are easy to navigate and provides similar functionality.

Walking into the Future and making money moves!

Money moves

(Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay)

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”.

(Benjamin Franklin)

Urban Dictionary defines money moves as: a term used to describe a bad individual on the grind. This person works hard to make moves to elevate their financial success, fame, or status. Simple enough, huh?

It is normally associated with financial success but does not have to be limited to obtaining a financial payout to be considered a money move.

I have referred to several opportunities associated with my Walk into the Future as money moves. Never attempted to associate them with a financial outlook but always saw them as leading to future goals and outcomes. Money moves came up again in a conversation with a friend and we agreed I should detail how I am making money moves.

Mentoring and people building daily is the money move with the most impact for me. Enjoy sharing wisdom and helping my tree branches grow in their daily endeavors. Making a difference daily remains a goal for me and I look for additional ways to make this happen. Turns out helping others allows me to stretch my skills and continue to grow right along with them. I get to increase my knowledge while researching topics to leverage during my mentoring sessions. The money move centers around limitless growth for me and the tree branch and keeps us both moving forward.

Blogging weekly is the money move that provides me with a creative outlet. Never shared my thoughts or aspirations in a public platform before but turns out writing my ideas for others to read forces me to act. Sounds simple but there is not a way for me to back out of a process once I have written it down and shared on the Walk into the Future blog. My tree branches hold me accountable for the things I write, and I want to make positive things happen. A lot of things I have accomplished over the past two years are related to me generating content for the blog. Amazing how the written word bounds you to commit to the things you write. Turns out I had a lot to say but never really said anything—now you cannot get me to be quiet! 😊

Participating as a guest on multiple podcasts has been an unexpected money move but enjoy the process now. I am not a huge follower of podcasts but know the format continues to grow and is extremely popular. View my time on podcasts as another way to inspire people and grow new tree branches. People reach out to me on LinkedIn to let me know they enjoyed my work on the Mastering College to Career and Intern Whisperer podcasts. I have done multiple episodes with both podcast partners and look forward to shooting more soon. My friend, Daniel Botero keeps pushing me to start my own podcast. Never say never but I have not committed to this as a new money move project yet. It may be something I seriously consider for a 2021 project—we will see.

Being a running tourist is the money move with the most transformational impact for me. Never set out to lose a specific amount of weight but running more and longer distances has allowed me to shed pounds and keep them off. I sleep better and have a ton of energy to tackle my daily activities. Running also provides me with a platform to clear my mind and generate content for the Walk into the Future blog. A lot of blog topic ideas are generated during one of my weekly runs—I should take a voice recorder with me but luckily, I am able to remember most of the ideas that pop into my head while out running. Running also provides me a mechanism to remain competitive as I compete with myself to beat a previous race or training time. I also compete with my tree branches as we share personal best race times. I am chasing one of you (Kume) right now to improve my 10k time—getting closer! 😊

My speaking platform is the final money move for me to highlight. I find this to be an effective way for me to reach new tree branches. Always looking for additional speaking opportunities (pre COVID-19) to share my knowledge with others. I have been able to adjust speaking topics into blog articles and vice versa. The spoken and written word remains a powerful combination and will continue to leverage them moving forward. Plan to get back into the lab and generate new speaking topics because I anticipate being back on the speaking circuit once the COVID-19 outlook gets better. May look for ways to leverage the virtual platforms like Zoom to engage people with technology. Got a lot of new ideas to try out just need to remain patient and then unleash on the world.

So, as you can see, money moves can be anything you want them to be. You do not have to receive a financial windfall to get fulfillment and make a difference. Think Biggie says it well! (see below).

“Don’t chase the paper, chase the dream”.

(Biggie Smalls)

What money moves are you making right now?

Transition towards the future!

(Image by Volker Sachse from Pixabay)

“Light precedes every transition. Whether at the end of a tunnel, through a crack in the door or the flash of an idea, it is always there, heralding a new beginning”.

(Teresa Tsalaky)

I spend a large amount of time generating lists in my daily Walk into the Future. This is not a new phenomenon because I find my lists help keep me focused and moving forward in multiple areas. I track everything: daily activities, weekly to-do lists, yearly goals, every gym workout, every mile I run and how fast I ran them. Small correction, I do not track what I eat—may need to add this process since I have decided to eat better in 2020—we will see! Guess a grocery list would help with this, huh? 😊

Decided to discuss my list making process because a tree branch wanted me to write an article about what the transition from my previous work life to my current Walk into the Future journey looks like. His interest was more in understanding the transition because a lot of people talk about making a change but never really discuss what happens during the transition.

Of course, my transition started with a list. I sat on a beach on 4/14/18 and created a PRO/CON list to give me a visual of why/if I wanted to Walk into the Future. Did a complete assessment and put items under the PRO (stay) or CON (walk) column to give me something measurable. The list was heavily populated on the CON side so my decision to Walk into the Future was easy to make and backed by data. I will not dive into what was on the list but wanted to share there was a process involved to help with this decision.

“Transitions in life can offer opportunities for discovery”.

(Robbie Shell)

Throwback article on moving forward:

https://walkintothefuture.blog/2019/10/17/dont-fear-the-unknown-life-moves-forward

I am sure there are books and additional articles written by others who have transitioned from one work environment to another. This process is unique to everyone who decides to Walk into the Future—I will share things unique to me and my current Walk into the Future.

Humility

Being humble signals a willingness to learn and continue to grow. I have never professed I know everything, so I continue to be a lifelong learner. I read, network and ask questions when I do not understand something. Humility can speed up the transition process by seeking others to help along the way. Therefore, I never turn down meetings, speaking engagements or random conversations—I am learning as I go, and everyone can be a good source of information for me. I have maintained relationships with mentors and expanded my mentor pool to ensure I’m continuing to learn and grow.

Patience

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! This is an old leadership axiom to get people to focus on the process and not get overwhelmed with the perceived end results. Most things in life are a process and can be overcome with a patient approach. I have had to display a high level of patience during my Walk into the Future because not everyone I encounter is trying to get to the exact place I am. They may not even know how to help me get where I am headed and may need to refer me to someone else. I have learned the art of the follow-up call/email very well during this period! 😊 Remember, one bite at a time.

Sense of Humor

Laughter is a great way to release endorphins and makes you feel good. Laughter is also needed in this process because I do not take everything so seriously. Life is stressful enough without us adding more to it. I make a point to laugh, tell jokes and enjoy life to the max. I smile when I pitch a proposal to organizations for speaking engagements and I smile when organizations so no thank you. I generate a big old grin when I book a gig—it feels good! The key I believe is not to get too high or low during this process—laughing daily helps with this. I make a point to smile, laugh and enjoy myself when presenting to others—believe people relate to others who smile.

Confidence

Spend any amount of time with me and you will understand I do not lack confidence. This really helped when making the decision to Walk into the Future. It also leads to the ability to keep moving forward even when things do not go my way. I have heard the word NO more times than YES during this process but cannot let that distract me from my mission to make a difference daily. My lists mentioned earlier help as well because they allow me to check things off—never discount the importance of checking things off a list—it shows progress! I view life as a journey and confidence helps every step of the way. Positive self-talk is an outstanding way to get and maintain your confidence levels.

Mental and Physical outlets

My blog articles cover a lot of topics as I continue my Walk into the Future. I purposely seek out activities to enhance my mental and physical well being daily. My daily workouts, running program and yoga practice are designed to boost my physical fitness and allow me to generate endorphins. Never discount the impact physical activity provides to daily life.

I am an avid reader, so bookstore and library visits are a regular part of my program. I gravitate to blogs, online articles and LinkedIn to ensure I continue to learn new things. My book topics range from self-help, psychology, poetry and autobiographies. I do not venture into fiction much—John Sanford is the only fiction author I read on a regular basis. Discovered him by accident over 20 years ago while stationed on Okinawa, Japan. Been reading his work ever since.

I maintain a journal which helps me process my thoughts and aspirations. This is a weekly process for me or anytime I am at the beach. Lastly, the Walk into the Future blog provides an outstanding mental outlet vehicle for me. Get to write and test out ideas here right in front of YOU! 😊

So, there you have it. This is still an active transition for me as I explore new ideas, topics, interests and partnerships. This journey will continue, and I am sure there will be pivots needed but the smile on my face will not go away.

Enjoy your transition as you walk with me!

How can you make the transitions needed for your journey? Who can you partner with to enhance the transition period? Thanks!

“Life is a transition”.

(Lailah Gifty Akita)

Stop limiting your progress—remove personal roadblocks

Road Block image

(Image by Manfred Antranias Zimmer from Pixabay)

“Love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort and keep on learning”.

(Carol Dweck)

What is holding you back from accomplishing what you want out of life?

This question and subsequent answers can be applied to your personal and professional life. I’m a huge advocate for positive energy helping us meet or exceed our life goals so, begin the process to remove anything that would limit your progress today!

Dictionary.com defines progress as forward or onward movement toward a destination.

Let your daily thoughts, actions and words lead you toward the progress your desire in all areas of your life.

I’m a firm believer we can talk ourselves into or out of anything in life. I’ve started answering the question how’s your day? with the response fantastic. I use this response to trigger the destination I’m seeking and ensure my thoughts match the destination. I know this is a simple explanation but how many people have you heard say the following:

I’m not a morning person…
I want to work out but don’t have time…
Working on this project is going to suck…

They have just created a negative thought pattern for the highlighted activities. Not saying simply putting a positive spin would make everything work better BUT it can’t hurt. Why create these roadblocks for yourself? Positive self-talk can be used here to get better outcomes. It takes time to adjust your mindset but should be worth the attempt.

“There is no elevator to success. You must take the stairs”.

(Unknown)

Next, put the necessary actions in place to match your positive thoughts. Identify the things needed to reverse the identified roadblocks. Using the same thoughts listed above can help highlight how actions can help with your thoughts:

I’m not a morning person…
- (Action: establish an earlier and consistent bedtime)
I want to work out but don’t have time…
- (Action: start small, walk during lunch or after dinner; work out at home)
Working on this project is going to suck…
- (Action: research the project, look for ways to influence positive outcomes)

Finally, put the appropriate words in place to ensure your thoughts and actions move you towards the progress you seek. I leverage reggae and specifically Bob Marley songs to get me in an Irie state of mind prior to speaking engagements. This may seem like a small factor, but I’ve found sustained success when I do this. Playing reggae also enhances the mood and mindset of my audience.

I routinely write the following words in my notes prior to speaking: eye contact, speak clearly, move the crowd and have fun.

These words are consistent with the outcomes I want from every presentation. I mentioned in an earlier post I still get nervous prior to speaking even with my experience level. Writing these words prior to an engagement give me the focus needed to ensure a successful presentation. My words in this example influence my thoughts and lead to positive actions. Simple, huh?

This is not an overnight process! It takes time and self-awareness to fully understand how your thoughts, words and actions impact your daily interactions.

What roadblocks have you created that limit your progress? What thoughts, actions and words can you leverage to remove these roadblocks? Thanks!

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right”.

(Henry Ford)

Open Road

(Image by Rohan S from Pixabay)

My favorite thing about me!

Mirror

(Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay)

“On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom”.

(Michel de Montaigne)

My efforts to create content for the Walk into the Future blog finds me conducting research in multiple locations. I’m an avid reader so of course books, online articles and other blogs catch my attention daily. The goal is to generate fresh content others would be willing to read and share with their network. Always seeking additional content ideas as I Walk into the Future.

Came across an interesting guide during my research phase called 365 Days of Writing Prompts which was created by the Word Press editors to prompt bloggers with inspiration to write every day. Some of the prompts are an attempt to give bloggers a vault of topics which hopefully leads to finished articles.

I incorporate daily thoughts, conversations and events into Walk into the Future blog posts so most of the Word Press prompts are just things for me to view—not looking to write without a real purpose since this would not help promote my why on the blog.

Found a few of the Word Press prompts interesting enough to put aside to see if I could develop a future blog post. The following prompt is my first post using the Word Press guide:

Toot your horn: Most of us are excellent at being self-deprecating and are not so good at the opposite. Tell us your favorite thing about yourself.

Perseverance is defined as persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success (Dictionary.com).

I’ve talked about superpowers and leveraging my why to make a positive difference in the world. My favorite thing about myself at this point in my Walk into the Future is my perseverance.

My goal is to tackle each day with positive energy as I continue to move forward in the world. Would like to say things always go my way but that’s not true or a realistic outcome. I continue to persevere even when things don’t follow the plan; my positive energy mantra allows me to quickly regroup, make new plans (pivot) and then move forward.

The Walk into the Future title was selected for the blog because it gives me purpose and enhances how I interact with others daily.

Perseverance in my daily Walk into the Future allows me to continue to focus on how my words, thoughts, actions and why lead to small wins daily. The win could simply be a comment from one of my tree branches, family or blog followers, but it provides the positive energy to strive to do more in this world.

So, there it is, perseverance is my favorite thing about myself! Will continue to work on projects and topics to incorporate my why to see where this journey leads. Always striving for positive energy and outcomes in everything I touch—Irie mindset daily!

What is your favorite thing about yourself? How do you display your favorite thing to others? Thanks for walking with me!

“A true genius admits he/she knows nothing”.

(Albert Einstein)

Running fitness—the transformation continues

Transformation

(Image by Kei Rothblack from Pixabay)

“Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice”.

(Heather Ash Amara)

I’ve been able to experience a lot of new and exciting things during my current Walk into the Future. Didn’t have a complete idea how this walk would transpire but happy to report it is going very well.

I get to travel and experience new places and adventures, see friends and catch up, write and network daily and work on my mental and physical fitness. We will dive into my physical fitness to highlight an important transformation that I’m adjusting to. Not complaining about this transformation but it has a funny side effect.

My normal body weight when I started this Walk into the Future adventure and blog was in the 205 – 207 pound range. Was always happy with this weight range because I concentrated more on lifting weights during my gym sessions to build muscle. I wasn’t a power lifter, but I made sure to add a few additional plates to maintain my muscle volume and fill out my shirts.

My workouts still focus on overall body symmetry with designated days for each body part (chest day, leg day, back, etc.). The big shift with my fitness program is the cardio components I’ve added as I pursue my half marathon goal to finish under two hours.

I’ve documented in multiple blog posts the increased mileage I’m running to improve my endurance and speed for my races. I continue to look for ways to get faster as I extend my runs and weekly mileage. Set a 2020 goal to hit 1,200 miles this year!

The one thing I really didn’t notice was the effect running was having on my body. No, I’m not going to report aches and pains, that comes with running, that’s normal and should be expected.

The big impact the extended running program has on my transformation has been my body weight. I registered 194 pounds on the scale last week. Let’s put that number in life context. The last time I saw 194 pounds on a scale was 1996—my niece Jayla wasn’t born yet! 😊

Believe I should have known the transformation was happening because my belts all appeared to be getting longer. I know this can’t happen—it was me getting more toned because of my running and gym activities. Spent last weekend shopping for new belts because I didn’t want to have that old dude with a too long belt look anymore. Happy to report all belts have been replaced to keep me somewhat fashion relevant.

Never intended to lose a specific amount of weight when I started running more. I realize weight loss and body transformation can and do happen when you run a lot. Figured my weekly cake tasting sessions, pizza and the beer/chicken wing outings would hinder any weight loss goals.

Please read the last sentence again—yes, I still eat cake, pizza, wings and drink beer and still lost weight. Imagine what would happen if I cleaned up my diet! 😊

My disclaimer is, I run and workout so I can eat what I like. It hasn’t hindered me so far. Will look to eat a bit cleaner in 2020 to enhance my overall fitness and race endurance.

What transformation have you had recently? What can you transform in 2020? Thanks for walking with me!

“Transformation isn’t a future event. It’s a present-day activity”.

(Jillian Michaels)

December 2018 (205 pounds)

December 2019 (194 pounds)

(Left: December 2018, 205 pounds / Right: December 2019, 194 pounds)

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

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