Whiparound #1

[Jess Marker]

Hey gang!

Good Morning and Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  I'm writing you from my hotel room in Memphis, TN as a I get ready for a staff summit here this week.  It's my first time in Memphis and I'm so looking forward to hitting up the many great restaurants I've heard about, to catch a little live music and visit the Civil Rights Museum. 

For our first whip around, I wanted come back to our energy audit commitments that we set for ourselves just over a week ago.  How have you all been doing with them? Have you been successful in keeping all 4? 1? Why?  Would love to hear how folks' weeks have been in trying our these new commitments - Where have you been successful? Where has it been challenging? How have your commitments been affecting your overall balance/work/personal life?

Looking forward to hearing from you all this week and send/attach pics from your week when you can!

Jess

[Candace Burckhardt]

Hey! 

I haven't done much with my energy audits since our time together because of my move, but I'm now trying to figure out the best way to start/conditions necessary for success. 

1) physical - Aside from my job where I get paid to hike and ski...I'm doing a cardio challenge each month where I do a form of exercise twice a week. Feb is yoga, so I found a place I can go in my new town. Hoping to stop by Wednesday to get details after work. 

2) mental - I don't have Internet or TV currently, so that leaves me with lots of time to read and be creative for the moment. I miss feeling connected, but am enjoying the time to catch up on writing and reading. Hoping to add some kind of craft to the mix also. Any easy suggestions, friends? 

3) spiritual and emotional - going to re-visit these in three months once things are a bit more settled as I have taken great strides already recently to make these better. 

As an aside, I think I mentioned in our strengths meeting that I struggle to build friendships because I moved a lot as a child. I have been working on a goal to call 3 people each week. Sounds silly, but I usually call zero people, so 3 is a good step. Calling #1 tonight - my maid of honor whom I haven't spoken to since November. 

Hope everyone's Monday went well!

Candace 

Sent from my iPhone

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[Amy Berkhoudt]

Hi everyone,

Meeting Change: 3/17 works for me ... though it is St. Patrick's Day!!! I am SO glad I finally got to use that four-leaf clover emoticon.

Jes, if we decide on 3/17 your Google Hangout friend must provide Shamrocks for us to sham-rock! Lame joke? 

Team Name: Nicole, where the heck did you find that pin? Pigdog? Funniest and most awesome team name ever. I was really weirded out at first, but now it's grown on me. I laughed like three times this morning as I said "pigdog" out loud on my drive to work. 

So, when Jes threw out 80s TV show I remembered this trailer my little brother sent me a few months ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7YZYt8v4lo

Whuddya guys think about "The Planeteers"? Playing on Repair the World a little? 

Idea #2: Team Bill Nye the Science Guy. No one can argue that that guy was seriously cool. If you're into G-rated stuff don't click this link. 

Idea #3 (I think I'm just thinking about my little bro a lot): Pokemon. C'mon, those were so cool. We could all choose one. Here's a link from Vsauce: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSt4sauiRmE  I'm actually going to retract this idea because it sounds stupid even as I type it. 

Team Name Fail: Boy Meets Repair the World, We Care Bears, The Little Rascals, Teen Girl Squad and Aaron, Friends 

Whiparound: I have not changed any of my energy habits yet! Check back with me next week. My weekly schedule changes so often, but I think I'm going to start demanding a little more Amy-time. This week I will create a calendar for consistent start and stop times with meetings, designated work emailing times, and bedtime alarms. Above all, I need to get myself to a gym. 

Photo: This is a picture I took on Saturday of St. Joseph's Cathedral right next to my house. Detroit can be a beautiful place. Look at that oxidized bronze. Amazing, right? 

Have a beautiful night! If you're feeling stressed out, chill out with these Vrindavan Temple sounds. 

amy

Jess

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Amy Berkhoudt

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Program Co-Director

Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy

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[jesse.fetbroth]

Hey everyone,

Amy, you are hilarious.  I laughed out loud at Boy Meets Repair the World and We Care Bears.  I think someone should just pull the trigger on a team name (someone other than me, obviously).  

Jess, if you like fried chicken, you must go to Gus' in Memphis.  Amazing.  Are you a vegetarian?  If so, I retract this suggestion.

So, in terms of my energy audit, I've made some strides in 3 areas, though I definitely have lots more work to do:

Physical:  My commitment was to not only get more active, but also figure out what exactly I want to be putting my energy into.  This past weekend I went to yoga, which I love, but have a hard time committing to because of how much it costs to do as often as I'd like.  I've also realized that my physical activity needs to be convenient (i.e. if I'm going to join a gym or a studio, it needs to be very close to my apartment so I can keep to my routine of getting to work early, leaving work early, and spending a couple of hours cooking dinner and such before settling in for the night).  As luck would have it, a new exercise studio just opened up directly across the street from my apartment.  The downside?  It's expensive.  But, first-timers can pay $20 for unlimited classes for a week, so I'm going to give that a shot and see if I like it enough to make the financial commitment.  I'll keep you posted.

Emotional:  Interestingly enough, last week was the most dissatisfied I have ever been with my work place as an organization, but I was upfront with my manager and managing director, and let them know how I was feeling.  It's actually led us to question a few of the ways we operate, which is validating, but I'm still struggling with this feeling that I don't belong where I am-- like my weaknesses in my current job might actually be regarded as strengths somewhere else, whether in a different role, a different company, or a different sector all together.  Anyway, I was reached out to by two separate people to talk about my long-term interests in the organization and "what comes next?" (i.e. it's time for me to transition out of my role and into something more challenging).  The question remains if my "something next" is in the place I currently am, or somewhere entirely different.  Stay tuned.

Spiritual: Last night Zach and I had dinner at a very popular Chicago restaurant after waiting four months for a reservation (Girl & the Goat-- ever heard of it?), and we actually talked about our theories of change for quite some time (Lynn's dream, I know).  It was interesting to think about my values and "theory of change" and figure out what it might (will?) look like in the future.  Will it be my job?  Will my job just be that (a job) and my "theory of change" play out in other ways? I really don't know, but I'm still itching to find out, which is making me feel less than balanced in this area.  Generally I think I either need to figure it out soon or find a way to be at peace with the idea that I might not ever know (and that that might be OK).  Otherwise, I'll most likely drive myself nuts.

Mental:  This past week I made a few stupid mistakes-- I sent two emails to the wrong people, and I included an outdated link in a mass communication.  In the grand scheme of things, these are pretty minor, but they're also pretty unusual for me, and they happened because I was working at warp speed and trying to get everything done rather than getting the things that needed to get done done well.  Lesson learned.

Miss you all!

Jesse

[keir.jane]

Dear friends,

I haven't done anything regarding my energy audit, but I am happy to announce that I will be leading a staff meeting at my school on Wednesday during which I am requiring our staff to fill out the energy audit quiz. During our staff retreat before the school year started my admin talked a lot about balance but unfortunately we are all very burned out (I think it's that time in the school year). I am excited to see how my co-workers score. I will report back on how it all goes.

Jess, Memphis is awesome! I hope you are staying close to Beale Street because it is very fun to walk around there, listen to live music, eat bbq, see street performers, and shop for music at the cool record stores. Also, you should visit the famous Peabody Hotel which is walking distance from the Beale Street action. I've always wanted to see the ducks but I've missed them both times I've been there. They have ducks on the roof, and every morning the ducks ride the elevator down stairs to the lobby, then they walk down a red carpet, and take a swim in the hotel fountain. If you can, you should check it out, it's free to the pulic! http://www.peabodymemphis.com/peabody%2Dducks/ 

Until next time!

Jane

[Nicole Wellman]

You guys are so funny and wonderful. Amy, I love your ideas for team names. I would love any one of those!!

Oh, Energy Audit--It's been something I've definitely been thinking about, but I would say I have thought about it more than I have acted on it. As soon as we got back from Philly, I had to catch up on graduate school work and regular work from missing a day, so that wasn't too great for my energy levels.

Physical--I have made a little progress here. I brainstormed about how I could fit working out 3x a week into my routine so that I could actually stick with it and make it semi-convenient (Jesse-you hit on that problem, too).  I came up with: doing a workout video at home one time a week after class, going to my university's gym one time a week before a class that is less intense than the others, and I want to keep doing one bar methods class a week. That last part is pending on if I can squeeze it into my budget! Good news is that my boyfriend, Tom, and I did a P90X (intense!) plyometrics workout video to cross workout number 1 for the week off of my list.

Emotional--I need to work on this one! No news to report.

Mental--My goal was to take mental breaks, so that I can be more productive and focused during work time. I did that today for the first time when working on a presentation for class, and it was very helpful. Hoping to have done it much more than once next time I report.

Spiritual--Taking time for myself and my mindfulness is not something I have started working on. Busy, busy, busy--and need to map out time for this!

Loving knowing I'm going to have to report on this sometime again soon...and love hearing from you guys.

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[Jess Marker]

Pigdog Meets (Repair The) World,

Loving these updates - and agree, am completely chucking to myself as I go through them - I think they are actually hitting all my energy commitments simultaneously (spiritual (connection to others/something bigger), emotional (heart is happy), mental (what team name will we choose?!) and physical (ab workout from laughing)).  Well done team!

Amy - loving the photos and all of the links- ha! SO much fun to read- absolutely love the additions.

Jane- you found the way to the strand and posted a reply! super impressed! tech skills in action - loving it!

Candice - love the idea of the phone calls- can't wait to hear how tonights went/felt

Jesse- loved your spiritual connection - sounds like it was an amazing dinner - how was the food?

Nicole- P90X?! I'm so impressed.  You may have just inspired me...

As for me...

Physical: While I've been traveling quite a bit since I left you all (I've already been to Detroit, Chicago and Memphis - crraazzyyy!) - I have tried to ensure I'm moving and walking as much as possible and getting enough sleep to sustain me and keep me grounded and focused.  Would love to take this to the next level and get myself to the hotel gym more, so that is something top of mind as I take the physical to the next level (hopefully this week!).  Also trying to keep a regular/healthy diet (which can be super tricky!).

Mental: Given the spaces and places I've been working, I've been doing well with keeping focused and not getting distracted by email or my phone or the temptation to multitask - it's been working and feeling great.  I haven't been meditating in the morning, which I do really want to start to try to take on in a much more intentional way.

Emotional: The travel has been a little hard on my feeling a sense of "home" and being my best self when I am home and with Jon.  Facetime has been great, but doesn't feel like enough. Ben had a great idea of asking himself what his fiancée needs from him before he arrives home each night, so he can be more present in their relationship. I am going to make a commitment to adopt this practice in my own life, so I can be a more present partner for Jon.

Spiritual:  I have had a wonderful time with my sister home and staying with Jon and I.  This Friday we made a wonderful Shabbat dinner for ourselves and just had a blast putting phones away, sharing stories and really resting.  We played games all night and just enjoyed each others company.  I felt really blessed to have such a special, simple evening with family. 

Thanks to all of you for holding me accountable and being so awesome in the process :o)

Photo attached, me petting dogs with wine tasting at my favorite winery in Napa (hopefully I'll be able to take you all there at some point- it's amazing!)

Finally, I'm tapping Amy to kick us off with our whiparound next week... :o)

Much love,

J

[Aaron Burgess]

Hello Everyone!!

Let me first apologize for being so late to the party! I for some reason had a lot of trouble figuring out how to make this all work. But I am in, and I think it is working now! I havent taken the energy audit again yet like I was planning to. When I took it last I was in transition about to start a new job, so I didnt really have good answers for a few of the questions. I am hoping to find time to take it again this week. As for my 4) commitments

1) Physical - Was to run 4 days a week. I am doing well on this. In fact, a little toy that I have, that I suggest those of you who are trying to be more active get is the NikeFuel Band. To preface this.. it is mostly silly, but it does a great job of encouraging you to be active. It is a band you wear and it measures your movements.. it is kinda a glorified pedometer. You set a daily goal of how many "fuel points" you want to earn each day.. and you get points for moving! I have mine set so if I do not do something active (run, play tennis, etc) I will not reach my goal for the day. The other fun part is you can compete with all of your friends who have one. It syncs to an app on your phone and you can see how active you are being in relation to your friends. Let the games begin!

2) Emotional - Think about what makes me happy and keep doing it / get better at sharing feelings. Not much progress on the feelings side.. but I did get a lot of work done this week so I could go skiing over the weekend, so that was a nice perk!

3) Mentally - Focus on work without distractions. I am having trouble with this. Hints? Help? Jesse? haha

4) Spiritual - I have decided to try to do shabbat each week just as a day where I focus on having fun, not doing work, but enjoying life. So far, so good!

Sorry again for this being so late.. Looking forward to this week's whiparound as well!

Aaron