Finding Inspiration in the Middle of Chaos!

I’ve been finding my groove with sports training in the last ten years. We are all different. But sports make me feel alive, full of energy to keep going.

?Inspiration?

During the last two years, many of us have needed inspiration to continue moving forward. Just when we start relaxing, thinking it’s safe to be out in the world again, new surprises pop up, like the Omicron variant this last December.?Sometimes in the middle of chaos and hardship, however,?you can find pearls.

Jerry O’Mara, my new coach at Berkeley Masters Swim Club in Providence, NJ,?https://www.teamunify.com/Home.jsp?_tabid_=0&team=njbac?has been one of these pearls. He is a good coach. And though I see him only once a week--at 7am Sunday mornings for a one-and-a-half-hour swim--his coaching has energized me and makes me want to get back in the game. With his drills, he is teaching me how to get faster, and that is exactly what I need to do if I am going to attempt the 4.4-mile Chesapeake Bay Swim in June 2022. Everything will need to be just so: I will need to be in the best shape I can be, and the weather and the current will need to be just right. With luck, no new virus will come up to cancel the event.

In my last training Jerry was talking about how he himself goes to train in his YMCA. So I joined the YMCA Meadowlands?https://www.meadowlandsymca.org?Masters swimming class led by Mingi Kim. I realized that if I wanted to really deliver in June on my goal, I would need more weekly practice swim, Here is to practicing?3 to 4 days a week. Once my local swimming pool 10 minutes from where I live, in Weehawken, NJ, is open, I will be able to practice?4 to 6 days a week,?incorporating training from longtime coach Rob of Colburn Body Concept??https://colburnbodyconcepts.com?and adding Jerry’s??and Mindi’s feedback and techniques. I can’t wait!

Feedback and Learning?

What Jerry does really well is give me timely feedback so that in between drills I know what I can improve. It could be my stroke, or my breathing; it’s also helpful when he acknowledges what I did well during an especially tough drill. His feedback and encouragement go a long way to keep me showing up and giving my best. To set up my training schedule in 2022, Rob, along with his partner Stephanie,?reviewed my progress and goals. The plan we created includes running, cycling, weights, and swimming to prepare me for the big swim in June.?

I’ve also been receiving feedback?lately on how to improve my writing?from my journal editor Martin Wilcox?https://martinwilcox.net/about/martin-wilcox-and-publishing-in-context/?because I’ve been drafting a paper for a professional journal. Sor far, I’ve rewritten the whole paper twice and have made countless revisions. This has been a learning curve. Fortunately, I have an editor/coach who also has helped me with my revisions, encouraged me, and asked penetrating questions. The editor and reviewers of the journal ask me to improve, change sentences, query on ideas, and overall have given great suggestions. I had no idea how difficult it would be to write a paper solo, given that my last paper was a collaboration. Finally my editor for my blogs, Nancy Evans https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/nhevans/?keeps me on track and helps me craft my ideas always pointing out how important it is to be reminded of the reader’s needs and helping me with my sentence structures as French is my first language. Staying the course in writing and not giving up, just like in swimming, is a must.

My clients receive feedback, as well, through a 360 or with assessments. They receive feedback on their strengths and on what they could improve. Many are surprised by some of the feedback, but it is this surprising feedback that can make a big different in their lives. Many have no idea how they are perceived and the impact this may have on their leadership. It’s such a discovery and learning process, and once they get over this new information and explore what they would like to do with it, tremendous results can unfold.?

We all have to embrace the learning journey that is part of being human, and really good feedback can make such an important difference. I’m not saying it’ always easy for me or my clients, but the journey is necessary for our growth.?

Combining Inspiration, Feedback, Learning

In challenging times, it is such a help to have someone who inspires you, gives you feedback, and encourages you to keep learning.?

I love being inspired by and learning from my coaches in my sports training. In turn, I also love inspiring, coaching, and helping my clients understand their feedback for best results.?

Who inspires you, encourages you, gives you feedback, and coaches you? Could you use a coach? In what domain or area of your life? Could you use a leadership development coach or career-pathing coach??

If you need one, don’t hesitate to reach out and seek a consultation to see if we can be of help.?

I don’t see any other way to look at life than as a long learning journey, especially to help us navigate surprising--sometimes challenging and at other times delightful--times. So, cheers to 2022 and what it may bring. Wishing you a learning journey in 2022 full of twist, turns, feedback, learning, and impact!

If you are interested in setting goals for 2022, getting feedback through a 360, or creating a. career or leadership development plan, you can learn more about our services at our website at?www.desormeauxconsulting.com?or contact me: [email protected].