Little Scales of Chaos
Cindy Gross, PCC
I help underestimated tech leaders step into their fullest potential | Leadership Eastside & Wonder Women Tech Board Member | #Lenape #Cherokee #WomenInTech #WomenInSTEM
Rrriiipppp. Tearrr. Sssnip.
Welcome to the 5th day of my 30-day story challenge!
?Rrriiipppp. Tearrrr. I grabbed a couple more unused printouts and rrrriiippped them in half. Then a couple more - tearrrr. Riiiiip. Teaaaarr. Such a satisfying sound! And now I had a stack of scrap paper to use while taking notes on calls. Yeah!
?That stack of papers sat there for months, slowly dwindling. Before each call I took one from the desk and put it next to my keyboard. And for months I stared at the rough, uneven edges every time, feeling uneasy at the chaos I was introducing to the next hour. Those little, uneven dragon scales of chaos. It distracted me, just a little. I spent a little energy every time soothing the rough edges in myself that the rough edges of the paper brought to me.
?I told myself I was being silly - the edges didn’t matter. Besides, it was free paper. I was saving trees by putting off buying pristine notebooks. It didn’t matter.
?Then today I looked at the stack and decided I was done with the edginess. I was done with the energy drain. I was done with putting up with distractions. I grabbed some scissors and sssnip. I cut the edges straight. Then for good measure I sssnipped about 1/2 inch off the bottom, so it fit neatly on my keyboard tray. Then I repeated that sssnip for the rest of the stack.
?All day I’ve felt a boost of joy and energy, just a little bit, every time I grab a piece of paper. I have the same amount of room to write, I wasn’t using the edges I cut off anyway. The nice, even edges make me feel good. It soothes me and gives a positive edge to my presence. Just a little. A little matters.
?Such a little thing, long delayed. Take the small pleasures in life. Sssnip back what you don’t need and embrace what you do need.
?What edgy, pokey dragon scales do you need to sssnip back with a little trim? How will you use your dragon fire to build and nurture yourself?
?Vote for what I’ll call the circle of support I and my clients build so we can BE DO HAVE it our way. Dragon Council? Dragon Circle? Thunder of Dragons? Cauldron of Dragons? Board of Dragon Directors?
?Hey - do me a favor. Forward this newsletter to a friend and ask them to subscribe.
If I could wave a magic wand over my career I would be past the challenge of [ ? ] and instead I would be/have [ ? ]. If I didn’t have to do it alone [ ? ].
Wondering how you can work with me? Wonder no more! Set up a 30-minute chat and we’ll figure out where we align.
?? 1:1 and group coaching - you don’t have to be an executive to benefit!
?? Standalone strategy sessions of 2 hours or more.
?? 12-Month “Empowering Leadership & Inclusion Program” for your workplace
?? Keynotes and other speaking engagements.
?? Lunch and learn for your employee resource group (ERG).
?? A whole dragon’s hoard of recorded sessions and articles.
?? Consulting and strategic advising for Leadership & Career Development | Women in Tech | Executive & Leadership Coaching | Strategy | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEIB) | Race + Gender Equity | Systems Thinking | Collaboration | Corporate Tech Culture | Cultural Competency