Choose your focus:
It would be disingenuous of us to not acknowledge the “buzz”, ice breakers, move-in efforts, and orientation that is typically the start of an academic year. We all know that returning to campus (for those that are even able to do that) will certainly not look like it did in August of 2019.
Additionally, our personal current paths may look drastically different than what we planned/expected-- we recognize many of our colleagues are working from home, living through furloughs, and/or job searching during the pandemic. As a way to honor where we all are, wherever that may be, we are grounding in on the idea that we can choose our focus. Laura van Dernoot Lipsky asserts “being conscious of where we are putting our focus can teach us that we have incredible freedom in how we choose to interact with our lives” (2019, p. 172).This is a skill set all of us have already developed; we often support students in reframing their experiences-- an adversarial conduct hearing becomes a learning opportunity, a cataclysmic set back becomes a blip in the context of other achievements, a life-altering major shift, and the associated “sunk costs” become an exciting new opportunity and a brave step towards one’s vocation. However, it can be much more difficult to utilize these tools when we are living the experience first hand. We invite you to consider this concept as an opportunity to utilize your well developed professional skills for your continued personal growth.
Practical Application Activity:
Our practical application exercise for this month is direct from Trauma Stewardship’s chapter nine about Choosing our Focus; “Think of a challenging work situation. Write down three things that make it challenging. Write down three things that you appreciate about it. Look at the lists and ask yourself, ‘Where am I more likely to focus and why?’” (2019, p. 176).
Jot down all or some of these elements you are willing to share and invite your colleagues to join us using the hashtag #OCPAchat
Resources for Further Exploration:
- Read through this article for more on interrupting your negative thinking and developing a new framework.
- Consider walking yourself (and others) through this activity to reframe irrational thoughts-- it works just as well for thoughts that, while rational, may not be beneficial to you.
- If this approach resonates with you, you may also enjoy the focus model as a way to frame your thinking or conversations around particular components of a topic.
This concludes the COVID Corner series-- if you are interested in continuing these conversations, join us at the 2020 Careers Conference, tweet us at @LeahLWard, @Jivanto, and #OCPAchat, email us at lward1@udayton.edu or jvanhemert1@udayton.edu, or express interest in other professional development opportunities by contacting Leah Schuh, OCPA Professional Development Chair (Schuh.34@osu.edu).