I can't believe it's almost August... I can't believe we are over half way through 2008 for that matter! I've had a lot of fun and I've traveled a lot too. I've been to St. Louis three times: two weddings and a funeral. I also went to Ukraine for 10 days (more on that later), Denver, and Navasota.
I mean it's crazy!
But besides all the fun I've been having, this year completely stands out for me.
Back in March, I was asked to be on the JSC 20 Year Vision Team. That's how it all started... A team of 30 NextGen / Gen Y folks (whatever you want to call us) were asked to come up with a vision for JSC. Before we could do that, we needed some lessons on strategic planning because most of us had never thought beyond our daily task list. This task would require us to put ourselves in the shoes of the JSC Center Directors and Program Managers. We needed to imagine that it is 20 years in the future and we are the Center Directors and Program Managers... It was fun... and daunting.
It took us almost half a day to be able to say "When I am the Center Director, I will...." Once we made that leap, we were able to move forward. Over the next month and a half, we worked on the Vision and a presentation to go along with it. You can find it here (the third link). We presented our Vision to Mike Coats (JSC Center Director), his senior staff, the Joint Leadership Team, the Lockheed Martin Leadership Association, REACH (the Boeing New Hire Club), our managers, all the interns / co-ops... the list goes on! It's amazing how many speeches I've given this year. So many cool things have come out of working on this team...
- I've gotten to talk to people I never dreamed I'd be talking to.
- I've made some very deep, meaningful friendships.
- I've learned new skills: strategic planning, big picture thinking, teamwork, leadership
- I got so excited about pulling other new hires into the action that I joined REACH's core team.
- I cooked up a summer intern mentoring program for Boeing.
- I helped with the International Space Settlement Design Competition.
- I've been asked to help facilitate cross-generational discussions at Boeing in Houston.
- I was inspired to apply for International Space University and became one of Boeing's runners up. (I hope to be selected in 2009)
- I learned about new tools like Twitter.
- I started to blog again.
- I've been asked to keep participating in strategic planning at JSC.
- I bought a BlackBerry. :)
.... I like lists a lot, by the way....
I really attribute most of my personal development this year to that two-day 20 Year Vision Workshop back in March. It gave me a boost of energy I have not had in a long time! The first day, I was so inspired to have a solid 8 hours to think about the future. That night, I was talking everybody's ears off with all my excitement! The next day, I went back for part 2 of the workshop. I distinctly remember the feeling of, "Today, I'm going to change the world... or at least make a difference." I want that feeling every day! I want to be in a place where I really feel like I'm contributing. That's why I'm so involved in REACH and the JSC Strategic Planning activities.
Honestly, I'm not just trying to compile a list of good deeds and accolades... this really all stems from a desire to be involved in other people's lives - for their benefit. It's so rewarding to do things for other people... and to do things that will impact the future.
I also distinctly remember the feeling of "Wow, I didn't know this world existed!" My dear friend, Chris, said "Welcome!" I mean it's just amazing what you find when you get out of your bubble. We only have one life to live. So far 2008 has really been an outstanding year, and I can't wait to see what the future holds!
No comments:
Post a Comment