The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
The courage to change the things that I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Although I've heard/seen this prayer many times throughout my life, I had never taken time to learn about, or stop and think about its relevance in my own life. Or perhaps I hadn't seen the relevance until this year.

Apparently, this prayer has been adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous and other Twelve Step programs...sometimes I think we consultants need a twelve step program! (I just want to note that my witty banter from a mind that is in desperate need of spring break is in no way meant to belittle legitimate Twelve Step programs!)

One of my professional development goals at the beginning of this year was to learn how to better pick my battles. I knew that this would be a challenge for me going into visits, some of which can be quite overwhelming. You see, I suffer from what I like to call "superman syndrome." My "get up and go" gets going at a speed much faster than that which I can realistically match. I am often overwhelmed by a struggle for perfection, not only in my own life, but in the lives and situations of those around me. My visits only last 3-5 days, and my officer meetings only last 60 minutes. I cannot feasibly go into a chapter and "fix" everything that may need to be improved. So, for the past 7 months, I've worked relentlessly on prioritizing and goal-setting to overcome my ailment.

This morning, I woke up and God put The Serenity Prayer on my brain. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change Sometimes, visits don't go as planned. Officers aren't receptive to change. Insurance companies don't give us the answers we want to hear, and yet our bodies don't feel the way we think they should. Computers and flash drives act up and corrupt files that we desperately need. In other words, there are things in life beyond our control that simply must be accepted as "things we cannot change." The courage to change the things that I can I have been blessed to encounter many women and chapters, that by the time I left (or sometimes in an email months later) I can see I have made a difference. There are "ah-ha" moments that make all of the, "want to bang your head against the wall moments" worth it. I can measure success in recruitment return rates and quotas, and observe success in new programming and more confident collegiate women. Courage is a key part of my job. It's not easy to tell a chapter that something they're doing (that they consider a tradition) is wrong/unsafe/inappropriate. It's not easy to "start from scratch" with a chapter leader who wasn't aware she had a manual, and now you have an hour to set her up for success. It is scary going into a chapter that clearly doesn't know why you're visiting, or want you there. The courage given to me by God has gotten me through a lot of daunting situations that I could not face alone. And the wisdom to know the difference The breath of fresh air...the assurance from my Heavenly Father that I'm going to be okay. That peaceful feeling that overcomes us when the superman syndrome subsides, and we can recognize we have done well. This is the feeling I look for when I complete a visit, a report, or a suggestion letter. This is the type of wisdom I have prayed for daily to help me develop as a professional. Not the wisdom to do everything right, have all the answers, or change a chapter completely single-handedly, but the wisdom to discern what I can do and what I'm not meant to.

A short, commonly used prayer, that spoke to me this morning. I only have 3 visits left in my term as an LDC. I have by no means mastered the art, and there are still times when I get caught up thinking I can DO IT ALL! But in the silence of morning, God reminded me that His gift to me is not perfection, but peace, courage, and wisdom. Thank you Father!

Love and miss you all, xoxo...C