Make Change Coaching

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times to start a Masters degree.

In June 2021, I began my journey with a Leading Equity & Inclusion in Organizations certificate from Northwestern University. Classes were entirely held on Zoom at my kitchen counter; friendships were built on surreptitious chat messages during lectures; and I developed an affection for graphing paper notebooks and Pilot G-7 pens in blue ink.

But before all that, I snapped this selfie:

Look at that clean face and overgrown hair. Look at that spotless white “Read a Fucking Book” mug that my friend Aya surprise-gifted me to lighten the doldrums of 2020 isolation. Look at that pleather couch that would be replaced within the year.

I unearthed this photo out of my Instagram feed on graduation morning when I sat down for my daily ritual of coffee and Morning Pages. Funny enough, I had also pulled out the same mug — a little scratched up and worse for wear after years of use.

Two hours later, I was ready to leave for the convocation ceremony, and I decided to take another selfie:

It might be the same mug, but new couch, new apartment, and look at that new attitude! Gone is that wide-eyed, excited-to-learn face that I had in 2021. It’s now a more knowing and self-assured pose.

Or is it?

I had just as much confidence on Day One of my program as I did on Graduation Day. Acknowledging that we want to grow requires self-awareness, and actually working toward our development takes guts. In that first picture, I knew that I was about to embark on a journey of learning and discovery, and I was STOKED. In the second picture, I might look cool and collected, resting on the upholstered laurels of my achievement, but inside I’m churning with questions of “What now?”

We put so much pressure on ourselves to arrive at that second pose that I think we forget that it doesn’t happen without the first one.

Our society deals in a currency of confidence. We’re told to fake it until we make it; to walk in like we own the room; to believe in ourselves, because that’s all we need to succeed. While self-esteem plays a critical role in our lives, I also see value in knowing that there’s always something new to learn, and for being open to opportunities that provide deeper insight into our world and ourselves.

Most clients come to me looking for the path toward getting to that second picture’s mindset: Ready to take on the world and anything that stands in their way. But we can’t get to that place without first adopting a growth mindset that values the journey as much as the destination and is open to all the discoveries along the way.

So say cheese!