As every New Year arrives, I have to catch my breath when I think about all that we have accomplished as a team and all of the differences each of us, individually, have made in the lives of others throughout the year.  And as always, I am humbled, grateful and proud.  2011 has been a tremendous year for growth at TTC and I would like to share some of the highlights:

• This past year we have added two new bright professionals to our staff. Sara Legros is our new TMC Website Coordinator. She brings a wealth of technological savvy and an easygoing spirit that can immediately put all our clients at ease. We also welcomed Kristy Atkins as our part-time Training Coordinator.  She provides invaluable support to our clients and staff and is another positive TTC presence. 
• The TTC office got a facelift this past year and I must say that what we coined “Operation Fresh Start” has created a whole new fresh energy in our surroundings. It is amazing what a fresh coat of paint (in the hues of our choice) can do to make coming into the office even more exciting!
• TTC also invested in some new technology this year.  In my quest to stay on top of the 21^st century, we have invested in both the iPad (for our management team) and iPhones to keep us continually connected to our clients and staff.  (My New Year’s resolution is to completely master them both!)  
• We kicked off one of our proudest accomplishments – the first of its kind government wide mentoring program for federal and state professionals- Govloop Mentors. The success of our program exceeded our expectations and the feedback was resoundingly positive.  I look forward to getting even more mentors and mentorees connected in the coming months as we launch our second iteration in February! 
• Another highlight this past year was our mentoring collaboration with SAIC’s OLIVE (short for On-Line Interactive Virtual Environment).  This fun opportunity made it possible for me to create a “Wii Me” avatar to conduct a mentoring training session.  It also was a winning solution for the mentoring participants at SAIC who are partnered with a mentor outside of their current location.

I look to 2012 with even more excitement as I begin to set my goals for yet another successful year!  Just the other day when a member of my staff asked how things were going, I excitedly replied, “I am in a good place – bring it on!”  My best wishes to all for a happy, healthy, and very prosperous 2012! 

On a final note, remember that January is National Mentoring Month! Make it a point to remind everyone to thank their mentors.  There is no formal celebration needed, just a simple heartfelt thank you to that individual that has made a difference in your life can be the best gift of all!

I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I am.  It has been a very busy summer business-wise, but I have had an opportunity to hit the golf course quite a bit over the last few months and have realized that my golf ball has become one of my most treasured mentors.  

I’m relatively new to golf as I have only been playing the last five years.  (I’ve learned that is an adolescent in golf-years.) But during this short tenure, I’ve come to realize that I am probably going to grow old before I get good at this game.  I know that sounds a little pathetic, but that realization has actually given me some freedom.  I don’t take the game too seriously and as a result, I can simply go out there and thoroughly enjoy the game!

Since the sport of golf is such a personal and individualized game, I have been able to apply the challenges associated with the game as well as the mastery of certain skills of the sport to my personal and professional life. The following are some of the things my golf ball has taught me and hopefully they will be helpful to you as well:

1.  Keep your eye on the ball.  Don’t get distracted by all the chaos going on around you.  Stay focused on what really matters most.  I’m a goal setter at work and at home.  I start my week with specific goals and targets I’d like to hit by the end of the week. Sometimes my plans change due to unforeseen circumstances, but I always have my short list of goals and objectives that I look to when I find myself moving in another direction. Just by pulling them out and reviewing them, I am immediately brought back on task!

2.  Do the right thing even when no one is looking.  I am meticulous about counting my strokes and if they say cart path only I feel really guilty driving on the course.  I feel better about myself when I follow those same rules in my personal and professional life. There is a deep satisfaction in knowing that you have accomplished a goal the right way!

3. Eat right, drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep.  Whether you realize it or not, hitting that little ball around for 18 holes can be physically demanding.  When I eat right, keep myself hydrated and have had plenty of rest I am much better at this game.  I found the same applies at work.  When I’m dragging around a body that is tired, hungry and dehydrated, I’m not very productive and I can’t work as long or as intense. 

4. Be respectful of others’ time.  New golfers need to realize there are people playing in front of you and behind you who have been playing golf for a very long time.  They really appreciate it when you keep up the pace and don’t take too long getting the job done.  My clients (and my staff) feel the exact same way. I try to be mindful on a daily basis that I need to be respectful of the time I give and/or take away from others.

5. Most important - have fun!  I like to laugh and when I have a good laugh on the golf course – it’s a great day.  My golf mate (who happens to be my husband) and I spend a lot of time laughing at some of the crazy things we have done or seen on the golf course. I like to bring the same playfulness into my work life.  My philosophy is, if you’re not having fun it’s time to do something different!

I hope you take time to play this summer and continue to keep balance and perspective in your life.

I must say that springtime is one of my favorite times of year.  During these weeks when flowers bloom and new life abounds, I find myself thinking of new beginnings and how I can personally and professionally clean house; both literally and metaphorically. 

On the practical and professional side, I find this time of year is the perfect opportunity to clean out closets, desk drawers, and those pesky file folders that have been hanging out on my desk too long.   It is also a time to review those “To Do” lists and make decisions as to whether they really need to be done. And of course there are those preventative doctor appointments to make that are so  necessary to ensure good health and wellness! 

On the personal side, this time of year is the perfect occasion for exploring any feelings or old hurts responsible for resentments and negative thoughts that may limit personal happiness or emotional well being. Spring provides us a wonderful metaphor of new beginnings and a chance to “let go” of the old.  Just watch an oak tree as it pushes off the old dried up leaves and within days new healthy buds start to appear.  That is what I do in my mind’s eye—push off old resentments, disappointments, frustrations, even sadness and make room for the new positive things to appear.  It really works—try it!

Kathy’s Top 4 Spring Cleaning Tips:

1.  Make two lists of what you want to spring clean-- both personal and professional.  The professional may include paper and/or digital files, email inbox, desk drawers, closets, etc.  The personal list should include emotional slights or mental baggage you are holding on to that is limiting your peace and happiness!

2.  Tackle the clutter and streamline your paperwork.  Put three baskets on your desk or on a bookshelf (as I like to do) and label them:  To Read, To Do, To File.   Spend 15 minutes each week going through your baskets so you don’t find yourself overwhelmed.  I make my “To Do” basket portable and keep it in my briefcase so that when I am traveling and delayed at an airport, I can work on easy tasks and/or put a timeline or project plan together for a more complex project.  Don’t forget to also get rid of those empty boxes, brochures, business cards and menus that you have never used or looked at!

3.  Commit to keeping digital clutter to a minimum. Pick a number of emails you will tolerate “unread” in your inbox and spend the necessary time each day to keep within your target.  When my inbox starts to get over my target number I spend 30 extras minutes at the end of the day to organize my inbox so that it is consistent with my paper system.  I also find the task functions and reminder notices invaluable.  Not to mention the delete button!

4.  Make it a habit to tidy up your workspace at the end of the day.  Peter Walsh, author of  “Its All Too Much,” says “The most important 10 minutes of each day are the 10 minutes before you go home at night,” he advises “using the end of the day to put things back in their places, toss garbage, clean cups and write out a ”To-Do” list.” The end result will be an office that will welcome you in the morning and facilitate a positive start to your day.

I hope that everyone has had a positive start to the beginning of 2011. My journey into the New Year, however, has proved to be both sad and reflective.  On January 5, 2011, I lost a very special person in my life—my mother-in-law—Katherine Drahosz (age 90).  If you have attended any of my workshops you have probably heard a story or two about Katherine and perhaps have even heard me repeat one her favorite quotes, “you learn how long you live.”   She was an inspiring success story. “Mamu” as she was to me (“mother” in Ukrainian) emigrated from the Ukraine with her husband and two small children with just the clothes on her back. 

She not only raised her children in very difficult economic times, but was also a pillar in her Ukrainian church community in her new homeland – America. She was a woman of faith - amidst much uncertainty - and was hailed by the priest who eulogized her as a role model who helped build the church with her hands and her heart.  And although she definitely was from the “old school,” she taught me volumes about running a household and taking care of a family – especially my own family.  I would marvel at her daily routine, especially in her elderly years (as I’ve never been the domestic type) and was always humbled by her patience.  She will be missed by many and very much so by me.

I still feel the raw pain of losing a loved one and know that I am not alone.  I had the opportunity to spend some time with my own mentor (Jan Northup) at the end of December and we spent some heartfelt time talking about the difficulty and void of losing loved ones (she had lost her mother a year ago).

I found Jan to be the perfect mentor.  First of all, she was a really good listener and was able to relate – and commiserate - with the pain I was going through; her empathy was heartwarming.  She didn’t really have any profound words of wisdom but instead provided comfort and friendship in her simple words to me-- “I’m sorry you are going through this.”    

Another gift that my friend and mentor Jan brought me was her lessons in resiliency.  Webster defines “resilience” as the ability to recover from or adjust easily to a misfortune or change.  The loss of a loved one is definitely a misfortune and can be a profound change.  Jan reminds us that you only need to reflect on the changes going on in your own environment and your personal reactions to those changes to see how resilient you are.  During the writing of her book, Life’s a B*tch and Then You Change Your Attitude, she reflected on the following questions: “if we have it (resiliency), can we lose it? If we don’t have it, can we get it?” 

Admittedly, I’ve spent the last month working hard not to lose it and I think that I am doing pretty well.  But with that said, I can now say that my eyes have been opened a little wider to those colleagues and friends that I am surrounded by who have also shared a deep loss. I wonder how they keep it together and how they are adapting to their own personal grief and change to their environment.  So in the spirit of mentoring, I’d like to know how you move forward after a personal or professional crisis. What gives you comfort? Who gives you support?

Kathy's First Blog Entry!

Happy holidays everyone!   Welcome to my first blog.  Other than a couple of quick comments on Facebook, I am a new to blogging, so this will definitely be a stretch assignment.   I have very good role models: my good friend JC Dolinger writes a blog called the Large Man Cronicles in which he touches people’s hearts and helps them think about love and life; and my daughter-in-law Shannon Drahosz who blogs about her experiences raising three wonderful little boys.  Her blogs make me laugh out loud and her thoughts are so genuine—they definitely brighten my day! 

I hope that you find some time over the next couple of weeks to connect with your mentoring partner.  So often we think that because it’s the holidays we should put all our mentoring events on hold.  And yet, I have found that during this time it can be very energizing to reconnect with both my mentors as well as the people I am mentoring!

This year I have decided to spend a full day with my mentorees by taking them to an off-site retreat at the Airlie House in Warrenton, VA.  For more than 20 years, I have facilitated sessions at the Airlie House and have found it’s peaceful country setting perfect for fostering an environment that is both restorative and productive.  

I have two new employees at TTC, and my goal is to share with them how and why I started my company and what my goals are for 2011 and beyond.  I am most interested in learning about what their personal and professional goals are and how I can tap into their natural strengths and what they love to do! 

I also plan to spend some time with my first mentor, Jan Northup.  My husband and I are traveling to Phoenix for a week at the end of December and I have already made plans to meet up with Jan.  She really is responsible for helping me find my niche and created an environment for me to prepare myself to one day own my own business.  I hope to have some conversations with her about maintaining my energy during busy times.  It has been a very fast-paced year and I think during this time I have forgotten about some of the most basic things I need to do to keep up with the day-to-day business demands:  eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and take time to play!    

I look forward to our conversations over the next year (via my blog) and wish you a very peaceful and relaxing holiday. 

Enjoy the journey,

Kathy