Today was the beginning of our educational sessions. I skipped out on the early morning activities (walking on the beach or journaling) because the bed seemed much nicer. But I was down for breakfast and ready to go for the day when I needed to be.
The first session I went to was about how to be "hip and sage" and how to network. I went knowing that I am not always the best about getting out there but knowing the value of networking. The presenter was pretty amazing, and it was a great way to start my day. Much of the session about now to navigate not only face-to-face networking but also networking through social media. Although this part was interesting because I definitely could feel how young I was when the conversation included points on meeting the younger generations where they are technologically, and all I could think was...yea...that would include me. Nevertheless, she had me very excited because she was so excited about the possibilities social media brings. All in all I took much from this session. You have to know what you bring to the table to get something out of a networking opportunity. It's not what you know and who you know, but who knows you.
My second session has about the life-work balance. I figured I need to start good habits now, right? I do not think I can say I took as much away from this session, but it was still valuable. Most of it was nothing revolutionary, but it was good to think about how we personally see balance, what that means, how that changes, and what we can do to get it. Most importantly, we worked on how to say "no," something a number of us have trouble doing.
The last session of the day was a plenary session where we all learned more about StrengthsQuest, which we all took prior to coming. Mine? Empathy, achiever, adaptability, learner, and intellection. I was not sure I would be that excited about this since I recently did it with the Student Activities staff at our retreat. However, we had a presenter from Gallup, the company that hosts StrengthsQuest, and she was very engaging. If you have never done it, I highly recommend it.
We also ate lots of food today, and I have really enjoyed the built in time to get to know the other participants. I mentioned before that I was likely the youngest person here, and that has certainly been proven today. I think that made me nervous because I was afraid I would not be able to contribute anything, but I have found it empowering to get to know a number of these women. Despite the lack of experience, I still have been able to gain much in the last day and a half. I cannot wait until tomorrow!
Sidenote: There is nothing like the sound of the ocean.
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