“The phoenix must burn to emerge.” – Janet Fitch It’s been an “interesting” couple of months. I’ve put myself in a couple of situations to intentionally stretch my abilities, and I have learned a lot. I have found some areas where I am better than I thought. It reinforced that I am growing, learning, and …
Author Archives: Paul
Life is Messy…Play in the Mud
You take it all in. You let the pain of the world touch your heart and you turn it into compassion. ~Gyalwa Karmapa I am up for my 5th Year Review as Associate Dean, so I’ve done quite a bit of reflecting over the last few weeks. A lot has happened. We’ve seen big budget …
Rut or Groove?
There’s a very fine line between a groove and a rut; a fine line between eccentrics and people who are just plain nuts. ~Christine Lavin Yesterday we moved Kaitlyn into her apartment. She is an amazing person, and I am looking forward to watching her continue to grow over her sophomore year. Because she is …
Appreciating Diversity
We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion. ~Max de Per A couple of months ago I was asked a …
Getting to No
“The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.” ~Tony Blair There is a great book called “Getting to Yes.” It is about negotiating agreement and makes a lot of sense. It is definitely a worthwhile read. But there is also a need for “Getting to No.” It …
Experience with a Standing Desk
If you are like me, you have seen multiple articles over the last few years about the benefits of a standing desk. I’ve looked and I’ve wondered, but never did anything. One big reason is the price and the other is ECU has invested in the furniture. Then I saw the VariDesk. It had potential …
Optimism or Positive Attitude?
Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable. ~Voltaire If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges. ~Pat Riley Perhaps I am splitting hairs on this one, but …
Authentically Me
“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” ~Andre Gide I’ve debated about writing this for quite some time. It’s easier to be vanilla and not risk offending someone. That comes very naturally for me. I’d like to be a dean some day, so …
Pick & Stick
Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life. ~Alan Lakein I take time management seriously. After seeing my first pocket Day-Timer in college, I was hooked. I think I still have one in a drawer in my home office. There’s something symbolic. …
3 Words
Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right. ~Henry Ford I spend a lot of my time interacting with a many different people. This provides an opportunity to see a lot of different perspectives. Themes begin to emerge. One theme, I have noticed for quite some time, is quite …