Right up until he passed away at 92, my grandpa and I used to do lunch often. His usual order was a BLT sandwich. Just to be clear, that is a sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomato – a BLT. Every time the sandwich arrived he’d peek inside and say, “Those damn tomatoes – every time!” I’d be chuckling and thinking to myself, “Grandpa, wouldn’t you expect that a BLT would have some ‘T’ on it?” I just never said it out loud.
Remembering this special time with Grandpa, makes me think about life. How many things am I doing flat out wrong? How many ways am I stuck in a box. I’ve always done it that way so why change? If I don’t like what I’m getting, shouldn’t I order something different? Why am I so surprised by life’s “damn tomatoes?”
Sometimes the closer we are to something the harder it is to see objectively. I find that in my life, the lives of my friends and in the budding lives of student leaders on campuses all around the country. That’s why I have a life coach and a networking group. They give me a fresh perspective on the reality of my life.
Life Coaches are amazing and if you can afford it, these professionally trained people can make a huge difference in your life. But don’t be scared off by a fee because they come if all different ranges.
Another route is to meet with peers and support each other in your greatness. Some people call this a mastermind group and it’s a grand opportunity for students to build networks that will last a lifetime.
I’m in between groups right now but my last group consisted of 4 of us. We would talk every week for 1 hour. Each person had 15 minutes. In that time you would talk about what you’re up to and what you wanted support in – the others would give feedback. I didn’t always get the answers I wanted or expected – but I always grew and found some unexpected and much needed resources to get out of my comfort zone, see a different perspective, do it a different ways or just deal with the life’s latest “damn tomato!” Besides, what’s a BLT without ‘em?
Get more support…
The National Society of Leadership and Success – www.societyleadership.org- they have Success Networking Teams: a team of likeminded, success oriented college students that share goals, networks, get advice from one another and commits to actions towards achieving desired results.
Non-Traditional College Support Group on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=87561839488 – This is a support group for all returning adults who have made the venture back to school after many years of being in the working world. This group is to encourage, aid, and advise of classes, help with interpretations from others in the same courses, and to blow off some steam when classes get to you.
Here’s an example of a company that does life coaching for college students: http://www.insidetrack.com/students/. They understand the student budget.
About Troy Stende
