From the VP

Stars!

You’ve been glowing! There are innumerable successes you all have experienced and I’m here to say, “CONGRATULATIONS!” One of the important aspects of the lives we live is being able to celebrate all of our life’s wins – small, medium, and big! When we carve out time to and hold space for the good that we do, it helps to remind us that even while managing a lot, there continues to be opportunity for celebration.

I’m centering celebration because I’ve heard more often than not, our community members not elevating and honoring the great strides happening in their lives. Are you one of those people? If so, here are a few steps to make celebration a more integral part of your days, weeks, months, and years!

Create a hard-copy or digital repository for your wins and if you aren’t sure if it’s a win, stash it in established space anyway. When we have a place to be reflective about our work, it encourages our brain to think of even more we have accomplished.

Share your wins and successes with others! Allow others to join you in the joy of your success! There is something about being in community with others who care about what you’re doing. And, don’t be shy; sharing your success is not selfish! If you need someone to share your success with, please allow me to be a part of your sharing circle!

Celebrate in a meaningful way! It can be easy to move on to the next class, project, or important thing, so be sure to interrupt that pattern and PAUSE! What can you do to really celebrate what you accomplished?

I share these three points as a guide because I’ve used them to help me celebrate, too. There have been a number of successes this semester and I've enjoyed engaging In my reflective practice, sharing with others, and finding something exciting to do to celebrate.

What do you need to celebrate, OCU community? Join us across our social media platforms with the hashtags #ocucelebrate and #ocuodei so we can shout you out and celebrate with you!

Talia Carroll, Ph D (she/her) Vice President for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion