My Can Do Life Reinvention – Seriously!

Posted on April 30, 2017 by Cathi Coridan

Six weeks ago, if you told me about last Friday, I would never have believed you. Six weeks ago, I had a great job that I intended to retire from in five years and my life pattern was pretty well set. The staff and I had worked hard for 9 months using an intentional Can Do approach and had created a strong team model; and, we were really having fun doing it! I had just finished a report for the Board that highlighted how the team and I were meeting and exceeding our goals for the year, and what my five year goals were for the organization. Our program was at capacity. There was a leak in the roof, but that’s part of having an 86 year old building. Sure, there were challenges and differences in approach in some areas of my nonprofit leadership position, but challenges are inherent in any job – and, in my view, part of the cost of doing business in a model that is focused on change & growth.

Five weeks ago, my head was spinning. The President of the Board of Directors told me that the Board was seriously considering not renewing my contract at the end of June. Seriously?

Seriously?

The following Tuesday, I realized that the differences between us were much more fundamental than I had previously believed. Two days later, we met and I learned that they would not renew the contract. I, sadly agreed with the decision. Seriously.

So, I began to actively explore what I would do next. Since it was not my first time at this crossroad, I went to work immediately, reinventing myself as my hubby has since dubbed it.

Four weeks ago yesterday, I registered for the online 60 hour course that is required before taking the Virginia Real Estate Licensing Exam. Friday, I passed that exam. The testing company does not reveal the scores – I just know and am very grateful and relieved that I passed. Real Estate as a career is something I have toyed with for several years, and it is in my blood: both my parents were Realtors, as are my brother and one of my cousins. I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead – the people I will meet and the special opportunity I will have to support them through the major life transition of buying or selling their home.

My friends have been telling me how impressed they are with what I accomplished: reinventing myself and passing the exam and (most of the time) keeping my Can Do attitude in play. I was blessed to be participating in a Lenten Retreat as these changes unfolded, and used that time and those spiritual resources to help me discern next steps. I was surrounded by a caring community of family and friends, and I am grateful beyond words for their strong support during this very difficult time.

As I recover from the stresses of preparing for and taking (and passing!!) the exam, I gotta tell you, I am VERY proud of myself and VERY impressed with my achievements in these four short weeks. Not only have I taken the course and passed the exam, but I have acquired and integrated the knowledge to begin an entirely new field of work.

Seriously.

And… and…. I am affiliating with an OUTSTANDING brokerage to launch my new career: Keller Williams in McLean. I chose KW because of the strong alignment with my Can Do Workplace model. Their mission is: CAREERS WORTH HAVING. BUSINESSES WORTH OWNING. LIVES WORTH LIVING. Their belief system reads like a chapter of the Can Do Workplace!

The people in the McLean office – from the Team Leader and Assistant Team Leader, to agents and brokers and the front desk staff – have been over the top supportive of me, welcoming and excited about not just what they can do for me, but also what strengths and potential I bring to their team.

Right now, my status is Coming Soon. In the two to three week lag while the application for my license is being processed in Richmond, I will work with them to get myself ready for a very different “next five years” than I had imagined just six weeks ago.

Seriously.

Imagine What You Can Do!

Puppy Love!

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Cathi Coridan

On Monday morning, we welcomed Gracie, a 10 week old Westie, into our home, our hearts and our lives! She is full of light, love and unending energy. For the next several months, our lives – hers and ours! – will be filled with “training”. First there is the usual “housebreaking” routine. So far, it is going pretty well. Then comes learning to NOT chew on electrical cords, the fringe on the good rugs and the leg of my side table. We are also trying to get her to understand what the words “no”, “down”, “come” and “stop” mean.

Watching her discover her world in such a free form way with a pure zest for life gives me pause and invites me to reflect on the careful balance that this “training” needs to keep to allow the most and best “Gracie” to emerge while she learns some of the important rules of the road. Remembering that it’s about all of us learning what she Can Do, not just teaching her to understand and respond to “NO!”

As I watch her entertain herself with toys and scraps of paper and run and jump like a bunny in the yard, I also reflect on my own need to let go a bit and rediscover some of the creative, goofy, carefree puppy energy in myself. Not full time – I still have lots to do and deadlines to meet. But during these special, formative weeks ahead, I want to be intentional, take the time and join in some of Gracie’s puppy moments with her. Including taking great naps!

I want her to train me, too!

When You Win You Lose, and When You Lose You Win!!

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Cathi Coridan

Just after Valentine’s Day in the second semester of my freshman year in college, my boyfriend and I broke up and leaving me feeling a bit down. It just so happened that one of his fraternity brothers, Chico (AKA Michael Cherkesian) had just broken up with his girlfriend. So, Chico and I decided to meet once a week for a coffee at the Rathskeller in the Indiana University Student Union and there we formed the “Lovers and Losers Club.” Our motto was “when you win you lose, and when you lose you win!” We drank coffee, shared a fattening snack and became good friends – we are still in touch on Linked In! It was also the beginning of my learning a great life lesson about winning and losing.

It’s been a tough couple of weeks here in Can Do world! First, my sweet dog Chippy, my one and only office colleague, is no longer here, making my office a mighty lonely place. I also received word that I did not get either of the two jobs I had been a finalist for. One was a tougher blow than the other. I really wanted that job!

Three hits – Pow! Pow! Pow!

The result is that I have been more than a bit down the rabbit hole for the last few days. And, more than a bit at a loss for direction because I have been working with clients on a short-term project-based status for the last few months as my interviewing for these two positions played itself out. Then, this week it felt like, OOPS, now what? What is the Can Do Diva to do?

And, I felt SO sad. Dog grief is very real and really painful. When we lost Zoe, two and a half years ago, we still had Chippy. Now there are no furry family members here. It is a shock and a BIG adjustment after over 13 years. We will get a new doggie next February, after our vacation! In the meantime, I need to find a way to fill the huge lonely hole that used to be Chippy, sleeping on my ottoman, snuggled against my bare feet.

In the 2009 acclaimed movie, Up In The Air, George Clooney as lay-off expert Ryan Bingham, tells the man he is giving the pink slip to, “Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it’s *because* they sat there that they were able to do it.” …that in dealing with change and adversity, one is actually preparing for greatness. Cold comfort, yet filled with wisdom!

Before I could get around to changing the world, I needed to get out of the hole! So, I took today off – just played HOOKY!

This morning I watched the final episode of the Jon Stewart Show that I had DVR’d last night. Then I went to the library and just wandered around for a while. When I left there, I drove down to Belle Haven Park by the Potomac River. Today is a cloudy and cool day – a delightful break from the 90s and horrible humidity of the last few weeks. I sat at a picnic table with my notebook and started to think about, and organize my ideas about, “Now What?”

I was not ready to do anything today. I just sat and wrote and brainstormed. Then I sorted and organized my ideas so I can remember them (!) and find them later. My plan is to leave them alone, in the notebook, to simmer until Monday.

I left the river and I drove up to the mall and wandered through a couple of stores, grateful for the stimulation of colors and the collection of “stuff” that is Home Goods. Slowly, the rainbow of colors and textures brought some creative juices back into my tired brain and it started to wake up. My final hooky event was to get a big bowl of triple chocolate and salted caramel frozen yogurt and smother it in chocolate sauce! YUMMY! That is when I remembered, with a big smile, Chico’s and my afternoon snacks at our meetings of the Lovers and Losers Club so very many years ago.

I felt a bit like Rip Van Winkle, emerging from a deep sleep, pulling myself back into my skin – my world – my reality. The situation has not changed: the dog is still gone and those jobs will not be mine! But I was able to regain my perspective. And, I realize that being me, here, today it is pretty wonderful. I have many awesome friends, colleagues and family members, and so very much to be grateful for.

As I end this mellow day, I know that even without Chippy, or either of those jobs, I can still change the world. And I will, starting Monday!

Care to join me?!

5th secret of a Can Do Life revealed…

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Cathi Coridan

We are all connected and part of something bigger…

Whether it is our family, our neighborhood, our school, our friends, our workplace, our faith community, our political party, our regiment or platoon in the military, our local service club, our sports teams… as humans, we all have a need for connection and want to belong to something greater than ourselves. The term “tribes” has come back into use to talk about groups people with whom we identify. Trekkies, Harry Potter lovers, Red Sox fans (not Yankee Fans), Ohio State fans (not Michigan fans), Nascar enthusiasts, the list goes on and on. I think it even includes people who want to live a more Can Do life.

In this age of technology and “social media,” we have this ever expanding collection of “communication” technologies and tools that we use to connect: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, texting and the rest. The reason that they are so popular is that they are designed to tap into our need to be connected. Stay in touch. Be in relationship. It can be argued, and it is, that these devices and the communication they deliver are not enough and cannot satisfy us. When they are used to enhance relationships, they work well. They, however, cannot take the place of relationships. I want Siri to help me get to the restaurant for my dinner engagement, but I do not want her to go out to dinner with me as my companion!!

I believe that Can Do needs to be shared in order to grow. As I observe in The Can Do Chronicles, “CAN DO is always lived in relationship – with self, with God and with others.” Can Do is strengths-based – grounded in saying YES! to life, and to each other. If my life is about “yes” and possibilities, it is also about the quality of how I connect with other people. And, for me personally, it also relies on and reflects the quality of how I connect with my God. When I don’t stay connected, I tend to get too far into my own head and get in my own way, making it much easier for me to lose my Can Do focus on life in general.

My most dearly held belief is that the most important connection we have is to our kids – all of our kids – and the legacy we leave behind for them. When we say we are so concerned about bullying as an issue impacting our children, I think we should start by looking in the mirror and being more aware of how we, the adults, are treating each other. In the media and politics with headlines that accuse and sound bites that bite! And ask ourselves, “what is that teaching our kids?” Some people talk about the debt and environment that we are leaving our children. I am concerned about those, things too. But, when I see a world increasingly filled with negatives, blaming, “gotchya games,” finger pointing that is polarizing and rude, I am also concerned about the toxic messages we give, and what we are showing our kids about how people treat each other and how to make decisions.

We are all connected and part of something bigger…

I believe we can do better. I want to be a voice that reminds us that we are connected at our core and more alike than we are different… and, of the good we are capable of and the dreams that we need to reach and teach our kids to reach.

I believe we can do better, for our kids’ sakes, because they need you and me, not football players, movie and rock stars – to be their heroes and role models! They need and want to be connected with us – and be part of something bigger.

What connections are important in your life? Want some ideas of how you can you make those connections more Can Do? There are lots of Can Do resources available, such as:

Have you read The Can Do Chronicles? It is a great resource and reminder about what is important in life, if I don’t say so myself! And it is on sale on amazon! Check it out by clicking here!
The Can Do Dialogues, my series of podcasts with stories of amazing everyday heroes is available by clicking here.
Also, there is a new online workshop, Live YOUR Can Do Life that launches on March 13th. Check that out by clicking here!

See you next week with the Sixth Secret!

The CAN DO Blog

A Place to Discover What You Can Do….

Tag Archives: Can Do Life

My Can Do Life Reinvention – Seriously!

Puppy Love!

When You Win You Lose, and When You Lose You Win!!

5th secret of a Can Do Life revealed…