Things to Know – Friday, July 14, 2017

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Southwestern College
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We know it has been a stressful week for the entire @SWC community, so we hope you are enjoying some well-deserved weekend time. We continue to monitor the Nataliya Holmes situation, and will advise of any new developments. Our Response Team stays connected to each other and important agencies.

I am hopefully starting a two-week vacation and have acting President Assignments:

  • Angelica Suarez – July 14, 2017 – July 16, 2017
  • Tim Flood – July 17, 2017 – July 23, 2017
  • Angelica Suarez – July 24, 2017 to July 30, 2017

I will return on July 31st.  So, if you have ever read Stephen R. Coveys 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE, you are aware that one of the habits is Sharpen the Saw. I am a firm believer that we all need to take time to refresh, renew, and reinvigorate. When we do not Sharpen our Saw, that is when we risk burn out. I hope you consider that as you schedule your time off for some vacation. I love my job and the work I do, although I also know that in order to do that well I must reinvigorate…something for some of you to consider (and you know who you are).

Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have–you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. Here are some examples of activities:

  • Physical: Beneficial eating, exercising, and resting
  • Social/Emotional: Making social and meaningful connections with others
  • Mental: Learning, reading, writing, and teaching
  • Spiritual: Spending time in nature, expanding spiritual self through meditation, music, art, prayer, or service

The 7 Habits are worth reviewing and understanding as they are truly best practices.

  1. Be Proactive
  2. Begin with the End in Mind
  3. Put First Things First
  4. Think Win-Win
  5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
  6. Synergize
  7. Sharpen the Saw

Link to 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

@SWC has quite a group participating in the PRIDE Parade tomorrow. We hope you have fun and represent SWC well. For me, I am cruising up the Hwy 15 to see Michael’s family in Pasadena, and attend his 50th high school reunion. Thank heavens for technology…and a husband willing to drive while I try to clean up some things.

“To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.”
― Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

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