ROOTS (a series)- part one

We all have them, but do you embrace them?

I love this word right now. I realize that probably sounds silly, but I’m really intrigued by the various metaphors that can come out of this one little five-letter word. It’s not pretentious, and it’s not fancy, in fact, it’s simple and common. However, it’s deep. It’s meaningful. Most of all, I find it thought-provoking.

I invite you to follow this blog series featuring my breakdown of where my mind goes when I hear this word on any given day, and differing circumstances. My goal is to provide you with a nudge, to reflect on your life and think about what your ROOTS mean to you.

When you think about it, so many things in life can connect back to the word “roots.”

We all have them, but do you embrace them, can you identify them?

How do you use YOUR roots to position yourself and advance professionally?

PART 1: Parents & Faith

PARENTS

They raised me, they taught me, instilled morals, kept me safe, gave me security and independence, and provided a culture to use as my compass for life. They will always be there, and they are primarily the reason I’m the person I am today. I'd like to think I'm a good person.

My son has been asking me often about what life was like when I was a child, and where I came from, and it feels good to take him down memory lane with me. I answer his questions, and lately, the exercise has even reminded me about how those simple stories and facts which I respond with, are actually my foundation, my core, my roots.

Looking at our professional lives, it's easy to get wrapped up in a job, and the demands that come with the pressure and keeping up with it all. It's easy to hit the "I'm in a meeting" button on your phone when your parents call during the day, and then forget to actually call them back. We leave the said meeting and get sucked into the next conversation with a colleague, the next guest or employee issue, the next project deadline, or the distraction of the phone alerts reminding you of the NEXT meeting on our busy calendars. And if you are a parent yourself, forget about it... your spouse and kids obviously get top priority because they have that "real-time" factor that we must attend to.

Would we be where we are professionally speaking if it weren't for our parents? I'm sure this idea results in an enormous variance of responses amongst our audience, but I think it's important to reflect on the positive and the negative relationships we had with our parents growing up. Maybe they were super encouraging and helped light the fire we needed, set discipline, and built our confidence to go for it. Or, maybe it was the opposite. Maybe they were vacant, didn't agree with our career choice, or even worse, just were not supportive in general. Regardless of the circumstances, we had, I have a feeling if we all really analyze our personal scenarios, we can admit that the relationship with our parents had something to do with the journey we took to get going professionally and land in our present space.

FAITH

I’m a proud Catholic, and I love the tradition, rituals, sacraments, structure, and beauty of my religion. Staying connected to my faith has always kept me grounded, and provided me a sense of identity due to the morals and values that shape me from my faith.

I’ve spent my pandemic time reconnecting with my soul, faith, and God through prayer, mercy, forgiveness, and grace and I can tell you parts of me are starting to feel more alive again. I can see and feel the signs I'm being provided to look at my life from a fresh perspective. I’ve also enjoyed introducing Him to my boys and making it a priority to teach and pray with them so that faith is important to them as well. I know if I don’t start showing them how I maintain my faith, they’ll have an unsteady foundation. I never want their belief system to waver, or feel inconsistent. So every Sunday morning my 4-year-old is pushed and usually bribed to put on a button-shirt, and head to Sunday School for the beginning of his faith formation. As for the little one, we’re still working on his prayer hands and the sign of the cross, but getting there.

I will be honest though, I have found times during my furlough chapter where I’ve questioned whether I’m on his list for answered prayers, and I feel bad for that. I feel silly about that because I know better. Everything happens for a reason and when I stay connected to my beliefs, I learn I slowly understand this a bit better each day.

Someone told me the other day, “Laura, good things happen to good people, have faith.”

SO I DO

Just by letting Him in again, and spending the daily quality time that’s needed to nurture that relationship, my soul feels aligned with my roots again.

Regardless of your faith, I recommend you reconnect with it and make it a priority. We all have different belief systems, but when life throws us lemons and we feel like we've hit rock bottom, our FAITH should always be there.

Dive in, and connect again.