Pause . . .

Christmas week, now, and the strangest Christmas ever for many of us. 

It’s after exams, intersession, a time to pause, to reflect–and a time to take a break. Whether the term went well, or not, it is a time to congratulate yourself for making it this far, this year.

It is a time to take a break, to do something positive for yourself. It doesn’t have to be something stupendous, just something that gives you pleasure to the core. An afternoon playing with a pet, bingewatching an old favourite series with a friend over ZOOM, cooking a real meal, suiting up and going for a long walk (following whatever COVID rules apply of course), going for a drive, writing poetry, snuggling up with a good read and a pot of cocoa . . . something that is just for you.

Toward the middle or end of the week, it will be time to take stock, and to plan for what is next. To check your grades, make sure you got credit for everything you did, plan for what’s next. If you bombed, a course failure is an external event, not a failure of you as a person. Winston Churchill tells about an exam he wrote with nothing on it but his name and a few smudges. He failed entrance to his military college twice, engaged a tutor, and was accepted on the third try. There are fixes, there are forward plans. Connect with an advisor, a coach.

Even with a good term behind you you may be on the cusp of deciding about whether to give the next semester a bye. Or you may be taking advantage of campuses’ extra flexibility and accommodation and getting as many courses toward your degree, certificate, or diploma as you can. 

Just . . . these few days, reward the person for getting this far, making the effort that was made, surviving. That person deserves it!

Then get in touch with me to plot how strategy coaching can improve your academic reach. [email protected]