Catalyst for Change

A while ago, Katrina and I were discussing the question, “If you were a Disney Princess, which one would you be”? Anyone who knows Katrina, knows how much she adores Ariel. Such a good match, considering both Katrina and Ariel are adventurous and fun-loving, making them fun to be around.

Then came my turn to answer, “If you were a Disney Princess, which would you be?” Only, Katrina added, “and please don’t say Belle.”

Me: Why not Belle?

Katrina: Because, Belle is always trying to change things and people. Trying to make things better.

Me: What’s wrong with that?

Katrina: You don’t want to spend the rest of your life doing that. Besides, she doesn’t even have a cute prince.

Me: Haha. Yeah, why didn’t they make him cuter?

But the truth is, I would be Belle. Belle is a free-thinker, courageous and not afraid to speak to her mind. She pushes forward when all the odds seem against her. And although she is stubborn, she is also compassionate and loyal. And she finds love when she least suspects it. OK, that last part still has to happen for me, but I think the other characteristics fit me pretty well.

Lately at my job at college, I have had to bring out my inner Disney Princess, Belle. For several months I have been working to improve things in the office and I wanted to share something I learned recently because I feel it can apply to many life situations.

Throughout the past several months of rolling out changes, many people have given me opinions about how I should do things. Whether or not I am headed in the right direction. Whether or not I am moving quickly enough. It seems like nearly everyone has an opinion to share, even if I don’t solicit their opinion. And more often than not, everyone would do it differently because their method is certainly better. Or so the intonation of their opinion implies.

I began to question myself and my strategy. So I asked for more opinions. I suppose I was hoping to get opinions that would validate me and that those opinions would outnumber the opinions telling me how could do things better.

My boss shared something with me a few days ago that really helped. He said that “people are always willing to give an opinion, especially if you ask them. But that doesn’t mean they have thought about it as much as you have or researched it as much as you have.”

My parents encouraged me to be selective about whom I ask for an opinion. I still believe that getting input, especially from experienced individuals, is priceless. After all, maybe they can draw on personal experiences that would benefit me.

I can gain insight from those who want me to succeed because I trust that they will provide thoughtful opinions. After gathering those thought-out opinions, it is my responsibility to sift and select those insights most helpful to me in moving forward.

Making changes in my college office has been challenging. But I have been living and breathing this for months. I have had sleepless nights and shed many a tear trying to make improvements. I have met with professors who specialize in direction I want to go, read books and bookmarked pertinent blogs. I have conducted a college-wide audit and compiled all the research into a usable resource. I know the end goal and I know the best route to take to get there. One challenging part is helping others see that end goal and helping them to understand that if we work together, we can make big improvements. The other challenging part is to continue down this path even when others doubt that change can be made.

I may not know exactly how life will turn out, but Belle didn’t know that either when she rejected Gaston's marriage proposal. All she knew was that she wanted something more to life than to massage Gaston’s feet by the fire. She didn’t settle for what others defined as great. Even though Gaston was great in the eyes of the villagers, Belle knew that she would never be happy with Gaston. She continued to seek something that would be great for her personally. (Disclaimer: I am not against marriage…just using this as an example.)

Each of us probably has our own hero that we look up to. I hope that as we face challenges in life, we realize that the reason we look up to this hero is probably because he/she was happy in life. The hero probably had to overcome challenges by relying on those closest to him/her and relying on his/her own conscience. I hope I remember this valuable lesson…to ultimately let my conscience be my guide.