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CoSIDA 360 - September 2021
From the desk of CoSIDA President Cindy Potter
by Cindy Potter – 2021-22 CoSIDA President
Columbia College (Mo.), Senior Deputy Director of Athletics @CougarCanuck
It sure is surreal to think that it’s September 2021 and not only is another athletic year upon us, but we are continuing to battle the pandemic and all the logistical nightmares that come with it. This time of year always gets me thinking back to when I was making the transition of student to staff and how I thought that would be one of the toughest things to tackle in the real world…wow was I wrong!
When I think back to my start in this business, I think about being encouraged to attend my first CoSIDA Convention. Back then I remember thinking how neat I thought it was to travel, learn, and meet new people who I could relate to. It was the perfect combination. I just had no idea how great of an impact CoSIDA would have on my life in the future.
Now, fast forward many, many years later and it’s hard to measure the impact CoSIDA has had on my life. But it finally hit me when I heard one of my trusted Columbia College professors talk about three types of energy during a strategic planning meeting. I immediately made the connection to my relationship and involvement within CoSIDA and I believe so many of you will be able to relate and reflect on the influence CoSIDA has had or could have in your life.
We all know our positions, regardless of title, require long hours, grueling stretches without much of a break, and at times even manual labor. This is our physical energy at work. Often this is the energy that others see and because of this it’s extremely important to make sure your physical energy is positive, because let’s be honest, no one wants to hang around with the complainer all the time! This energy is not why any of us got into the business but it’s often a reason people leave the business.
The brain power we spend trying to do our work to the best of our ability, that’s our cognitive energy. This is the energy that only those of us that have worked in this industry can truly understand and it becomes the silent piece to your job as you work so hard behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly. Some must work much harder than others to make this happen, and my name is at the top of that list!
Finally, and really the reason this all made sense and tied everything together for me, emotional energy. This is the energy you invest in other people, the energy you invest in CoSIDA and the value it brings to your life. In my early days, I would invest my emotional energy to anyone that I was around and never gave it a thought as to whether I would get that same energy in return. I’ve since learned that investing emotional energy into people and things that don’t return equally for me, drains not only my emotional energy but my physical and cognitive energy as well. But CoSIDA has been my consistent emotional energy giver. Through the travel, and the learning, and the meeting new people my emotional energy continues to grow as I’ve imbedded myself into relationships the bring value to life.
My now longwinded message is to share the value CoSIDA has given me throughout the years in hopes that it would benefit one of you. Lifelong friends from all over North America, confidence that increases my job performance, and a support system I didn’t realize I needed are all benefits I attribute to being part of this organization. Now is the time to invest in yourself and experience the energy CoSIDA can give to you.
Cheers to an amazing year,
Cindy
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