Well, here we are again in the midst of the NCAA basketball tournament. A time we fondly refer to as March Madness. For those of you who don’t know, March Madness is when 64 of the NCAA’s best basketball teams face off to be the conference champions. Friendly contests pop up everywhere in which one can try to predict the winners of each round of the tourney. It’s a fun time for me since I lived in ACC basketball alley for a few years where several of the country’s best teams reside. When I joined the Raleigh Ernst & Young office in my first job after college, the most important question I had to answer to the office’s managing partner was “Are you a Duke or a North Carolina fan?”. Clearly my answer would have an impact on my career advancement. At the time, I thought it a bazaar practice when the entire office shut down, rented hotel suites, and took time off to watch the ACC tournament together. But now, almost 20 years later, I get it and I admire them for taking time out of their hectic schedules to honor one of the southeastern US’s favorite passions. It’s a good lesson to all of us to take a break and savor the things we love. Anyway, back to basketball…Each year the final four consistently include a few schools like Connecticut, Kansas, Duke and North Carolina. So I ask you in this month that also shares St. Patrick’s Day, is it luck or skill? My guess is it’s a little of both plus a lot of the coach’s setting intentions and making them clear to everyone. I’m a big believer in luck, but I believe the universe expects me to participate in my fate and do everything I can to make it as successful as possible. So I ask you, what is your March Madness and what have you done to prepare for it? If you aren’t clear, then it’s time to figure it out, and start planning. Make it a goal to honor your luck but also help it along the best you can. Who knows, maybe you’ll be playing in your own personal version of a NCAA tourney next year. Oh, and for the record, “GO DUKE!”
Angie A. Swartz is an expert level YOU consultant. She is a former corporate ladder climber who reinvented her own life and became an executive coach and author. As part of her own journey as a new mother on the quest to have and balance it all, she founded the Six Figure Mom’s Club where career-minded women can connect with their peers to discuss the issues they face. Her passion is in helping people view themselves as the leaders they are by developing the confidence to know they can have most anything they desire. She works with six figure professionals, offering a unique combination of strong business acumen and a warm coaching approach to encourage creative thinking about their career and life options. You can learn more about Angie at http://www.aaswartz.com/.
Angie A. Swartz is an expert level YOU consultant. She is a former corporate ladder climber who reinvented her own life and became an executive coach and author. As part of her own journey as a new mother on the quest to have and balance it all, she founded the Six Figure Mom’s Club where career-minded women can connect with their peers to discuss the issues they face. Her passion is in helping people view themselves as the leaders they are by developing the confidence to know they can have most anything they desire. She works with six figure professionals, offering a unique combination of strong business acumen and a warm coaching approach to encourage creative thinking about their career and life options. You can learn more about Angie at http://www.aaswartz.com/.
