Being Intentional in the New Year
By Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director
The first column of the year is always one I look forward to. Whether you are focused on resolutions, goal setting, a new and refreshed look at your circumstances, it is truly a time to take stock.
About five years ago, after completing Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits training with local trainer Sue Sifrit, our family went on a summer beach trip. Before we could go on the beach (Leah thought we were crazy), we set forth to write out our ‘family mission statement’. We did in fact do this, all the way to identifying our values and short, medium, long-term goals.
We sat down yesterday and completed our reflections of 2024, based on said mission statement. The three of us shared the lessons learned, areas we wish we could redo, silliest moments together and then talked of our dreams for this next year. It was fun to see that we had achieved some of the goals we had set for ourselves as a family.
I am so grateful for this discipline as well as the fun the United Way Charlotte County staff has when we all convene at our Christmas party to share our “word” for the coming year. During our summer staff retreat, the team also embarked on an exercise where were completed each other’s artwork. It was a creative exercise and brought out lots of personality energy, including my anxiety at producing a pretty piece of art. We left with each of us having a lovely reminder of ourselves as a team.
The team later took this same exercise to the board retreat, and we can all attest the final product hanging in our office provides a reminder of a special time of bonding between staff and the board.
Lastly, a significant amount of effort and time was placed this past year on cleaning out the UWCC office space, decluttering, moving people around and creating a “community wellness room”. For some time, we have been focused on the need to take care of our team, being aware of the need to connect with visitors to our office and ensuring our office is warmly inviting to our community.
It was a push to ensure the room was completed by year end and a special moment occurred just before the holiday, where a client came to request help and as she was waiting to speak with someone and sat in the wellness room, she marveled over how calm the room made her feel. We have already welcomed donors, volunteers, held staff meetings and maybe even a movie watch party.
Looking forward, my 2025 word will be to “EMBRACE” each moment, each person placed in front of me. The people who I am blessed to work with are incredibly important to me, the clients and community partners we serve are the reason we are here. As my daughter concludes her time with us at home and embarks on a college pathway, I am struck by the need to hold onto every nuanced interaction. Making plans with my husband for the empty nester days while also tending to our mother who is a memory care unit – all of it deserving of its own attention.
Listening to the staff words, I am reminded that there must be a balance, and they reflect to me of that – simple, persevere, wholesome, ignite, patience, content, transform, light, altruistic. To thrive in 25, may we all take account of the precious around us. My wish for you is that you hold space and be intentional with your people, embrace them with no regrets and have the very best year possible.
If you would like to be part of the mobilization movement and engage with opportunities in your community, we would like to offer that to you. Plan to stop by to enjoy a coffee or tea with us in the new “wellness room”. We are excited to see you, connect and make this beautiful place we live in better than ever before. Please visit: unitedwayccfl.org/embrace
For more information about United Way of Charlotte County’s mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty, please contact Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org.