From the very beginning of Gonzaga’s Organizational Leadership program, and the final program projects were touched on, I knew I was going to tie in my love of the outdoors as a core concept. I find great restoration when I am in the woods, mountains, valleys. Being away from distractions, such as phones, allows my head to clear and time for rumination, time I rarely allow myself day-to-day. On one difficult hike, shortly after I started at Gonzaga, I was slogging up a pretty intense elevation gain in the woods. Every now and then, between the trees, I could see a tantalizing view. As I put one foot in front of the other, I thought about how this trail represents my career journey. A slow and, sometimes, painful climb. There are dips as I fail, like a downhill portion of the trail, or little wins, like the glimpses of the beautiful views I got between the trees. As I reached the peak of this trail, the view was gorgeous, I had made it to the top! My goal was reached. But my view had simply changed. There were taller peaks, pretty vistas, so many other options were ahead of me. This was my aha moment! There is not one singular goal to leadership. Our views change as our journey continues. Success is not a one-time win. We need to continually refine and redefine what is needed. I am continually reflecting and reminding myself of progress over perfection.

As Heraclitus said, “you cannot step into the same river twice”. With every hike in and out, I am a different person. With every learning and decision, I make professionally, I am a different person.