Life's Curve Balls

The Spokesperson

e-newsletter by Michelle Cummings

April 26, 2023 | Wheel of a Deal Wednesday

Quote: "Life will always throw you curve balls. It's your job to swing the bat."

~ Sharon Purtill

~ Life's Curve Balls ~

The last few weeks and months have been full of curve balls - very unexpected curve balls. We never get to pick what life throws at us, but it's our job to pick up the bat and swing at whatever comes at us.

Wouldn't it be nice if we got to pick the time, date, and size of what gets thrown at us? I use this metaphor often when I'm facilitating Group Juggle. When a participant asks me if they can choose which items we use in the tossing pattern, my automatic response is, "Great question, but no, because we don't always get to choose what gets thrown at us in life." Great metaphor, and man, these last few months have thrown some giant curve balls my way. Some of them are shiny, fun, and amazing that come with so much excitement I can hardly sleep, and some of them are dark, gloomy, and heavy, and will take a while before I can put them down.

Crazy list of extreme highs and extreme lows... Life is full of unexpected curve balls.

Today I'm going to share a quick story about one of these curve balls, and how it started out as a darker ball, and quickly moved to a shiny, fun ball.

When you travel as much as I do, it's inevitable that I'll pick up some kind of germ or virus along the way. I have always had a pretty solid immune system, which probably has something to do with growing up on the farm and ingesting so much Kansas dirt in my childhood. Between February and March this year, I presented at over ten conferences and met or interacted with tens of thousands of people from all over the world. I picked up some kind of cold/virus that lingered for a long time and eventually had me in bed for several days straight. I assumed it was covid, but I tested regularly, and the tests all came out negative.

I get cabin fever pretty badly, and I don't sit still for long periods of time. After day 3 of being cooped up, I told my husband Paul that I needed to go for a drive for a change of scenery and a breath of fresh air. Our drive took us by the hotel where we regularly host our trainings, which is very close to a small business park and warehouse spaces. We drove around and looked at the different spaces that were available for lease. Most of them were waaaay outside our price range, but we ran into one that seemed too good to be true.

The next day we made a few phone calls, scheduled a walk-through, and a few weeks later we signed a lease. We are officially moving Training Wheels and Personify Leadership corporate offices into a warehouse and office space! I'm so excited I could burst!

I have been dreaming of this day for 24 years. I get a little emotional thinking about it! Getting sick is never fun, but had I not gotten cabin fever, we would not have been in this place at this time, and this would not be happening.

Life throws us curve balls. It's up to us to pick up the bat and swing.

Our official move-in date is next Monday, May 1. Our offices are going to be closed next Thursday and Friday, May 4-5, so we can transition everything over to the new space. You can still place orders during this time, but shipments will pause for those two days.

So back to my Curve Ball List... Many items on my list are amazing positive things! And many of them are heavy, hard things... I share this with you because I want to acknowledge the struggle and know that it's normal. From the outside looking in, I know my newsletter and my social media posts usually feature my 'highlight reel' events, and it may look like life is nothing but a bowl of cherries and whipped cream over here. But that doesn't mean there's not hard stuff going on behind the scenes. Life is full of ups and downs, and with the good, there also comes some struggle, and the struggle is real. The good news is, is that I know I have the skills and support system to weather whatever curve ball comes my way. Everyone has their own story, and today I felt like being authentic and acknowledge mine. If it helps even one person reading this today, then being vulnerable and sharing my list was worth it.

Upcoming Workshops:

Open Enrollment:

Personify Leadership: June 6-7

Personify Leadership Certification: June 6-9

Experiential Facilitation101: July 11-13

Experiential Facilitation 101 Certification: July 11-14

Season 4 Podcast: New Episode

Episode 75: Reflections on Contract Facilitation with Guest Stephanie Sibille

Have Fun Out There,

Michelle Cummings

Founder / Facilitator / Big Wheel

Training Wheels

www.Training-Wheels.com

Co-Founder, CEO & Chief Creative Officer

Personify Leadership

www.PersonifyLeadership.com

Author of The Reel Sisters

Training Wheels Resources

Experiential Facilitation 101

Course

Upcoming Dates:

July 11-13 in Littleton, CO

Open Enrollment

Certification to Deliver this Course

Online Course

READY AND ACTIVE!

This subscription-based Online Game Database houses over 500 experiential teambuilding games, each designed to equip facilitators with the right game for the right group. Individual and group rates available. Sign up today!

Upcoming Personify Leadership Course

My next Personify Leadership class is June 6-7 for the Open Enrollment, and June 6-9 for the Train the Trainer. Click here to learn more or to register.

Wheel of a Deal: On Sale This Week...

Keypunch

Regular: $56.99

On Sale: $49.99

30 numbered discs, directions, 15-foot boundary rope and mesh envelope included.

Word A Round

Regular: $15.99

On Sale: $13.99

Who knew that positioning a word in one continuous ring would make it so tricky to read?

Body Part Keychain

Regular: $4.99

On Sale: $4.19

This Body Part Keychain is a lightweight, take anywhere type of debriefing tool.

Honoring Angela Sebaly

It is with a heavy heart that I share that Angela Sebaly, my Personify Leadership business partner and friend, has passed away. Angela was incredibly talented and devoted her career to helping others see the best in themselves and strive to be the best leaders they could be. Her DNA will forever be embedded into our programs, and her contributions will be a positive living legacy for her work.

We had our challenges over the years, but one thing I know, I am a better person today because of her. I will always be grateful for her taking a risk and starting Personify Leadership with me.

Where in the World is Michelle?

Have Bag, Will Travel!

Michelle is usually in 3-4 different locations each month. She often leads Open Enrollment workshops so you can find a training near you to attend! Or you could piggyback onto one of her existing trips and have her come and facilitate a training for your group. View our full Event Calendar.

April 2023 location:

April 3-6 ~ Two Personify Leadership client programs, Michigan
April 13-14 ~ Creativity Time! Developing our next Deep Dive Workshop, Littleton, CO
April 17 ~ Virtual Staff Training
April 18-25 ~ Private Client program, Atlanta, GA
April 27-30 ~ Kansas Farm time for a much-needed mental break

May 2023 locations:

May 1, Keynote in Omaha, NE
May 2-7, Transition Training Wheels to new warehouse
May 4-5, Training Wheels shipping paused for transition
May 12, Cilent program in Washington, DC
May 19, Memorial Service for Angela Sebaly, Ft Lauderdale, FL
May 21-24, ATD Conference, San Diego, CA
May 31-June 3, Anchorage, AK

TRAINING WHEELS | www.Training-Wheels.com