Who else has been reflecting a whole lot more than normal lately? I consider myself a pretty mindful, intentional person with my time and even I feel bombarded by awareness of the changes happening in my life. Recognizing these changes has made me step back and consider the good & bad of the situation and what transitioning back to a new normal would look like. This crazy change has provided an opportunities for us to take inventory over what matters both in our personal lives and organizations. Keep reading to find ways to reflect and move forward through this:
I want you to consider for a moment why you wanted to be a sorority woman. Why did you join your sorority? Most data and research on this subject indicates that the primary reason women find their home in a chapter is the relationships. Women considering sorority membership see the potential for authentic friendship: women to support them through anything and celebrate with them through everything.
In fact, that is the same reason our organizations were founded! When women were outnumbered on college campuses, the few of them at a university found comfort in studying together and building one another up in their wholistic growth. Sororities have sustained through pandemics, depressions, world wars, and national disasters/crises because the need for women to feel supported in college still exists.
But while relationships are the reason we join, and often the reason we stay, we fill our "sorority experience" to the BRIM with socials, fraternity relationships, leadership positions, T-shirts, chapter meetings, fundraisers, and more. We become so overwhelmed with the upcoming week's schedule and responsibilities to our chapter that we can often lose sight of why we joined in the beginning.
I'm not saying that all those components of the sorority experience are bad, because they definitely serve a purpose when we're on-campus, but they aren't our core purpose. These activities just are not essential for our chapters/communities to provide value in their members' lives.
And we are honestly seeing and living that now more than ever ~ all the events we tie so closely to the ideal sorority experience have been cancelled. The on-campus routine has been removed from how we experience sorority. With that massive change, I want you to consider... have you still experienced sisterhood in these past two months? Have you still felt supported and reminded that you are not alone through this global pandemic?
I hope your response is "yes". I hope that in the middle of this crisis you have had a moment to reflect on why you were a member of this organization to begin with ~ sisterhood to surround you through the highs & the lows.
While there is a whole lot we contribute to our sorority experience, may this take-home-sorority-life reveal to you what matters most and remind you of what you may have forgotten in our over-programmed on-campus lives.
SO how can you take what you've become aware of in this season back into your on-campus experience? I want to challenge you to not forget the purpose you have rediscovered when life regains some type of normalcy. Regardless of our circumstances, our relationships will always be the foundation from which we do everything else. So let's get back to the basics and focus on what truly matters without the competing distractions that will inevitably return.
Looking for more? Cassie is virtually facilitating reflective, goal resetting workshops for chapters, communities, and leadership teams to recenter their focus on what truly matters and how to provide the most value to their members.
More information about our Virtual Workshops can be found here: https://www.hersororityjourney.com/consulting
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