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President’s
Message
With that in mind, I wanted to share some insights that I have gained from one of the chapters in “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at Work” by Richard Carlson (1998). If you have never had a chance to read this wonderful book, I would suggest that you get a copy and read some of the short chapters as it offers some great advice for taking life as it comes along. The chapter that caught my attention during this busy time focuses on absorbing the speed bumps of your day. Carlson (1998) suggests that we look at the challenges and issues that arise as speed bumps. We all know what a speed bump is, right? It’s that low bump in the road designed to get you to slow down (although I think they really are bigger in Texas). If you speed up you may cause damage to your car and look a little foolish. If you slow down and approach it wisely, you will be over it in no time. I’m a little ashamed to say that I tend to hit speed bumps in a hurry. Sometimes they seem more of an annoyance than a necessity. But as I thought about this topic, it really does make sense to look at some of the challenges and issues we are facing as speed bumps instead of mountains. If we think about our challenges and issues as annoying and unfair and we complain about them on a regular basis, life in financial aid will seem daunting and overwhelming. We are faced with many regulations, codes of conduct and changes in our industry that sometimes present problems and issues in how we deliver financial aid information. If we tighten up and hit those bumps in the road fast and hard, we may cause damage. It would be easier to relax and expect speed bumps to appear during the day. As opposed to hitting it head on, we can absorb some of the shock if we relax and take it slow. No matter how you look at it, we will be managing challenges and issues throughout a given day. As opposed to panicking and treating each problem as a disaster, slow down, relax and think about possible solutions (Carlson, 1998). You may find some surprising results! As we continue to move forward this year in our offices, in our community and within the TASFAA organization, I encourage you to think about problems, issues, regulation changes, and new processes as speed bumps instead of problems. It may make your days more manageable. Remember, don’t sweat the small stuff!
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As
I begin to write this message, I am consumed by the many challenges
that we face in financial aid, especially at this time of year. Most
of us are preparing or have already sent out award letters for the upcoming
2008-09 award year. I can’t believe we are already there! I have
a hard time keeping up with the award years when I just finished an
audit for 2006-07, I’m currently working in 2007-08 and we are
awarding for 2008-09. Never mind the challenges of new regulations and
processes that we must implement in a short amount of time. It’s
no wonder our heads begin to spin at just the prospect of keeping up!