I was not even in the room when it happened.

I experienced a great win at a staff meeting, and I was not even there for the accolades.  A parent was in the offices seeking a confirmation certificate.  This was not for a sacrament for which I had helped, but for one celebrated before I had joined the parish staff.   As I was busy about that, I was a little late for the meeting.

Meanwhile, a fellow staff member shared the good news.  He extolled the overwhelming fruits of a project that I had initiated which occurred over the weekend.  Everyone was thrilled.  And, then, they were slightly amused when I walked in with my unknowing “So, what did I miss so far?” face.

Needless to say, I was thrilled.  After the meeting, my wife got a quick e-mail.  “Staff meeting surprise! Stories at dinner.”

Here’s what I did with the win for the rest of the day

• Following my own advice, I acted as if I had been in the end zone before.  I worked for and expected good fruits from the project.  It exceeded expectations, but a positive outcome was expected.
• We had already anticipated a next step / follow-up.  Much of the afternoon was spent collaborating on that effort…. Which we would have done with disappointment or modest good news as much as we were with exceeded expectations.
• The pastor was pleased with the results of what was accomplished. He anticipated the related next steps.  It was great timing to not rest upon laurels and share with him the next project we were working on.  This allowed all the positive vibration over one project to flow over onto the next one.
• And there was one more thing that I did…  my job.   The to-do list had not changed due to the positive winds blowing our way.  We stayed the course and moved along.

All that being said, I can’t wait the get how and share the story.