🌹Rose, Thorn & Bud🌱: Academy Leaders 2025 Edition
Academy Team,
🅗̣̣̣🅐̣̣̣🅟̣̣̣🅟̣̣̣🅨̣̣̣ 🅝̣̣̣🅔̣̣̣🅦̣̣̣ 🅨̣̣̣🅔̣̣̣🅐̣̣̣🅡̣̣̣
✨I wish each one of you happiness, great health and prosperity in 2025✨
To kick off the year 2025🎉, I thought it would a great idea to begin with a meaningful activity: Rose🌹, Thorn & Bud🌱. This reflection exercise will help us to explore success, areas of opportunities for growth, and areas for improvement as we move forward as an Academy Team this year.
🌹How it Works🌹
As Academy Leaders, we will share:
🌹 A Rose= A highlight, success, or small win from 2024. This could be something positive within your Academy Program, Academy leadership role, or even in your personal life.
🥀 A Thorn= A challenge you encountered or an area you identified in which you need support. This could be something we want to improve upon in 2025, either as leaders or individuals.
🌱 A Bud= A new idea or opportunity which excites us. This could be an innovation that can help us grow our Academy Program, something we look forward to in 2025, or a leadership role we wish to explore.
💡Look forward to your thoughts- be my guest and share your Rose🌹, Thorn, and Bud🌱 by replying to this post, or if you prefer send me a personal message.
🌟
Academy Team,
Let's start this year with reflection, and growth in mind!
PetiteSouris' Rose🌹, Thorn and Bud🌱
🌹 A Rose= My Rose for 2024 would be interacting with all of the Academy leaders while I was enrolled in the Quality Listening Program, Leadership Development Program and lastly the Content and Marketing Development Program. All of the leaders who I interacted with showed me nothing but kindness and concern for my success. I appreciate all of your dedication to the Academy Programs. Thank you all!
🥀 A Thorn= My thorn for 2024 would be that I lost a family member in 2024, my dad. I want to live out my dad's dream for me, which was for my continued growth in my personal life and career.
🌱 A Bud= For 2025, I look forward to my growth in the leadership roles on the Academy Team and in the 7 cups community. I would like to hone on my leadership, and communication skills through volunteering on 7cups and in my career.
This activity is part of the Academy efforts to strengthen connections, collaboration, leadership skills, and to help us grow as an Academy Team. Each month an activity will be posted in the Academy forum for you to partake in and enjoy.
If you have a team building activity in mind for us to explore in the future, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
@yellowrose27 @azuladragon34 @heathermarie95 @anusha @yourbuddy30 @hope @clarisse29 @walkalot @train1 @weearth @blinddaisy9121 @rubyjane00 @soulfullyabutterfly @skansly @june777 @dreamtouch @positivepumpkin22 @maebyb @wonderouslove3994 @cordialdancer @hirai11 @amber005 @tuffattack @quietlistener2023 @mari228 @healingtalk @trueconfidant123 @delightfulunicorn38 @mineofroses @hopeprovider6771 @acalmoasis @onyx000 @kindlemissie @ivebutterfly @ivy229 @sweetmikayla @asameh @arie3 @helpingtofindaway @bree849 @sleepysaleem @ASameh @Positiveak @Sweetmikayla @dahlia8 @Cubbytant @uniqueGrace8272 @ANyein @MarinaLexi @Phoenixthepoised
Looking forward to an engaging year ahead!
Happy 2025 Academy Team💫
My 🌹= A highlight would be my eldest daughter telling her father and me her plans for the future. She is all grown up now, and she’s not my little girl anymore. It is a defining moment in a parent's journey they will never forget. When the bird leaves the nest, it is a milestone. Luckily, I still have one little birdy left to nurture.
My thorn (couldn't find the emoji for the life of me) is that I want to experience having more unconditional love and acceptance for my current situation, which is one of daily difficulties and challenges. This is particularly challenging because it is in a place completely foreign to me. I need to work on having stronger mental strength.
My🌱= I am excited to go with the 7 cups community, both in a professional capacity as well as a personal one. Finding 7 cups has helped me better navigate through the challenges I have been experiencing this past year, and honestly saving me from becoming self-destructive. Being an academy mentor has given me purpose.
@aCalmOasis,
I am glad that you found the 7cups community to bring meaning to your day. I am very grateful for your service to the 7 cups Academy and all the mentees who are in need of assistance and guidance in the Internship program.
I feel that you are on the right path to more unconditional love and increase mental strength in your life. I say this because you have acknowledged your need. I feel your self-awareness and resilience when I read your words. I wish you much conditional love and mental strength this year, though at times there maybe lows in both. Love and mental strength are like waves, I feel, with highs and lows. Personally, by volunteering I feel as if I am giving and receiving unconditional love. After all I am here because of love for making a difference in the lives of others; and this act of service is unconditional love to me.
I am excited for your daughter and her many endeavors for the future, and leaving the nest doesn't mean and that she wouldn't fly back to visit and spend time with you.
Best wishes to you and your family in 2025!
At the QLP, a difficulty (the Thorn 🌵) I experienced a few months ago, was that our Mentor Leader left, and I had to take their tasks on top of mine. At the same time, a few Mentors also left for diverse reasons. And we had a peak of trainee applications. So a reduced team had to deal with an increased number of trainees, which was somewhat stressful. Then I had to interact with many Listeners to invite them to join our team and coach the new prospective mentors and mentor leaders. All of this added to my increased workload.
The bright side (the Rose 🌹) is that some wonderful, talented and enthusiastic new Mentors joined our team. And more are about to join, as well as a ML. Also during that peak of work, a small core of our seasoned Mentors took the extra work willingly and effectively, so the quality of support to trainees was kept at excellent levels as revealed by their comments and reviews. Also by the numerous graduations.
The prospects for this new year (the Bud 🌱) look even brighter. We will have a much strengthened Team and a new enthusiastic, clever and conscientious Mentor Leader. That will allow us to increase our enrollment while giving our trainees top-quality support from a team of talented, committed and super-kind Academy Mentors.
@PetiteSouris
@HealingTalk,
I want to take time to tell you are again that you are one of the most selfless people who I have came across on 7 cups. When I did the QLP, I enjoyed my experience as well as the mentors who motivated me and answered my umpteen questions. I said the previous thought to say, I appreciate you dedicating your time to ensure the QLP program runs smoothly for the people who join the program. If there was an Academy award for dedication, support and selflessness, I would have presented it you here--> 🏆.
Your reflection resonated with me, but as a mentor who took on extra mentees when I was the sole Intern mentor with about 50 mentees. I actually enjoyed every moment of it. I can tell that you also enjoy your work here at the 7 cups Academy by all my talks with you, very encouraging and very kind.
Have an amazing 2025 and many wishes to a successful year in QLProgram.
Disclaimer: I couldn't think of an emoji for a thorn, ingenious!
@PetiteSouris
Rose -: I was able to intern at different places and make a good resume. That really made me happy and feel confident
Thorn -: I had lost a few friends due to various reasons.
Bud -: I think the idea of getting into a nice MBA college for now
@yourbuddy30,
As an advocate for education, I want to wish you much success in your endeavors to attend a top notch MBA program. Volunteering will make your application stronger, and I am sure that the experiences helped you grow as a person as well.
Along the way in life we lose friends, however we also make new ones as well. A poem about friendships came to my mind when I was replying to your post. I will share it below.
🌹💫
@PetiteSouris
🌹 A Rose= I have lots of roses for 2024 as I decided to follow my dream of starting in a helping profession. Apart from starting a new career, I also started volunteering here on 7 cups and had so many rewarding experiences. Through this journey, I have found numerous opportunities for growth, learning, and direction for my future. I also completed a lot more training and professional certifications this year. And most importantly I met so many amazing souls through this journey, especially the mentors and listeners here on 7 cups showed me how to be kind, available, approachable and supportive.
🥀 A Thorn= My thorn for 2024 would be that along with the rewarding experiences, I also faced personal challenges, financial hardships, moments of self-doubt and difficulty in taking some time off for myself.
🌱 A Bud= For 2025, I look forward to continuing this path. I am starting to doubt myself less and trust my abilities more. I am planning to do a professional degree as well this year along with my work. This year I am going to celebrate my small wins, and I am going to intentionally create more pleasant experiences for myself instead of waiting for them.
@June777,
What an amazing journey you have had in 2024! I admire your commitment to growing in experiences, and helping others through your volunteerism. Sorry to hear that you experienced some financial hardships, I hope that this year brings you prosperity not only financially but in all aspects of your life. And your plans for 2025 sounds inspiring and exciting! Kudos to you for trusting yourself more, and for entering the helping professional field. Wishing you much success in 2025 as you continue on your beautiful journey.
A poem came to me while reading your post. I will share it below:
@PetiteSouris
Thank you so much for your heartfelt wishes and also this lovely poem. It resonated with me so much.💜
@PetiteSouris
I also came to know about your recent loss after reading this thread. Condolences on the loss of your father from me. You are a beautiful soul.
@June777
I miss my dad a lot every second of the day.
A heartfelt thank you for the condolences. I appreciate your kind thoughts.
💫
@PetiteSouris
Wish you also happiness, prosperity and good for the coming Year.
Condolences on the loss of your father and hope that you can live out the dreams he had for you
A Rose= A highlight, success, or small win from 2024. This could be something positive within your Academy Program, Academy leadership role, or even in your personal life.
I guess I feel I have been progressing in my role as Mentor throughout the year. It is a pleasure knowing that you can support and benefit others in their education and growth and by helping out through mentoring as part of the program. I was happy to recieve an appreciation card from one of my trainees, which cheered me up a lot that day and in general having people thank me and tell me that they appreciated me and have benefited from my support
has picked me up in some low moments. Such experiences increase us in confidence, as well as motivation and give us a sense of purpose and benefit to others making us motivated to continue.
🥀 A Thorn= A challenge you encountered or an area you identified in which you need support. This could be something we want to improve upon in 2025, either as leaders or individuals.
I guess a thorn was the political situation around me and having a few big let downs that left me with some big problems for which I have had to deal with mostly by myself until now and a general lack of support. Yet things seem to be easing, working out by themelves and with divine intervention. I had issues with lack of electricity and internet access at times but these were on and off.
Peoples negativity around me had also held me back from things but I have realised that any problem can have a solution if you understand it enough to find the right way to deal with it. This extends to people. These problems are a lot better now.
Most of the issues mentioned above have improved or are reaching an end.
🌱 A Bud= A new idea or opportunity which excites us. This could be an innovation that can help us grow our Academy Program, something we look forward to in 2025, or a leadership role we wish to explore.
It is said that after the rain comes sun, and after the hard times come good. There may have been some difficult and stressful times and maybe some set backs last year but throughout that there is hopefully a potential bud that can grow into something beautiful throughout the coming year. A bud will blossom with the right environment when it has what it needs and we hope that with a strong and dedicated team this program will develop and flourish into its full potential. There are many friendly, helpful and supportive people as mentors and our program ambassador is dedicated, kind and very supportive. For this reason there is hopefully the potential for things to develop, grow and flourish and that the team will be strengthened to increase in a warm and friendly environment like friends or family. I guess I have hope that people realise the value of the program for developing listening skills on the site and in both our professional and personal lives. That is a bud we can nurture. Hopefully, we can feel optimistic about the potential for such things and good days ahead after some previous setbacks and a stressful period.
@quietlistener2023
I appreciate your condolences, it means a lot to me🌺💫
I felt much resilience from reading your reply, especially the hardships you endured in 2024. You have turned all the negatives occurring in your life to positives, particularly in mentoring. It is a remarkable reflection of your 2024. I love your vision for the Academy Program in 2025, a warm connected team for growth. The optimism that you have for the Academy Team will help propel us forward to a year of growth.
Do you have any ides for ways we can engage more with each other? I look forward to hearing your ideas, and vision.
@PetiteSouris
Hi, thank you for your reply and kind words.
I hope you are well.
Also apologise for the late response.
You asked about ideas how we might engage more with each other. I dont know if this is the exact answer to that question and maybe I do not have all the answers but I do think that because there are many different people and people from different backgrounds, places, conditions and different personalities it is hard to say something for everyone. I guess engagement might be increased through asking people more about what they really want to be engaged in and perhaps paying attention to their general goals, interests and personal needs. I think that people are more likely to engage when they see it is relevant and beneficial to them. I know that some businesses and organisations sometimes try to find out peoples preferences through asking or through polls, votes or multiple choice etc or through observing what kinds of things such people tend to engage in generally (discussions etc) some people might engage more if they achieve or gain something such as learning a new skill, qualification or achievement or something else relevant to them or if they see it as something enjoyable. I guess the idea in business that the customer comes first and things should be geared to their needs might be relevant here.
I do know that creating a safe, friendly environment in which people can feel comfortable to engage in is something important. I am guessing that people might feel safer and more confident when they know each other a little better. It might help people feel respected and accepted and that they won't be judged. I do think as well people are more likely to engage with those they see as friends and not so much strangers. We can accept invitations from friends to things we are not that interested in but not really from strangers unless we really gain something by accepting from them. Therefore, I think that creating a friendly environment and trying to get to know people enough to create friendly relationships and to have an idea of their interests, goals and preferences as well as knowing a little about and acknowledging different cultural backgrounds might help here. I have found as well that beginning something by oneself can sometimes inspire others when they see it is interesting and beneficial they just come and join in. I don't know if that helps but hope it does have some benefit. Maybe there are things that you have found that can increase engagement?