Welcome to The Centerpoint Blog!

These are exciting times for Centerpoint as we launch a new, improved web site that provides current information on class offerings, a member’s section, online registration, and a blog.

When it was requested that I, as board president, provide an introduction for the blog, the only requirement was that it be an authentic portrayal of my journey here. I have been involved with Centerpoint for 10 years in many different capacities. In that time I have seen many changes and marveled at the growth this organization has experienced. It is a testament to faculty, staff, board and members that a nonprofit such as ours can thrive as we have. It takes a lot of hard work, but as we say here, you’ll always have energy for the next immediate step. "Where is your energy?" is our battle cry.

Energy was not something I had a lot of when I first embarked on the journey that brought me to Centerpoint. I had graduated from college in the late ’70s with a degree in Psychology, which I found fascinating, but which didn’t serve me well for getting a job. I joke that it made me qualified either to type or be a teller. Since I had flunked my high school typing class, I decided to be a teller. As it turned out, this was the beginning of one of the most important learning curves of my life and it informed my future passion.

I learned a tremendous amount working in the finance industry, lessons that are important to everyone I think. But, after a while my fascination with "what makes people tick" once again came to the forefront. In finance it was important to understand what made a company tick, or the economy tick, but what made people tick was not an area of emphasis. I couldn’t understand why. I became fascinated by how much people were governed by their understanding of and relationship to money. In fact, I became so fascinated that I decided to get my Master’s in counseling and combine this with my knowledge of finance, both corporate and individual.

As part of my program, I was required to complete two internships. I had heard of Centerpoint and thought it would be a great organization to help me combine money and meaning through the process of career counseling. I was able to do one internship here. During that time I got to know the people associated with Centerpoint and came to understand how valuable was the perspective gained here. My Master’s program came to a close, but I continued to hang around.

That’s the outward journey, but more importantly, Centerpoint has provided an island of perspective in a less than kind industry. One of the most important lessons I have learned here is the difference between the corporate model and the Centerpoint model. Many of us are painfully familiar with the corporate model where you’re only as good as what you do next. Don’t get me wrong, businesses are not in existence to make me feel good about myself; that’s my job. That fact however, doesn’t keep me from doubting my value as a human being at times under this model. I think many of us know what this feels like and it’s not helpful.

At Centerpoint, I am continually reminded that I can choose to view my worth either through a corporate prism, or through an internal prism. I’ve discovered, at least for myself, that when I succumb to the corporate model, I seem to find my life out of balance and out of my control. When I slow down and remind myself there is another prism, one in which I am the driver, I become less a victim and more an active participant in my own life. I believe that is how it is meant to be. Centerpoint has helped me understand that the challenges I face throughout my life serve to strengthen my "centerpoint". My own centerpoint is the part of me that holds perspective, strength, and courage, which are all attributes needed to move through this life with passion and clarity.

To be fully alive, we need to grow and challenge ourselves. That means change and that’s what Centerpoint is about. It’s about reminding us life is change, and that while change can be difficult, it is evidence of moving forward. It’s about reminding us that being present in our lives is a requirement whether we’re having fun or not. It’s about reminding us that we can only breathe in if first we breathe out, that food tastes best when we are hungry, and that passion comes from struggle. And it’s about reminding me always why I continue to hang around.