It’s hard to believe that another year has passed and that we have finished the 5th annual symposium, hosted by Kalos Services in Clermont, Florida. This is the event of the year for me, the one that I always look forward to. This event always fills me with inspiration for the year to come. It is were new ideas are formed, problems are revealed, solutions are curated, and most importantly relationships are forged.
Symposium
It always amazes me at how the Kalos team is so genuine and does whatever is needed to make the event great for everyone. They are truly just there to serve us, which is humbling.
The feeling of community is always rejuvenated in me. In the world we live in, community is something that we must work for, it is not as natural as it once was. It is hard, at times, to realize that there are actual humans on the other side of our screens / forums / social media accounts. The individuals that I look up to / inspire me are human, they are no different than you or I.
When you meet these individuals and develop a relationship then you can understand that they face challenges just like you. They too feel like they’re not qualified for the position that they’re in, but it does not stop them from spreading their knowledge.
While at it’s heart it’s a “training” event, while I’m on site, I generally do not attend very many of the seminars. It is not because I do not want to learn or support my friends who are on stage, but it is because this is my time of year to foster those relationships. To have those face to face conversations that inspire new ideas. To get together with a collection of folks who are all working towards the same goals. To feel like I’m part of the team.
Personally, I struggle with face to face interactions. I’m uncomfortable and I get filled with anxiety. Therefore, you will often find me on the fringes, maybe having a conversation or maybe by myself trying to decompress a little bit.
Animal House
Staying in the Animal House you get to extend the event to the wee hours of the morning. It’s surprising we are all still able to function (well, it’s probably debatable that some of us are functional, but I digress). At the animal house the conversations continue, they get deeper into the weeds. The meals were taken care of by our awesome sponsors and cooks, the drinks are flowing, and there are many different conversations happening.
This year we rented the house for an extra day, so some of us were able to get there early. A group of folks got to go out fishing, some continued working on their presentations, while I just hung around.
One of the best surprises of this year’s animal house was when our dear friend Genry Garcia showed up. We had all thought that he was not going to make it and he walked in during the HVAC-Overtime livestream. I was not there at the time, nor did I get to spend much time hanging with him, but it was great that he was able to show up for a little bit!
Conclusion
Unfortunately, we all have to get back to reality. Many of us go back to our companies / jobs with a fire in our belly. I think that it is important to not get overly dramatic in your implementation of new ideas. Pick one or two things and start there. It is better to slowly work towards your new goal / vision than to completely flip the script.
For me, I would like to work on making my business and the trades more inviting. We all face the struggles of maintaining our workforce. It is important that we try to make our place of business a family / home. This is something that we all can do better at. I’m not really sure the “what” yet, however I would like to make more of an effort on the culture of my company, as well as my interactions online.
I am emotional, there are times that my emotions get the best of me. Right or wrong, it’s something that I hope to put a better effort in. I invite anyone to call me out during those moments, to start a conversation on what could be worded / done differently.
I apologize to any that I’ve offended in the past and for playing into / promoting drama by playing it off as “joke” or whatever in my mind that justified it.
I can assure that I will continue to fail, but that is how we grow. This is how we foster community in a world that puts little emphasis on it. This is what love looks like. It is messy at times, but it is ALWAYS worth it.
Already counting down the days to next year’s symposium.
