Deep Rest, Deep Roots
Learning from the science of dormancy
Hi friends!
Before I take a break until January, I wanted to take a moment to encourage everyone to rest and reflect.
This year has been so tough for me and many others I know. I’ve dealt with crushing personal issues and grief. I’ve watched L&D change into an industry I barely recognize. I’ve struggled to find clients, while I watched my most brilliant friends struggle to find consistent, fulfilling income. I watched entire teams get laid off or reduced to a fraction of what they used to be.
I know I’m not alone because so many of you have reached out to share your story. There is strength in this community — in discussing these shortcomings in our world and our society, because by doing so we refuse to be passive participants in our own demise. So, whether you’re trying to rebuild, to stay hopeful, or to catch your breath while the world keeps demanding more, I’ll just leave you with a couple quick reflections:
• What surprised you about yourself this year (in a good way or a tough way)?
• Where did you grow roots, and where did you outgrow something?
It’s Winter here, and a lot of people say it’s too cold, or too snowy, or too gray. But did you know that many perennial plants (the ones that come back every year) need Winter to survive and bloom?
They go into something called dormancy — basically a deep rest mode where they slow down their metabolism, conserve energy, and protect themselves from damage. The cold isn’t just tolerated… it’s required. “Chilling hour” requirements are the length of time a plant needs in cold temperatures to grow successfully. Without that rest, they struggle. They bloom poorly. They weaken over time.
Winter looks still, but rest is doing important work for them. Get the metaphor? ❄️
Gut Check
I wanted to share something really important as I’ve been searching for a full-time role for the first time in a little while. These scammers have gotten smart with AI. I have had multiple phishing attempts, disguised as recruiters. Luckily, one of the things my Dad said a lot growing up was “Remember, kids, everyone is always trying to screw you.” 🤷🏻♀️ So, although I didn’t end up downloading anything harmful or giving away any information or money, I wanted to share a couple of the stories to help you if you’re new to this too.
1. I applied to what appeared to be a legitimate posting for a legitimate company. I received an email with 5-7 follow up questions… things like “what makes you passionate about our specific mission?” etc. I answered all of the questions, and I received a response back just 16 minutes later (first red flag) that all my answers were perfect and to select an interview slot. I selected a time and received another instant email (not as much a red flag because many of these systems are automated now) confirming that I would receive an invite right before the interview. I put the date on my calendar and waited.
The day of the interview I received an email 2 minutes after the interview was set to begin apologizing for the delay on their end and asking me to join a Webex link ASAP and that they were all waiting… If you all have worked on compliance courses before, you know this is a tactic, so now, I’m really skeptical. Plus, I don’t like people being unorganized or wasting my time. I copy the link address and paste it into Google docs. It’s not a Webex link at all. It’s a link to who knows what, but I don’t click it, and I realize I’ve been duped.
2. I was emailed by a person claiming to be a head hunter. He had a few email addresses and a LinkedIn profile and a photo and everything. He was clearly using ChatGPT to write his emails, but I don’t judge people for getting the writing help to sound more professional. He said a lot of stuff that felt a bit canned, but he asked for what I was looking to do first, rather than asking for any info, so I obliged. We had a few emails back and forth about what kind of role I was looking for. He never asked for anything other than my resume, which doesn’t have any personal info on it. He sent me two job descriptions based on the things I said I liked, but a quick Google search revealed the company names had been fabricated. The job positions also seemed a little TOO perfect… like he had uploaded my resume into Chat and said “Make the perfect role for this person.” Then, every single one of the emails I tried to send him, across all addresses, bounced.
He popped back up a few days later (no joke), saying he had some technical difficulties and was ready to proceed. But we’d have to act fast! I would need some kind of executive summary and blah blah written. Would I want to use Sarah? This woman he knows and can vouch for, who is “really good at this.” I politely decline, and he pushes these resume services much harder the second time. I email him back, telling him that if he had bothered to take the time to read my resume, he would realize that I am more than capable of writing and selling and branding myself. I told him I was going to share his story with all of you so that others aren’t tricked. I haven’t heard back.
Please be vigilant my friends. Remember your info security compliance training. I understand we have to follow these leads at least a little to see where they go, but sanity check it… with a friend, with the AI of your choice, with someone trusted. 🙏🏻
One Useful Thing
I’m so excited to share this resource because it’s become a yearly ritual for me.
YearCompass is a free booklet that helps you reflect on the year and plan the next one. With a set of carefully selected questions and exercises, YearCompass helps you uncover your own patterns and design the ideal year for yourself. (That’s from their website!)
The best part, to me, is the second year you use it because you get to look back at what you thought would happen the year prior. It’s a really rich and beautiful thing — and a great thing to do as a family or with a partner as well. And it’s FREE!
Better Together
This month in the Useful L&D Community, we had our friend Greg Arthur join the All-Access group to talk about how adopting a product design approach for learning design can help us to be more nimble and efficient. It was a great session!
Back in July, our very own Community Manager, Erin Chancellor gave a wonderful session on branding yourself in L&D. Later this month, she’s created a follow-up, asynchronous challenge to all of those who watched her branding session previously. It will be a great two-part event because we all know learning isn’t just a one-time thing!
If you’d like to gift All-Access membership to an L&D professional you love, reach out to me on LinkedIn! We can make it happen!
👉 Join All-Access for $7/month
What’s Next
We’ve wrapped up this year by finding our magic, leaning into gratitude, and now resting. Thank you so much to all of you who have reached out to share your story, kind words, mutual struggles, and more. I appreciate this community more than you know. I hope each and every one of you has an amazing start to your new year.
Let’s GO! 🚀
- Heidi 🌲❄️
Job scamming is no bueno!! Thank you for sharing and for reminding us to stay vigilant.