Odyssey Plans: Life Organization for Graduate Students

Hi there! My name is Ophelie Herve and this is the sixth year I have proudly called myself a Mustang! I participated in a variety of organizations and took advantage of many opportunities SMU offers throughout my time as an undergraduate and graduate student. However, the Graduate Leadership Certification Program led by Kathy Hubbard and sponsored by the Hart Center was the best extra-curricular activity I added to my already busy schedule. This year-long program facilitates leadership development for graduate students through leadership seminars, executive style coaching, and a team project. The program introduces the competencies found in the Hart Leadership Framework and provides leadership coaches to help students set and achieve professional goals. The community that forms among the diverse, vibrant, and small cohort of students creates a safe environment in which students can grow their leadership skills and abilities! It played a monumental role in my development as a person and professional over the course of the year. Let me highlight my favorite parts and share how I have seen myself positively change!

First, ODYSSEY PLANS. An odyssey plan, presented by Bill Burnet and Dave Evans in their outstanding book Designing Your Life, is a 5-year plan – but, plot twist: you make three. Yep, we created THREE alternative versions of the next five years of our lives!

1. The first is simply a continuation of the life you are already leading.
2. The second plan is supposed to be your “plan B.”
3. The third plan is the “wild one!” Imagine you had all the money and resources you needed…what would you do? Where would you go?

In a time of transition, as I move to UCLA to pursue my PhD in the fall, it was helpful to have a safe space to think about what I wanted the next five years to look like. I was able to envision the milestones I wanted to achieve in my academic career and dream about how I could incorporate my passions along the way to ensure a well-balanced and fulfilling life!

Although the first plan was insightful, the second and third plan unlocked a side of me I had suppressed for so long. Unknowingly, I had overlooked many of the dreams and aspirations that lay deep within me. I have put so much pressure on myself trying to make plan A happen thinking there is one life ahead of me. The odyssey plan exercise helped me realize that life is a series of right and left turns. There are many opportunities ahead of us that will each lead us to different experiences. There is no “best,” there is just “different”. How incredibly freeing!

This exercise enabled me to take ownership of my future! I discovered many ambitious dreams tucked away in my mind and became determined to execute them. During the spring semester, we had the opportunity to work with a career coach which was transformational as I learned how to pursue these goals actively. As a result, I have found a new sense of confidence in my leadership ability! And now, I am writing this blog post as a means of “prototyping” my passions. A lover of words and an amateur writer, the program has empowered me to say “yes” to things I never thought I would for the purpose of growth as a leader! Let the blogging begin!