How to Overcome the #BOOSTBlues

The 2016 BOOST Conference has finished and it’s been one week since we left Palm Springs and have all returned to our homes, schools, programs, and communities.

While you have probably left feeling inspired, recharged, and ready to put what you learned in action, you might be feeling the #BOOSTBlues!

Hear what some of our Leadership Team and Bloggers have to say about how they handle their #BOOSTBlues and what they suggest for staying connected until our BOOST Conference 2017!

Visit our blog on Monday for a BOOST Conference Team Debrief Guide!

The #BOOSTBlues are real.

I left our gathering this year with a combined and profound sense of inspiration, desire to do more and to change the world AND also a deep sadness that the event had ended. Going from being surrounded by over 2,000 inspirational global leaders for a week and having to leave the family that inspires and motivates me is something I take away in hugs, tears, and encouragement.

So many ideas are shared throughout the conference and I come back feeling with an awe-inspiring sense of creativity and vision to #inspireyouth, #inspirelearning, and #inspirechange. It is important for me to put these ideas into action and schedule intentional time to create the space needed for implementation. What will you do differently as a result of attending the #boostconference?
– Tia Quinn, Founder and CEO, BOOST Collaborative, San Diego, CA

BOOST is a phenomenal opportunity to fill your tank, be inspired, and know you are not alone in your passionate pursuit. Now take that inspiration and pour it in to the great work you do every day for youth, families, and communities. We’ll see you next year!
– Jeff Davis, Executive Director, California AfterSchool Network, Sacramento, CA

• Share your favorite moments and bits of wisdom with your coworkers to share the inspirational wealth!
• Visit the BOOST Collaborative YouTube page to get some more inspiration.
• Pick one thing from the conference you want to implement, either at work or in your personal life, and write down an action plan to make it happen. Then start working on that action plan!
– Heather Williams, Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, After School Division, California Department of Education, Sacramento, CA

Call someone you met and continue to share in their lives.
–Becky Schultz, Director of After School Programs, Whittier City School District, Whittier, CA

• I have found myself missing people that I met and connected with and so I am finding pictures on my phone and sending them to the person with a quick message that says “thank you for making an impact.”
• I am putting the BOOST Conference 2017 dates in my calendar for next year so I can look forward to the 10 year anniversary conference.
– Annie Dunlop, Executive Coordinator, BOOST Collaborative, San Diego, CA

• Practice self-care: take a nap, meditate, relax to rejuvenate yourself.
• Share 3 great ideas or aha moments with your team.
• Share the meaning of Tinogana with friends, family, and co-workers.
– ElizaBeth Parker Phillips, Program Development Director, Child Development, Inc., Sacramento, CA

• Keep the momentum going by listing all the contacts, vendors, friends to email the week after, keeping a BOOST spirit all year long.
• I am looking ahead to next year and thinking who I would love to see and what I would like to do with your BOOSTer friends, like dinner or lunch, a pool evening etc.
– Nicole Baitx-Kennedy, Child Care Supervisor, Ocean View School District, Huntington Beach, CA

• I schedule times to reteach things I learned.  This morning I am reusing the handouts from the LCAP Townhall to train 25 members of my leadership team on LCFF and LCAP.
• Add all my new friends to our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and then email to say much I appreciated their workshops or conversation.
– Brad Lupien, Co-Founder and Co-President, arc, Inglewood, CA

• Schedule time to regularly check out the BOOST Breakfast Club Blog to stay inspired!
• Phone a BOOST-ie – Best Friend from BOOST to continue the conversations.
• Start exercising so you are in shape and ready for the high-energy that will come with BOOST 2017.
– Julie Sesser, Specialist, ASAPconnect, San Jose, CA

• Make a commitment to touch base with 1 person from BOOST for each of the next 4-5 weeks. That gives you the opportunity to develop or deepen 4 or 5 new relationships between now and BOOST 2017, and helps you process and apply the things you were impacted by at the conference.
• Ask yourself how you’re going to make Monday matter, and keep track of those things to inspire you.
• Take time to teach a colleague or two something that you learned at BOOST. Teaching something is often the best way to remember it and put it into action.
• Write to a speaker or workshop presenter who impacted you and let them know about it. Those folks put a lot of heart, soul and work into what they brought to BOOST, and every single person would love to hear form someone who heard what they offered.
• Scan the list of exhibitors and remind yourself of the resources that are available for you.
– Dave Palmer, Founder, Dunk Tank Marketing, San Diego, CA

• Read one of the books from the exciting authors that were there!
• Share one great BOOST ahhh with a colleague who was not able to attend this year.
• Get the word out for next year: start advertising it NOW!
• Pick up the phone and say THANK YOU to someone who made your day/evening while you were in Palm Springs.
• Send a thank you note to an outstanding workshop presenter you had the pleasure of talking to.
• Take a walk and catch some rays and take yourself back to Palm Springs in spirit.
– Mary Jo Ginty, Region 11 Lead, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Downey, CA

What are you doing to overcome the #BOOSTBlues and stay connected to this incredible community of out-of-school time professionals? One action step you can take right now is to start planning for the 2017 BOOST Conference! We hope to see you then!

Author Profile: @kristinstayer