On a rainy Saturday morning last Fall, I drove off to check out a number of apartments for lease. Within 20 minutes of driving, the sun came out and it felt a bit warmer outside. 10 minutes later, it was pouring rain everywhere. This weather pattern continued for a few hours until I began to head back to my friend’s home.

As I was driving, I noticed two young boys holding signs that were almost as tall as they were.  Since the boys stood on the opposite side of the street, I drove around the block and approached their signs. They read the school was having a fundraising car wash. The boys motioned where I had to find the car wash and I was surprised to see some 40 young boys and girls, most of whom were shorter than my car. They were organized into four washing groups. Parents were standing on the sidelines watching “the wash”.

When I was told to stop my car, it started to drizzle rain again. About 10 young kids surrounded my car; they were oblivious to the drizzling, armed with rags and buckets of soapy water, ready to give my car a good wash. After the tallest kid washed the roof of my car, four hoses washed down all the soap. Smiles surrounded my car from every direction. What fun these kids were having. It was the best car wash I ever had.

I gave a donation and eased my way out of the parking lot. I thought, “Who would have imagined a car wash taking place during today’s weather?” Yet, what an event it was…team work, responsibility, determination, organization, leadership, collaboration. It felt good to witness these values in action on a day that many people did not want to venture outside

Being aware of your surroundings and being aware of how you use social media is pretty commonplace today. Yet, it is not commonplace to understand how Awareness affects ourselves by allowing us see opportunities we didn’t see before. The capacity for Awareness is a Coaching principle. Perhaps this weekend you will have an experience to understand yourself differently by being more Aware of Who You Want To Be Known As.   Enjoy.

Jo Ann M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent 02/10/12