Guiding Principles

My Guiding Principles

I have drawn upon a variety of resources to meet and overcome multiple life and career challenges, achieve success, and grow in wholeness, including inner strength and resilience, faith in God, wisdom born of reflection on my experience, and the support of others. Here, I distill the key guiding principles that have informed the way I draw upon these resources.

Faith

  • “I am a child of God who loves me and who is an active force for good in my life.”
  • Aspire to follow St. Paul’s exhortation: “never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11-13).
  • “Remember who I am and what I am about.” It is easy to allow myself to become distracted by others’ agendas and dramas, to become disheartened by setbacks and disappointments, and to lose sight of my sense of mission and purpose on this planet. Returning to, and reflecting on, this principle helps me remain grounded, focused, and persistent. My mission:
    • Bring more love, joy, and justice into the world
    • Celebrate the mystery and beauty of God in creation
    • Challenge and change the ways people think about nature, God, and society

Relationships

  • Honor and nourish the key relationships in my life that include my husband, core friends, faith community, and valued colleagues, mentees and students.
  • Endeavor to remain open to wisdom and insights from others. I have nothing to lose, yet much to gain, by adopting an attitude of humility and openness to these sources of wisdom. I am not too proud to let in the light from others. My own light is only amplified, rather than diminished, by doing so.

Inspiration & Heroes

  • Keep in mind my heroes and their qualities that I aspire to embody. My set of heroes includes:
    • Saint Paul
    • Sam B. Treiman, my Princeton Ph.D. advisor
    • Suzanne R. Hiatt, one of the first 11 women ordained priest in the Episcopal church and my seminary advisor
    • Malcolm X
    • Dolly Parton

All of my heroes are prophetic, path-breaking individuals who have an unfailing sense of mission and purpose; exhibit fidelity to the truth, justice, and human wholeness; exemplify a courageous willingness to challenge established ways of thinking, conventions, and institutions; embody a confident, determined,  and unapologetic individualism; exhibit a strong sense of service to the greater good; comport themselves with grace and express themselves with eloquence; and exude deep love.

Priorities & Freedom

  • Remember that the truth is more important than my career.
  • Refuse to be bounded by others’ boxes while seeking to focus on my personal and professional frontiers.
  • Amid the dramas and distractions of academic politics, “keep the focus on the physics.”

Self-Care: Body & Soul

  • Take care of my body and soul through physical fitness, healthy diet, personal retreat, daily prayer and meditation, and reading and reflection.
  • Remember that “joy is a necessity, not a reward,” follow my passion, and laugh a lot.
  • Be intentional about my investments of time and energy, taking time to identify and reflect on my goals and to plan these investments.
  • Remember that God may not need me today and that I am only responsible for what is on my side of the street (12-step wisdom).
  • Give thanks and express appreciation always.