This year has been so tumultuous that this holiday season feels a bit abnormal.
Similar to other people in our community, we will be celebrating our holiday dinners with less people at our table due to a myriad of reasons: travel changes, the safety of high risk family members, and the various other challenges that 2020 has brought us. Schools have been closed for many, jobs have been lost, and family members too. There is much to grieve it seems – and that feels a bit odd this time of year.
And yet… here we are. There is good in that. There is something to be grateful for in that.
I wonder if during this holiday season we can bring a new skill into our work and personal lives. Perhaps this season will be filled not only with Gratitude, but also Grace and Grief. The question is, whether we can make space for all of this at our tables. Whether we can make room for these within our work meetings and our conference tables too. Can we listen to our colleagues a bit more deeply? Can we grant ourselves and others grace when we need a momentary pause? In moments of conflict – can we connect to the underlying tensions, and allow a bit more compassion for everyone involved? When we access these spaces – Gratitude, Grace and Grief – we can often access our deepest connections with others. In tapping into a deeper part of us, we allow access to our own collective strength. The reality of our moments, both the good and the bad – are something that deepens our connections and strengthens our commitment to each other, to our work and our causes.
Below are some ways we can begin to make room for these new spaces and places in us. May we be stronger for it.
3 Way to Connect Fully:
Show up: Practice Presence. What tools do you have for self-care at work? What ways do you tend to your needs and how can you tend to them more deeply this season? Tending to ourselves is what allows us to show up deeper and more fully for ourselves, our work, and the people that matter most.
Create Space: Make room for the discomfort and the comfort. We have the capacity within us to feel both joy and sadness. Sometimes, even in the same moment. Can we make room for the grief when it’s needed, and still connect to the simplest joys in the moment? How do we create space to meet our needs at work, and how does doing so make us stronger? Are there people, mentors or colleagues, in your life who support you with this? If so, can you connect with them?
Listen: When we need to grieve, can we listen that need and honor it? Likewise, when we need to connect to gratitude, can we listen to that need and let it joyfully lift us up? My personal favorite Ted Talk on making space and listening with emotional courage may be found in this Ted Talk by Susan David.
All the best,
Woodrie & The Team
