It’s spring, and the Alaskan ground has been slowly thawing itself. I feel that way myself too – finally the warmth of the sun has reached my core. Our work worlds need more of this. This thawing, and the deep rejuvenation of a warm, spring sun.
Working with clients in stress management over the past ten years, I’ve realized that most of us ignore “our sun” until our work-day is done. We wait until Friday for an “Unwind”. We hold back from possible moment-to-moment joys, because we are simply too busy to do otherwise. As a result, we compartmentalize ourselves and become cut off. Cut-off from ourselves. Cut-off from our needs. Cut-off from our connection with others. This being “cut-off” impacts our work and directly impacts business outcomes.
If you ask what’s needed to succeed in business – a variety of answers will arise. Top of the list often includes strong decision making skills, strategy, leadership, innovation – all skills that are driven by creativity and connection. Creativity and connection are foundational to business. These skills are nourished with time, space, and the capacity to focus our attention on them. Creativity is at the core for all decision making, strategy development and problem solving. Connection is at the core of empathy and authentic leadership. So how do we focus on these in a fast-paced, highly competitive world?
We drop the busy, and let the sun in.
We begin to apply supportive strategies and tools directly in our work worlds. We become an active player in shifting how we engage with our work. It’s this shift in our work approach – which in turn shifts our work outcomes. It’s a win-win for us and our work environments.
Collectively, we need to shift outdated mindsets and belief patterns that tell us we need to do more, have more, or be more in order to succeed. Instead, we need to dive deep within and find stronger and more sustainable patterns for ourselves. Patterns that mutually honor our needs and those around us through healthy work boundaries. We embrace the pause. We drop the busy. This allows for a different choice, a different action, a reframe or perhaps simply a much needed rest for our bodies. This is our sun. And if we allow it, it will thaw us like the earth in spring, and warm us to the core.
Mindset Matters: Tips to Let the Sun In
- Shifting Mindsets – Using Science & Research: As we start to reframe old stuck belief patterns, it can be supportive to provide our minds something concrete to reflect on, as a way to offer motivation. Familiarizing ourselves with the latest research can increase our trust and willingness to try something new. Some of our favorite recent articles and books include the following:
- Creativity and the impact of time pressure: Creativity Under the Gun (hbr.org)
- Technology and the impact on concentration and stress: Science says turn off all of those phone notifications immediately (theladders.com)
- Reasons to stop multitasking/task switching: Worker, Interrupted: The Cost of Task Switching (fastcompany.com)
- It’s Not All Or Nothing – Little Moments Count too: When we are forming new habits, science shows us that initially we may think it requires “big steps” to implement drastic change. Often, our initial enthusiasm is high, yet the steps we choose are simply too big and drastic for us to maintain or sustain. In reality, it’s really the small steps applied consistently over the long-run that matter most. For this reason, focus on the value of minor adjustments. The 1 minute pause. The quick check-in with the body – do I need water, food or to sit? The quiet lunch mid-day, where you reflect on your values, alignment to them, and the vision you hold for yourself. All these consistent little moments matter. A lot.
- Use What Works For You – Follow Your Instincts: I had a teacher years ago say to me, “Follow what’s juicy”. What is exciting for you? What brings you joy? Mindfulness is not for everyone, but perhaps a Fitbit and some outdoor fresh air works. Or perhaps a sequestered lunch somewhere in a quiet conference room, or a personal work brainstorm session with a cup of coffee by a sunny window. Perhaps a practice of taking the stairs and simply focusing and counting each individual step, instead of traversing them while thinking of the next meeting or last phone call. There is no right or wrong answer. It’s about focusing our attention and consistently carving out time and space to connect with ourselves and our surroundings. What works for you? What’s worked in the past?
