We turn 10 this month – and it feels great. Our clients are amazing, we are expanding and branching out rapidly, and the work is creative, fun and exciting. It hasn’t always felt this way though. Sometimes the journey has felt daunting, overwhelming and just plain tough. Life is a bit like this I think – exciting, humbling, exhilarating and sometimes hard. Some friends of mine like to use the term “scary-excited” for those moments that push us and help us step up to our growth. I’ve felt “scary-excited” many times in the last 10 years. I hope that feeling continues to arise from time to time, as we keep stepping up to new growth.
Recently, I was asked to outline my top lessons over the past ten years, and I realize there have been many… I’ve been lucky to have had some phenomenal teachers and strong mentors over these years, each of whom contributed greatly to these lessons. I wrote down my top favorites this past weekend, while sipping tea on a Sunday morning in a comfy cozy chair. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them.
All the best,
Woodrie
- Self-Care is a Source of Energy. Moving at a fast and frantic pace in our work worlds runs counter to this and drains us. Understanding and committing to meet our own needs (regularly and often) is the path out. This provides us energy. We can then use that energy and apply it strategically to shift our situations and make stronger decisions.
- Mindset First. Tools Second. Most clients I work with don’t really need more tools. Truly. Most managers and leaders have plenty of tools, whether it’s time management strategies, communication phrases, strategic approaches, or decision making skills. Yes, these are all wonderful and nice to have. However, if we aren’t focusing on the mindset of the tool user – we are missing the most important aspect. Mindset is knowing why we choose to use a particular tool. Mindset is having confidence to apply a tool, along with knowing when to choose another. Mindset aligns our intentions with our highest values, so we can then harness and optimize all the tools at our disposal. Even in the most beautiful kitchen, full of the highest quality and most modern tools, if we don’t know what, how or why we are cooking – the tools are pointless.
- Work is Unending. How you Engage with it Matters. It doesn’t matter if I’m working on a client deadline, a proposal, meeting deliverables on a multi-million dollar program, folding laundry or making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while my dog is barking – it’s all work. And it never ends. We are the center point of our work and how we choose to approach work impacts us. It impacts our energy levels, our quality of work, and it also guides our future approaches and patterns of work. Most importantly, how we choose to work directly impacts the outcome of the work we are doing. There is power in this – power in how we choose to engage our work.
- It can be Scary to Validate & Express Our True Needs. Find Support To Do So. You Are Worth It. Boundary work is hard. Diving into mindsets, belief patterns, reflecting on differing perspectives and choices, considering impact to self and other, learning to articulate our authentic responses in the moment – it’s not for the faint of heart. Yet, as the old adage goes: nothing worthwhile is easy. Remember, each step gets easier. Each moment you identify the need for a boundary and set one, it makes the next one just a little easier. And remember: You can do it.
- A Small Amount of Focus in the Right Space Produces Massive Leverage. Boundary work is powerful work. Providing sustained support for ourselves not only renews and energizes us, but it builds our reserves over time. It sharpens our focus. It aligns us at our core. Sustained, Supported Energy is Powerful. It can transform our work, our outcomes and our lives.
- It’s Not About Speed. It’s About Velocity. We move much too fast. Our work worlds and our inner worlds reflect this. We’ve been trained to move quickly, decide quickly and act quickly. Technology has only exacerbated the urgency and pace. Some of us seem to sense that we’ve gone too far. Indeed, it’s not speed we should be focused on – it’s Velocity. Slowing down is what lets us focus on Velocity. Without clear direction, movement is just that. Movement.
- Nurture Your Connections & Thank Them. Know and appreciate your staunchest supporters. Gratitude. Always.
- The Body is A Source of Wisdom. There is so much wisdom within our bodies if we take time to listen. There is a wealth of research coming out related to the positive impact mind-body connections have on our psyche, health, overall well-being and decision making. Integrating mindfulness based tools is a key practice leaders and teams can harness for support, effectiveness, and improved outcomes.
- Businesses & Our Communities Benefit When We Tend to Our Needs. We are at the center of everything we do – including work. When we are supported and when our needs are met, everything we touch is impacted accordingly. The opportunity for improving our personal quality of life, while having a positive impact on our work outcomes and on our communities is immense.
- This Work is a Process & A Journey. I still hit my limits. I will continue to hit my limits until my last day on this earth. That’s ok. I wouldn’t be playing my “Growth Edge” if I didn’t. The question is less about whether I hit my limit, and more about what did I notice when I hit it? Is there new information I can glean from the situation in this moment? Am I repeating a pattern, or starting a new pattern for myself? And most importantly, how gentle am I being with myself as I grow? May you enjoy your journey…
