A hectic month delivering workshops online and in person; here is my round-up for March as a coach, writer, and human being.
Celebration
What a day I had yesterday, celebrating the end of an almost year-long personal and professional development programme with our first cohort. I loved listening to the medley of inspiring and hope-filled stories.
It was a joy to work alongside three amazing coaches from the left, Jenny Garrett, Jayne Saul-Paterson, and Sadia Salam – thank you, and I hope we get to do it all again. in the not-too-distant future.
Managing your energy
Sometimes you need to take a step back to recharge and renew. And for you, I mean me ????. I don’t always have to participate in every conversation online or otherwise. So, in recent weeks I have been managing my energy, noticing what I find to be draining and what inspires and refreshes me. Inspired by Tony Schwab’s book – The way we are working isn’t Working, I have even changed my sleep routines. It is still too early to see the difference, but I think it will make a significant difference in the long term. I also like his take on working in sprints rather than marathons, but I’ll return to that another time.
And as usual, if you want to find out more, I have a blog post – Managing Your Energy.
Joy at work
This week I have been thinking about joy and how many of us experience it in the workplace. So, when I asked #Chatgpt to tell me about joy at work, this is what it came up with:
Joy at work is a feeling of happiness, contentment, and satisfaction that people experience in their jobs. It is a positive emotion that arises when employees feel fulfilled, engaged, and appreciated in their work environment. When people experience joy at work, they are more motivated, productive, and committed to their jobs, and they are more likely to have positive interactions with colleagues and customers.
Keywords for me are contentment, engagement, and fulfilment. If I am consistently feeling these, then I have nailed it. But what about you? How much of # Chatgpt’s explanation applies to you and the environment within which you work? Is there anything missing? How true does this feel for you?
And if you want to reflect on those aspects of your role that bring you joy, you can read more here.
Who are the women you are celebrating today?
I will keep it simple today on International Women’s Day and share a story that celebrates two women I have known all their lives – my two younger sisters.
I would not and could not be without them. They ground me when I am in danger of taking myself too seriously, and we still laugh about this incident from over thirty years ago.
So, who will you be celebrating today and why?
What could someone’s silence mean?
I had cause to reflect on this a few weeks ago as I supported someone through a challenging situation. The whole episode had me thinking about what might be happening to someone when they go silent and how quickly we might then try to fill their silence.
Societally, I don’t believe we always fully appreciate or respect the value of silence, and of course, I include myself in this.
I was so caught up in this incident that I had to write it out of my system, and for some reason, it emerged as a poem. Well, sort of ????.
My silence is what I need to process your request.
It does not mean I am saying yes.
It does not mean I am saying no, either.
Respect this time so that I can think and consider.
My silence could be masking my overwhelm.
Me, zoning out with stress and worry.
Managing the flood of anxiety.
Sometimes I need a little time and space.
Thank you.
It did help, and everything worked out in the end. ????.
Until next month
