How to realign after giving all your capacity to work
I often see clients who are paying the consequences of giving work projects too much capacity. I am also prone to this so I know what it feels like first hand.
Here’s an example of a recent scenario:
I am pretty exhausted, and I’m showing all the signs of the life I don’t want to lead - I’ve stopped running, I’ve been working late and cramming in stupid hours (up early, then doing afternoon activities with kids followed by a late evening shift on deadlines) and I’ve been eating crap because I feel tired. I’m giving myself a hard time for that too. It’s a vicious circle - sound familiar?
I don’t particularly like this version of Kate, it makes me feel uncomfortable. I’m not my biggest fan right now. My internal dialogue isn’t the jolly, positive voice it usually is. I don’t like looking in the mirror much. Days have trundled on without much purpose beyond finishing the next deadline.
So it’s time to reset!
Planning and starting my reset is funny because this is just what I do with clients who come to me in a state of stuck-ness. Leaders who are not living the purpose-driven professional dream they had set out for, who are tired, who are - like me - looking in the mirror and finding those compliments a little harder to speak out. And professionals who are plate spinning and cannot see the clear path beyond the ongoing noise in front of them.
My reset will start with a reflective pause. I’ll walk and journal and think - where am I at right now? What’s slipped? Where do I want to be, what do I need to do to get back on my track and who do I need to embody and believe in order to make that happen? I will also ask What are the things I need to support my progress? and Who will I gather around me?
It’s a nice process because it feels like a coming back to my truest, trusted self, a return ‘home’. I know this and I am looking forward to reconnecting with my core, my purpose and my why. I will remember and it will give me a boost.
>> I will start to bring back into my routine those things that I know will lift me up, give me energy and boost my confidence, help me feel fit and strong again and give me a sense of feeling alive (I’ve missed those things, I realise!).
>> I will align again with my purpose and vision. And I will work on my mindset - that neurological muscle - to reprogram my thinking in line with that.
>> I will check in with positive psychology and other coaching techniques, gratitude and reflection and observe my thought processes.
I know that the work will pay off, I have been here before and I see it the impact of these tools with my clients on a daily basis. I enjoy the process too!
The opposite of self indulgent - this is essential self development - because no-one else is going to be taking care of my progress but me.
In a coaching relationship we use many different tools to support realignment, helping stressed out leaders and professionals to make the first step towards living the life they DO aspire to, to bring awareness of what’s holding them back and to make a plan and structure that actually works.
Email me if that sounds like something you’d like to be part of.
#personalbrilliance
#personalleadership
#progress
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