Back to the Unfamiliar

There's a way that September, the Labour Day long weekend and the back-to-school prep, feels like a new beginning. An opportunity to leave what has been behind and refocus on what might be.

As a child, I recall the excitement of buying my back-to-school materials and a new outfit to adorn the first day of school. It was a ritual that I loved and looked forward to.

As I help my own kids prepare for another school year, I recognize the excitement of reuniting with their friends and getting back into a familiar routine.

This year, more so than prior years however, I am also noticing higher levels of anxiousness and reservation about heading back.

Students who have been out of school for months now, find themselves stepping into the unfamiliar and uncertain environment of a school year.

Employees who have taken the summer to recharge and reconnect, find themselves still mostly working from home and heading into the colder months without any true assurance that the worst is behind us.

In my own work, having started to see some clients in person outdoors, I find myself bracing myself for more zoom sessions, possible school closures and the unpredictability of the coming months.

Which brings me to ask -- how can we best prepare ourselves for the coming months? How can we support ourselves and those we love? How can we continue to flourish in these unpredictable and uncertain times?

You've likely learned a thing or two over the last 18 months about your own resilience and capacity for change and volatility.

In the coming weeks, I'll share a special series on resilience based on research, my own experience and what I'm seeing as strategies that are working with my clients.

For now, start by acknowledging the strengths and qualities that have gotten you to today. You're here. You're reading this. You've made it this far. Whatever strategies you've used - accept them, without judgement. You've done your best. We have a tendency to see the negative and what we failed to do, leave that for now -- focus on what you did do that helped you.

Stay tuned for the resilience series and join the discussion as we share what we've learned and how best to flourish in the face of unpredictability and uncertainty.

Warmly,

Lisa

Lisa is an Executive Coach, Founder & CEO of LDR Leadership Labs. For more from Lisa, join the LDR Leadership Community on LinkedIn at:?www.dhirubhai.net/company/ldrleadershiplabs?and sign up for the?LDR Insiders Newsletter here.