Been There. Done That. Made The T-Shirt!

The above image was the t-shirt design created for the 3rd Annual Women's Self-Care Conference. This conference was going to be in my home city, London, Ontario, in October 2020. Due to COVID-19, the difficult decision to cancel was made in April not to have the conference.

Many women were saddened to receive their refund, but given our new 'normal' I asked them two questions:

1. Would you want to spend money on a conference given all the changes we've had since March 11, 2020?
2. Do you want to be in a room with 300 women?

It's interesting the responses I received. The most common response was, "I didn't think of either of those things." 

We, as a collective planet of humans, all have our habits of thinking. What we WANT to do versus what we CAN do is our new normal.

I have enjoyed speaking to #heartcentered leaders since the end of May about #selfcare from around the globe on imperfect: The Heart-Centered Leadership Podcast. 

Here are my top 5 takeaways:

1. Self-Care is not selfish - many leaders have struggled with this before COVID-19, and working remotely from home has allowed them to reflect, pause, and take the time for self and encourage their team to do the same. The status quo of 9-5 has a new element of 'flex time' to assist with family and productivity.
2. Being unhealthy and burnt out is NOT a symbol of stature or success.
3. If you are not modeling #selfcare - what message does it send to your team/staff/executive?
4. Self-Care is finally in the mainstream for open dialog and consideration!
5. Sharing of what #selfcare looks like for them (personal/work)

When #selfcare is scheduled and practiced daily, we do not have mental health difficulties or poor physical health. We are ahead of the curve.

Don't wait until you feel ill or receive a diagnosis and some prescription medication. Putting yourself first is the best equation and allows you to BE your best for yourself and everyone in your life. #selfcareisntselfish