Once, there was an arrow...

A real arrow, made from wood, and it belongs to me. 

By now, if you’re wondering if I’ve been on the gin, I don’t blame you! 

But here’s the thing...

Yesterday was one of our Chrysalis Crew Blank Paper Days, a day when we meet as a whole to do team stuff! 

But yesterday was different, Kelly shared and showed us two activities that are designed to empower and inspire self belief - glass walking and arrow breaking. Two of the activities that feature in The Power of HR workshop. We were then invited to participate...

The crew, after some initial and totally bloody understandable trepidation, embraced the concept, and the room soon filled with claps and cheers as fears were conquered and confidence grew. 

But now for some honesty, not all the team participated. I couldn’t face trying either task, so I watched from the sidelines. 

Why? 

Now I’ve had time to sit back and reflect, and take onboard the feedback from my crew mates, I’ve ‘forgiven’ myself for not giving the activities a try...because I’d been rather hard on myself, and convinced myself that I’d let everybody down. 

I’ve not been my authentic self this week, my self-care had, up until today, dwindled to almost nothing, and the moment I was invited to contribute to the team day, I realised that I’d nothing to give positively, and my emotions overwhelmed me. I shed a few tears. I’d allowed the busy, bustling workload that I usually love and thrive on, mask my own emotional and physical needs. 

So I was ‘running on empty’ with simply nothing left in the tank. Certainly no energy for stepping out of my comfort zone, in fact, I’d retreated so far into the absolute inner core of my comfort zone, there was really no enticing me back out! 

Or was there? 

I mentioned back at the beginning about my arrow. At the start of the activity, Kelly had presented us with our own individual arrow, and invited us to break them with our throats...yes, I did actually say that, and it can be done, because I watched it with my very own eyes! 

I couldn’t even hold my arrow, I put it down and turned away from it, because I wasn’t ready to take that step. I left it on my desk for the rest of the team session, and put it out of my mind. 

Then something magical happened...

After the rest of the crew had departed, Kelly and I were in the office together, preparing to speak to a potential new client. It was the last job of the day, and my confidence was pretty shaky. 

But as we carried out the task together, I found myself reaching for my arrow, and I held on to it as the conversation progressed positively. I could feel my confidence returning, and I subconsciously must have reached back to harness some of the team’s energy from earlier in the day. 

The call concluded on a successful note and when the tears came again, this time they were happy ones, and I felt the same surge of release and empowerment that my colleagues had earlier. I may not have broken my arrow, but my ‘wooden friend’ had helped my to relight my energy and drive. 

So why am I laying myself bare like this? Because that release is a feeling like no other, and who doesn’t want to think they can conquer the world? 

Please, please, please, let me be clear, you should never walk on broken glass or attempt to break an arrow with your throat unless you’re alongside a trained expert. 

#DontTryThisAtHome

For The Chrysalis Crew, Kelly Swingler is that expert, and she developed The Power of HR, a three-day workshop of empowerment and discovery. 

It won’t be to everyone’s taste, and I wanted to share my innermost feelings with you, because I wanted to remain in my comfort zone yesterday. It was my body and brain’s way of telling me I need to step back and re-charge. 

So today I’m having a day off! A day to relax and take time for me. Writing my thoughts down is part of that process and I feel ‘lighter’ for doing it. 

I will break my arrow when I’m ready. Because at that point, I won’t need her (yes, she’s a girl!) I will have moved forward, and will have broken what held me back. 

If you have cynical thoughts that this is just an exercise in PR for our workshop, then I’m sorry to disappoint. We’re an authentic bunch, and I wanted to share...honestly. 

If a small window into the workshop can ignite such a strength of feeling, imagine what three days will do. 

If you do want to know more, come and talk to me, Kelly or one of The Crew. We all have our own story to tell. 

And if you want to move forward in life, we’ve got an arrow waiting with your name on it. 

Thank you for reading.