Tips for having helpful rest, reflection and preparation during the break

If you are like me or most people I have spoken with, 2021 has been tiring, even though we were more used to covid, lockdowns, vaccines, opening up, virtual meetings, meeting people or being in group settings?after not seeing them for a long time...

As we head into the festive season to celebrate, my invitation to you is to ensure you create the space to rest, reflect?and prepare for the year ahead. Particularly if you have a quiet nature (although also beneficial for the not-so-quiet people), some solitude, time out to rest and reflect?is key to being ready for another uncertain and changing?year ahead.

Take deliberate steps to create space in your calendar, not fill it up with social activities or catching up on work you didn't finish before Christmas.

Rest

What is the rest you need?

To make sure we feel rested before we start getting into the New Year, I suggest being deliberate about doing what is restful for you. After two years of covid, it's possible the kind of tiredness and what will help you to feel rested may be different to what it used to be.

For me, I am committed to turning off everything digital for a few days. With all the zoom meetings, keeping up with the news, keeping in touch with friends and family on the phone or video, I feel like my eyesight has deteriorated and anything straining the eyes is making me tired overall.?I feel more rested when I see the colours green and blue in nature. My intention is to go bushwalking and be surrounded by trees. And switching off the phone - unless I get lost...

In a coaching session, one of my clients shared how exhausted she felt as the year end approached. She realised that one of the reasons she was so exhausted was that she felt she couldn't be herself through the year, as she had to be positive and upbeat, energising and motivating her team, her clients and stakeholders to get through the year.

It reminded me of how tiring it is to put on the positive face for a long time if we are not really feeling that way. This was reinforced by?the two-part podcast with Brene Brown and Susan David on the dangers of toxic positivity . I wonder if there's a risk of having to keep that positive face during the festive season and not allow ourselves to feel what we really feel. I'm not saying that we should show up grumpy to our gatherings with family and friends. But I feel part of having a good rest involves making space to sit with whatever we feel, rather than covering them up.

What will you incorporate in your rest?

Reflect

What is worth reflecting on over the break?

If we allow ourselves to feel what we feel, Susan David suggests that we become more specific about what we feel and what the emotion is telling us. There are no good/bad, positive/negative emotions if we acknowledge them as useful sources of?information. I am welcoming some space to reflect on the wisdom of uncomfortable emotions.

The big challenge we face is the uncertainty and constantly changing environment we are likely to have to live with for the foreseeable future. I am pretty sure I am not alone in facing many changing and cancelled plans as well as not being able to plan ahead for both professional and personal activities.

A well-known framework that is helpful when we feel stressed about not being in control is the late Stephen Covey's Circle of Control/Concern.

It is natural to feel overwhelmed when our minds get stuck in all the things we cannot control - that is, everything that is in the Circle of Concern. So one of my reflections will be around what I would like to do within my Circle of Control in light of all the uncertainty and change.

Prepare

Being a bit of a learning junkie, I am investing in two training programs?during the December/January period, as it allows me to concentrate on learning rather than constantly task switching and not absorbing what I am learning. I plan to make the most of the time to reflect on not just what I'm learning but where I can apply what I am learning. My hope is that this continued learning will prepare me to add more value to the people and organisations I support in 2022.

I am still convinced that we need more thoughtful, considered, humble and inclusive leaders - Quietly Powerful leaders. As I shared in previous messages,?the value of a quietly powerful style of leadership is being noticed (see HERE if?you missed this) and the dangers of continuing to promote people who are good at self-promotion but have poor leadership skills are being highlighted (see HERE for this topic). So my focus of preparation will?be around how I can further influence individuals to unlock their potential and organisations to appreciate, identify and develop more Quietly Powerful Leaders.

What reflection and preparation will be useful for you?

Opportunity to Reflect and Prepare with Megumi

Recently I conducted a survey for a masterclass project to?uncover the 3 biggest challenges facing quiet professionals when it comes to getting a promotion.?If you feel that you could benefit from reflecting and preparing for 2022 with me, I invite you to the Quietly Powerful New Year Webinar in January.

QP New Year Webinar: Addressing the top 3 challenges in getting promoted as a quiet professional - Friday 28th January 12-1pm AEDT

I'm quite excited about what I'm uncovering about what's needed for quiet professionals to get ahead in their careers. Come along to explore what I've uncovered and see how they might be useful for you and your career.

You can pre-register for this free webinar HERE and add it to your calendar now so you don't forget and miss out.

The Quietly Powerful (QP) movement aims to help quieter professionals to succeed authentically and expand the definition of good leadership. Download the first two chapters of the award-winning book “Quietly Powerful: How your quiet nature is your hidden leadership strength ” or the Quietly Powerful white paper and join the Quietly Powerful newsletter.?