When Enough is Just Right ??: The Importance of Connection with Self ?? & Immediate Circles in Our Work

This is a special edition, non-traditional, perhaps uncomfortably touchy-feely-yet-perhaps-ultra-relatable newsletter in my series: Career Connections.

Whether you want to avoid thinking and talking about your feelings at work, or at this point in the year, or you want to get gushy with me, I think there might be some thoughts here that we can all find ourselves in - let me know if my instincts are right here...here we go.

In my head, I was about 6 months behind on publishing what I intended would be my monthly Linkedin newsletter. Every month, I thought, maybe I'll get to it this month, I'm only a little behind, and it's okay, it'll give me more time to gather my thoughts for the next one.

When the ideas finally came and the time and ability to put words onto the screen, I looked back at when I published my last newsletter, and it was 11 months ago! 11! Wow, was I off by more than just a hair.

I could fight my urge to be extremely self-critical, or start tearing my confidence up and weaving together a self-told story about how I'm letting myself and others down by not meeting expectations.

But, instead, I'm going to embrace the lag, the "failure" to deliver and produce and create, and the dropped balls (and there are many), and tell you, and myself, that "Enough is just right".

What does dropping balls have to do with career connections?

There's so much pressure around us in our careers, in our lives. To produce more. To sell more. To network more. To grow more. To prove more. To show more and better results. And, when we're functioning with close-to-sufficient rest, and have our health, and our mindsets feel grounded, perhaps we can operate in that "do more" space.

But, by year-end, it's likely that we're a bit depleted, and our full cups have been somewhat emptied, and it may seem like there's more behind us than ahead of us, and we just need to. stop moving.

And, so, if you're like me, you've found yourself operating in a space more like "I'm doing the best I can with what I have" or "tomorrow's another day" or asking "which of these things that I thought was important would be okay to let go of, and if it never gets done, it'll be okay".

And, do you know what? In the workshops I delivered in partnership with valued clients like Brink’s Inc Women's Resource Network and Pendo.io Women of Pendo, workshop participants shared that big areas they were managing and leading were in time management at home and at work (on top of company and work priorities), and, that what jumped to the top of their focus list was navigating diminished morale due to the tech sector's layoffs and fears of job insecurity.

They had to connect with themselves, and gain immediate support with trusted colleague networks to operate more in survival mode because that was enough and what was needed to get through the day.

And, I will say, I see now more than ever the strain on women who are working, and worrying, and keeping families and health and finances and homes afloat, all while juggling work pressures and priorities.

So, I look back and think about why I haven't written and published a newsletter in ELEVEN months, and the reasons are MANY:

• I have been learning (read: flying by the seat of my pants) how to become a Mom to my 15 month old, and her needs have taken precedence.
• I have been learning how to run a business between unexpected school pick ups for ear infections and dr's appointments and truncated sleeping hours.
• I have been designing and delivering quarterly career & leadership development workshops for some incredible global clients, and even a local Colorado government agency, and before school pick up at 3:30, so in other words, being uber-productive in wayyy less time.
• While operating my business and being focused on delivering my best client work to help individuals, teams, and organizations build meaningful careers, I've been hyper-focused on learning as much as possible about what the current human resources and L&D environments are needing right now so I can take my business to the next level.
• I've had COVID, and traveled for holidays and family events, and tried to sneak in the occasional and coveted lunch or walk with a friend when a small sliver of time was gifted to me.
• Tragedy and war in Israel/Gaza have taken a toll on my mental health and caused worry and concern and required focus and connection with family and friends to navigate this difficult time.

And, so, while I could be hard on myself about what didn't happen, or what wasn't consistent, or what could have been, I've decided that "enough is just right" because "trying to do more was simply not right, or not even possible".

It wasn't "dropping balls" in the sense of not doing what I set out to do. It was "dropping balls", meaning letting desired tasks and goals float down the list so the biggest, most precious, most valuable, most important investments of time and energy were lifted up or kept afloat. And, that has been enough, and more than enough!

So, when we talk about building high quality career connections - the focus of my work, sometimes that is a luxury and a goal to strive for, and sometimes we just don't have time to be expanding our networks. And, so, in order to function and meet responsibilities and feel good about what we're doing, we need to connect with ourselves first. And, we turn to the immediate people in our lives and our careers who give us energy and encouragement, who make us feel 'enough', and who are there to accept what is 'enough' with us and "get it".

Who to Turn to When We're Operating in a Space of "Enough" vs. Expansiveness

Earlier this year, I published my first electronic download bonus "uncovered" chapter of KNOCK! It's focused on resilience and realities coming out of the pandemic: The Uncovered Chapter of KNOCK: How to Knock When You've Been Knocked Down (Download Now). Request a workshop on career relationships & resilience if your team has been navigating layoffs and market uncertainty.

As a part of that chapter, I've shared the types of high quality career relationships we can lean on when we are recovering from being "knocked down" in our careers and lives.

So, while my newsletters typically include articles that I've curated from colleagues and brilliant thinkers on career connections (which will resume!), I thought a raw and honest piece on how to take care of ourselves, our personal and professional nucleus, and protect what's most important would highlight the need for personal connection before we get to the fun and sometimes scary and sometimes obligatory networky kind of connection that we can cultivate to grow and evolve our careers, would be a a way of giving us all permission to say:

Enough is just right.

You are doing enough. And, I hearby grant you permission to drop balls - let those things that don't serve you right now float to the bottom of your list, or float away for good, so you can carry the balls and connections that keep you sane and whole and simply standing right now.

As we approach the end of this year, let's just be. And, be good with it!

Looking for an International Women's Day 2024 speaker (March 8th)? Check out my new keynote and workshop on this coming year's theme: #InspireInclusion.

Are you seeking a speaker or learning & development partner to help you deliver inspiring, empowering, and supportive programs for your employees as you cultivate connected cultures and meaningful careers? Reach out: [email protected] and download my *NEW 2024 Learning Services Catalog.