Look back to move forward

Reflecting on the week gone by is something that helps me tremendously to stay in alignment. Sadly I’m not always good at protecting this sacred process but I made a commitment in my recent coaching session to be more intentional about this ritual. 

But why is this ritual so important? The essence of my process is that I look back at: 

·      what I enjoyed about the week past

·      what lessons it brought,

·      what balance I achieved

This enables me to:

·      follow through in the coming week when things aren’t at completion, 

·      ringfence time for joy 

·      helps me understand where I need to prioritise my energy. 

For too long and too many times I would muddle my way through a week slave to the desires of others and also slave to the constant hum of urgency that seems to be the theme music of the corporate world. I’m fighting to create a new melody, and this is my instrument of choice - order! 

So what did this week look like? 

On Monday I enjoyed my last day off for the Easter break and watched finding Nemo with my son. It’s the first time he watched a whole film from start to finish. It’s also the first time he unprompted found a film and asked me if we could watch it. This suggests a correlation between choice and commitment. Beyond teaching me a life lesson it was joyful to spend time with him and hear his opinions on the film. I even gained a different perspective of it 

Later in the week I headed to Warsaw to deliver an opening speech and I also spent time delivering leadership training. Being in front of rooms full of people is one of my favourite things to do. The chemistry when a room is in alignment with you is palpable and the most fun part is the Q&A where there are no rules or warnings about what’s going to come up. 

I was asked about how to deal with difficult stakeholders, and I gave an answer of two halves. Firstly, tell them they’re being difficult, hold the mirror up so that they are aware of what they’re doing. To choose not to speak up is robbing them of the opportunity to grow and learn.  And ribbing you of the potential for peace. Secondly engage in fantasy arguments with them where you say what you really think. Though it won’t fix anything it’s pretty satisfying and brings a smile to your face.

Finally, I’ve spent the weekend coaching and being coached as part of my coaching CPD. I’ve realised that one of my strengths is the ability to accept every experience whether good or bad as a fundamental part of my life journey. 

I was also reminded that my strength as a coach lies in the moments when I stumbled whether it was a bad career move, failing an exam, difficult personal relationship. All of these things are part of the tapestry of my coaching story and help me to create safe, non-judgmental spaces for my clients. I’ve always said that unremarkable “perfect” people make the worst coaches. Who wants to feel judged and inferior during a coaching session? 

Even though I’m still on my coaching course today I’ll still make time to cook Sunday dinner. Spinach rice and salmon is on the menu with steamed fish and dumplings. Cooking brings me joy and I’m gonna grab some and cook between the breaks. 

I’ll also finish my reflections and planning for the week and probably get my colouring pencils out, so my schedule looks pretty 😍 

Have a fun and productive week everyone whether it started today or starts tomorrow. 

p.s. the pic shows me in pink one of my favourite colours and I’ve changed my hair colour again =)

R x 

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