My stepson has finished school and got his diploma, and he can’t get his head around the fact that he doesn’t have to go to school anymore.
This month, in the space of 10 days, I generated the same turnover as I did in my entire second year of business, and I can’t get my head around it.
(side note: this says nothing about how much money, and everything about how far I’ve come. that’s the point).
A client of mine recently got a new job they wanted, in senior leader position they deserved, and can’t quite get their head around the fact that one company recognised their talents while another didn’t.
Making each of these leaps didn’t happen in a single moment. For each of us there were head cracking times of expansion required – in thought, in self belief, and in action.
It’s not possible to move from one activity to the next at blinding speed and be reflective at the same time. (The more complex and demanding the work we do, the wider, deeper and longer the perspective we require to do it well.) It’s almost impossible to do that when we create no white space in our lives.
Tony Schwartz
For each of us, there were a series of actions that we took that got us to this point: proud of our badassery, with a little bit of “is this really happening?” thrown in.
And for each of us, in between those action steps, there was reflection.
Where am I know?
What have I learned?
What do I like/not like?
What do I need next?
What will it take for me to get there?
etc
There was no 10 step plan at the beginning.
We each took one step, got somewhere, then figured out the next step. And we kept on doing that until we got to our successes today.
So that’s my coaching tip for this week:
Create white space in your life.
Every day if you can, every week as a minimum.
Create those white empty spaces in your calendar to pause and reflect. To get creative. To process the amazing things you have just accomplished. To deal with the disaster that just happened. To learn, breathe, create.
Just block out the time, and don’t let anyone fill them up with meetings and other time wasting activities.
Why?
The complex demanding work that you are doing can only be done from those white spaces. That’s when you come up with best ideas and best actions.
“It’s not possible to move from one activity to the next at blinding speed and be reflective at the same time. (The more complex and demanding the work we do, the wider, deeper and longer the perspective we require to do it well.) It’s almost impossible to do that when we create no white space in our lives.” Tony Schwartz
This post is part of my special Coaching Tips Series. This series was inspired by my clients and the core themes in their challenges. When we can apply these tips, we bring a lot of ease into our lives and step into our leadership. Want to talk it through with me? Use a free Experience Coaching session and I’ll help you.