In my last blog, I spoke about the fact that I was exploring a new productivity tool. Interestingly, the same day I wrote this blog, I had lunch with a friend of 20 years. As a good friend will do, he started asking thoughtful questions about life. I explained that I was in the incredibly fortunate position of having 3 wonderful jobs. I have my role as the director of the Center for Collaborative Leadership. I consult with two premier leadership development organizations. And, I have a full coaching practice.
I talked about how each of the things I’m doing brings me joy and how fulfilling it is to see the impact of the work I do. At the same time, it had begun to feel like I was juggling three full-time jobs. So, things like time with my family, my friends, taking care of my health, and so on, were taking a back seat.
It was he who pointed out that doing what you love can be a difficult thing to bound. He explained to me how, when he was about my age, he had sat down and gotten clear about what his priorities were and aligned his life accordingly. Each year, he reviews his goals and maps out his year to support achieving these. As any of my clients will tell you, this is central to my work with them. And yet, in the busy-ness of life, I’d not taken the time to do this for myself.
I laughed as I shared with him that this was the universe giving me a good swift kick in the butt. First, having found this new system and then, only days later, to have a conversation with him that mirrored this need for me to take a step back and get strategic about my priorities and my plan. I told him that I was committing to doing this work in November and December so that I could step into 2023 with more intentionality and, like any good friend, he pulled out his calendar so that we could find a date in December to celebrate the work and so that he can think about how he can best support my 2023 goals.
I don’t know about you but I find that when you don’t heed those gentle nudges from the universe, they just keep coming, getting a bit stronger and more direct each time. Glad I caught onto this one early.
