One Month into 2021 - New Year, New You?
My desperate plea for leaders to get serious about self-care - NOW.
2020 is behind us. Guess what? The world is still unruly. Now more than ever, we need to take better care of ourselves. Two hard observations and five self-care ideas to implement now.
Hard observation #1: Leaders still feel a loss of control.
I talk to a lot of leaders. All levels in many industries. I’m hearing a common sentiment expressed in different ways:
“I feel like we’re still in 2020.”
“I still can’t get a handle on the future.”
“The big things are still out of our control. I can’t plan for sh@t!” (that is a real quote)
Yes. It’s hard (still). Most of the big issues haven’t gone away. Some new issues are on the horizon. This makes it really difficult to plan for the future. Don't get me wrong - leaders are still implementing future-oriented strategies. But it’s more of a “have to” drudgery than a “get to” excitement. Because outside forces can come in and blow the whole house down at any time.
Hard observation #2: Leaders are exhausted.
Shakespeare (and many famous folks after him) once said “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”
This is really true. Being tired makes you a shell of your potential self. When you’re tired everything is harder. Your work quality suffers. Your joy is all but depleted. You’re miserable. And by effect, everyone around you is miserable.
Enter: Self-Care
So - You have to plan for a future you can’t predict and you’re absolutely burned out. What to do? SELF-CARE! That’s what!
Leaders, you need to take care of yourself. Right now! Here are five things you could implement IMMEDIATELY!
Do something new.
Always wanted to learn how to play piano? Get into cooking? Learn French? We all have those things that we always wanted to try. Do that thing now. It will be incredibly life giving.
2. Buy something new that moves you from consumer to creator.
Yep, good ‘ole retail therapy. But with a twist. Example: I bought a coffee machine that replaced my Starbucks habit. It forced me into a new thing (see number one) that forced me to save money that forced me to move from consumer of coffee to creator of coffee drinks. I’m so proud of myself!
3. Drop a bad habit.
Stop eating like crap. Stop working too much. Stop smoking. Stop drinking too much. Just stop it! Pick your thing and give it up. You can do it. People quit bad habits everyday. Be one of those people.
4. Pick up a good habit.
Eat better. Exercise consistently. Read more. This is a “no duh”. But do it now! Pick a thing and do it. Stick with it for 30 days and it will be a habit. It’s science!
5. Time-block for the sake of your important relationships.
Be there for the ones who need you. Block off time for them. Don’t let work or tech deprive your loved-ones of your presence. They probably got ripped off in 2020. Don’t let 2021 deprive them again. Be present and love well.
Do one or more of the five things above you’ll be doing that “self-care” thing all of us Life Coaches are always talking about.
We’re only one month in. Make it happen!
Tony Woodall
Founder, Rootstock