As the first stages of the roadmap out of lockdown in the UK will soon be underway, we have no doubt all looked ahead at the things we can’t wait to do, and the people we can’t wait to see and hug.
This last year has really highlighted all the things we’ve missed, but did we really appreciate them before we couldn’t do them? Will we learn to truly savour them when they come back into our lives? Of course, we all sit here thinking we will savour every second of enjoying the things and the people we have missed. I hope we do. And I hope that savouring lasts.
I hope we don’t gradually slip back into taking life for granted, as if it’s a given. I hope we learn to be more present where we are, with who we are with, doing what we are doing. Will we be present though? Or will our minds be elsewhere?
I hope that we don’t rush through life chasing down the endless to-do lists that are some people’s only way of attempting to keep up with the demands their life places on them. We will choose to continue to live that way?
I hope that those that lead and manage others will think about the daily lifestyle they are asking others to live. Does the pressure that many are put under sit well with you? And if not, what will you do about it?
I hope we will ask that same question to ourselves. What daily lifestyle are we living? Is it what we want? Where is it taking us? Are we going to choose to keep living it?
And perhaps the most important question of all, as we start to move out of lockdown, is what sort of person will we be? What will we stand for?
Of course, none of these questions need wait to be answered. We could ask these questions at any point in life. But when our world has been tipped upside down, there is an ideal opportunity to review and re-set. The last year has undoubtedly been tough on so many levels, but I believe in post-traumatic-growth.
I definitely want to grow from this experience. In many ways, this last year has really helped me to crystallise things that I’ve been working on myself over the last few years. Here are a few intentions that I personally am coming out of lockdown with renewed vigour for. I feel inspired and excited to commit to….
🌟 Live more fully – you know, those things I keep meaning to get around to; like another skydive, paddle-boarding, more skiing, and those places I want to (but have yet to) visit. Because I love what I do for work, I can end up doing nothing else, so in the name of walking-my-wellbeing-talk I’m going to intentionally have more fun for fun sake.
🌟 Let go of more fear so that I can choose more love. I’m very aware of the moments that fear still rises in me, and where I can choose more love.
🌟 Live even more true to my values – which means saying ‘no’ more often so that I can say ‘yes’ to things that mean more. This is especially true in work…just because I can do something doesn’t mean I should. It needs to be aligned with the bigger purpose of why I do what I do, and with what brings me personal joy too.
🌟 Take action on all the business inspiration that came to me in meditation throughout this last year…..one step at a time.
🌟 Speak up in asking for what I need – which also means calling people out when standards and expectations aren’t met. It also means taking less bullshit…just because I try to be understanding of others doesn’t mean I put up with anything. Enough!
🌟 Mindfully face conflict head-on. In the past, I’ve been a conflict avoidant, mostly because I didn’t have the skills to navigate those conversations and situations, and also because I felt really uncomfortable in them. I’ve got those skills now though, and I’ve also worked on past people-pleasing tendencies so I spot the signs way better these days.
🌟 Keep up the fitness gains that I’ve built through lockdown. I used to feel really fit, strong and vibrant in life and I have to admit that since splitting up with my husband in 2017 it’s taken me time to pick myself back up from the rock bottom that I felt and hit. I felt weakened on every level and have been building myself back up ever since. It’s been a journey of gaining momentum, but lockdown has been a real tide-turning experience for me and I am finally feeling not just like old self again, but even stronger and all the better for the experience. YAY! My core strength is truly returning both physically and metaphorically. I can assure you all that when I speak of the importance of managing your internal self, especially when the going gets tough, it’s because I’ve walked that line myself.
Post traumatic growth is an available choice and one I love helping people to find. As we all start to move forwards and emerge from both lockdown and the pandemic, I encourage you to appreciate life as the precious thing that it is. Not just in theory, as a passing feel-good thought, but in actual living practice.
🤔 What will you appreciate more fully?
🤔 What bullshit are you done with?
🤔 What will you choose in life?
💕 And, most importantly, who will you choose to be?
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