Pause. Rest. Rejuvinate.
Oregon Back Roads, April 5, 2020. © Leslie Cumming
“There is virtue in work. There is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” – Alan Cohen
Last week I took my advice to clients and Paused from individual and collective trauma, exhaustion, and sprinting to help clients navigate Communications in Times of Uncertainty.
I unhooked several afternoons. From the noise and the news. From the barrage of emails and the plethora of self-help guru’s landing in my inbox. I tuned into - intuition, rest, and self-love towards my heart center — for myself and my business.
I’m doing it again this week and will likely do this each week for the foreseeable future.
I took (am taking) time to read, connect with my tribe, community, and businesses whom I admire and trust. I get outdoors on the bike and onto the trails to train for my next event. I work on what my business could be in evolving times.
And, I Journal.
It’s a practice and place that allows me to go inward (safely) so that I can get curious externally. Over the years, I’ve learned that journaling (or quick note taking) is an act of self-love and helps me align with my goal of living a heart-centered life and building a heart-centered business. I aks myself question about personal welfare and health, creativity, my clients and business, to include:
Personal — Where do I want to go? Why? What’s bothering me? How do I feel? How can I look at this differently? Do I even want to look at this differently? Why is FOMO showing up? How is my family - blood and chosen? My friends? Those that are single and living alone, those with kids at home or who were struggle before this upheaval? How can I be present for them and me? How are my neighbors?
Clients — Do I still like/enjoy what I do (yes)? Can I still help them? What may my clients need? What do they want? Are the wants and needs compatible? How can we have that conversation? Should we have that conversation? How are their families? Kids? What might be a new balance? Do they want to enact a new balance?
Business — What do marketing and content look like in our new normal? What will make a difference to their communities? When? Why? How much should it be? What are the next steps? What does that team look like? If a solo business, what does that look like? How will the effect them, their staff and families? What are the steps and processes for exploring that path? How do we communicate that and when?
I try to keep in mind the words, questions, thoughts, and actions that will help access my heart, courage, and integrity for my family, tribe, faith, communities, and what I can do to help while also respecting needs, timing, and caring for myself. There is no right or wrong answer. It just is. Pausing and Journaling helps.
Some days, I don’t know. Usually, faith reminds me that my experiences the last 54-years remind me that — we will be OK. We will figure this out.
Experience notes that we’ll collectively and individually remember what worked and didn’t in times of adversity and upheaval. It will evolve and change — consistently and constantly for a while yet. What worked before may not work this time; what didn’t work before may work this time. We’ll learn to communicate better (or won’t). We’ll give ourselves and others more latitude, love, care, and kindness (I hope). We’ll respect our health, wellness, others, and this earth better (no longer negotiable). We’ll cobble old and new ideas together, use and evolve technologies, and remember back-to-basics strategies and tactics that we’ve forgotten (and suddenly remember) to start the journey on crafting to a new normal.
It will happen. But it will take time and endurance. Sometimes we’ll need to sprint. Mostly, not. We’ll need to pause, rest and rejuvenate to go the distance. In that process have faith and lead from the heart. Because I believe that a heart-centered life and business are what we need in these times. As I journal and think about all this I hold these heart-centered thoughts close:
A heart-centered life is one that tends towards quiet power, words, thoughts, and deeds. It’s centered on loving relationships with ourselves and our communities. It’s expressed (and seen) in how we speak and write to and about ourselves and how we treat others. With kindness, thoughtfulness, integrity, and timing.
A heart-centered life is paying attention to what we and others need. It’s about pausing, listening, thoughtfully doing, and repeating. It’s about planting a seed within ourselves and others, and protecting and nurturing that seed as it (we) grow.
A heart-centered life when applied to our new, daily lives, is an ongoing process that will deepen and evolve with time and practice. It’s not go, go, go, or founded in FOMO. Ever.
A heart-centered business is about marketing, communicating, and selling honestly. With grace and brevity. We understand that in times of upheaval and fear that we must choose our words, stories and communities wisely, thoughtfully, and strategically. Then promote, market, and write about them.
It’s not perfect. But it’s what I have. I hope it helps.