Developing a Better You

Tag: best self (Page 4 of 17)

Increase Productivity by Exploring Your Flip Side

Going was against my nature.

I’m a creature of habit. I love ritual and routine. I thrive in it. There are many benefits to this trait, like efficiency, productivity and stress reduction. But there are downsides too, like stagnation, missed opportunities and reduced creativity.

One day during a recent trip to Vancouver to visit my daughter and work on my upcoming novels, I woke to a sunny morning, a rarity in rainy October. I had planned, as is my habit, to spend the morning writing. But the sunshine reminded me of a park my daughter, a fellow hiker, suggested I try while in town.

Lynn Canyon Park, North Vancouver, Canada

I was torn. The “stick to the routine and be productive” side of me urged me to stay in and write. The “seize the opportunity” part of me, normally the weaker of the two, urged me to be spontaneous and go explore. Knowing spontaneity is a growth edge for me, I put on my hiking shoes and headed out the door before I could talk myself out of it.

The park was glorious. Lush greenery. Ancient, towering trees. A wide, rushing river. A thundering waterfall. A suspension bridge spanning a gorge. I was entranced as I moved slowly along the trail, soaking in the fairyland environment.

Lynn Canyon Park, North Vancouver, Canada

And then it happened. I saw an unusual stone. Then a strange pattern in the roots of a tree. Then a wide pool at the mouth of a cave. My author mind started firing madly, ideas for a story flowing one after the other. Over the course of the next hour, I took dozens of photos and sent myself fifteen emails of notes. By the end of the hike, I had the rough outline of a new book. I returned to our Airbnb charged with energy to write.

Lynn Canyon Park, North Vancouver, Canada

My routine nature serves me well. I’m glad for it. But that experience in the park reminded me to be open to breaking my routine when opportunities present themselves. I know not every choice to “seize the day” will produce such a flurry of creativity, productivity and energy, but I’m equally certain that I’ll miss many of those gifts if I don’t put myself in a place to receive them.

Lynn Canyon Park, North Vancouver, Canada

So how about you? Are you a creature of habit or do you lean toward the spontaneous side? Is your growth edge developing better structures or being more flexible? Embrace the benefits of your natural bent. Be intentional in developing your “flip side.” If you do, you’ll experience a richer, more engaging and productive life, and you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

Choose Your Post-Pandemic Life Well

Covid-19 has been a thief.

It has stolen precious lives, careers, businesses, dreams, and experiences.

But it has also given a rare gift.

As vaccinations allow us to slowly return to some degree of normalcy, we have a unique opportunity to choose our post-pandemic lives. After all the stripping away, we can thoughtfully and intentionally decide what we reintroduce into our lives. Rather than running blindly back to our pre-pandemic schedules, routines, and commitments, pause. Consider what the last year of disruption and isolation has taught you about yourself. Who are you really? What are you truly passionate about? What do you actually miss?

These opportunities don’t come along too often, at least not with this level of clarity. Examine your relationships, your hobbies, your commitments, your work. Is there an unhealthy friendship you could choose not to renew? If you enjoyed working from home, could you continue even when the office life returns? Is there a former board, a committee, or an organization that needs to stay in your past? Have you found a new hobby or passion area during the pandemic that you need to save space for moving forward?

In our eagerness to reengage with the world, it will be easy to fill our schedules. Remember that saying yes to one thing often means saying no to everything else. Choose wisely. The coronavirus has taken so much away—seize the rare opportunity it has given to rebuild a better life, schedule, calendar, routine, and relational world. One that’s life-giving. More true to who you really are. If you do, you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

How to Get Back to “Normal”: Be Kind to Yourself

I hate admitting I’m weak.

Now that I am fully vaccinated, I’ve started reintroducing some normal activities that I’d put on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic – eating in restaurants, getting together with vaccinated friends, volunteering, going to the doctor and dentist, etc. It feels wonderful to engage with the world again.

It also feels exhausting. I find myself physically and emotionally drained after coming home from simple activities that I breezed through in the past. I’ve had to face the reality that extended time in isolation has left my “social engagement muscles” weak and atrophied. I’m simply not used to the crowds and stimulation.

After being so eager for so long to do exactly what I’m doing, that’s a hard admission for me. I don’t want to be that way. But I am. Like an athlete coming back from an injury, it’s going to take some time for me to rebuild the stamina that I’ve lost.

I’m working on giving myself time. Grace. Patience. It took awhile to get to this point, and it will take awhile to return from it. But it will come. My strength will return. In the meantime, the best thing I can do is be kind to myself.

So how about you? As the world shifts slowly back toward a degree of normalcy, how are you feeling? How have you changed? Whatever your answer to those questions, it’s okay. This last year has been unlike anything most of us have ever faced. None of us are coming out unscathed. We all need to heal and rebuild our strength in one way or another. Give yourself time and grace. Be kind to yourself and to others, who are likely in the same boat. If you do, you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself. 

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