Learning & Sustainability

Last year I ditched the new year’s resolutions for two words: presence and intention. I was done with unattainable new year’s resolutions that often fall by the wayside before my birthday (28th January), but two words felt more manageable.

This year, I’m carrying them with me as I continue reading in bed, minimising screen time, and ensuring an intentional pause between activities. But I’m adding two new words: learning and sustainability.

As a lifelong lover of certificates (and the extensive learning that goes with them), I’ve realised that my brain hasn’t been working to it’s full potential recently. I do plenty passive learning (solving tech issues, reflecting on what did/didn’t work in a class or session), but I feel like I haven’t really got my teeth into anything substantial for ages.

This month, alongside the In Good Company CPD Accelerator, I’m looking for true immersive learning experiences that will not only work my brain but also contribute to my competence, confidence, and enjoyment in my work.

But, as with all things, must be sustainable.

In my work I see how unsustainable it is to ignore grief: to keep it all bottled up; to accept the insensitivity of others; to tell yourself to just move on. But it simply doesn’t work. Coaching is built on the opposite: creating sustainable actions that become habits, allowing life to grow around your experience rather than outrun it.

I’ve had to apply some of this logic to my business. I love being flexible and providing for my clients, but as I continue to grow, some of my current habits just won’t scale up. So, I’ve started tracking my time to see where my energy actually goes.

I’ve begun protecting my business (and non-business) hours, I’ve carved out time for swimming, and I’m learning how to automate the time-consuming admin work. Why? So I can show up with more presence and intention for the real-life human parts of my job.

Sustainability isn’t just for business though, it’s for all parts of life. When we’re grieving, our energy is a precious, finite resource. Nobody can just power on through grief any more than I can power on through a 14-hour workday, without eventually collapsing.

So, this year, I’m not looking for a “New Me,” I’m looking for a steady, sustainable, balanced me, and if you’re navigating grief, and looking for your own version of sustainability, maybe there are some things you can consider too:

-            Setting boundaries with those who don’t support your need to grieve

-            Creating low-energy self-care opportunities for the days when everything else feels too much

-            Acknowledging and naming the emotions, rather than brushing them to one side for another day.

Let’s trade the “should” for sustainability, and the scrolling for learning.  I’ll be here, tracking my time, protecting my swim days, and diving deep into new studies, all of which will allow me to show up for you with even more competence, presence, and compassion than before.