There’s Always Time to Refresh

Summer Greetings

Hello! The last time I wrote to you it was spring and here we are rounding the corner of summer. So far I’ve spent the summer coaching several leaders from three different organizations and I had a great two weeks visiting family in Boston, Connecticut, and New York.

Right now I’m wrapping up work and getting ready for our big summer adventure: Alaska. The trip is a one-week cruise that ends with a three-day land excursion to Denali National Park. I’m excited and full of anticipation to be immersed in nature and to experience a new and amazing landscape.

Since Alaska’s summer temps can range from 40-80°F, I’m heeding the advice to pack clothes that can be layered. I even dug out my rain jacket from the back of the closet. It hasn’t seen the light of day during the 12 years we’ve lived in Arizona, so I tossed it into the washing machine to rinse off any Sonoran Desert dust.

In that spring issue of In the Current entitled It’s in the Yes, the message was about the joy of saying yes to work that feels important to you. Today’s issue is a reminder to also say yes to refreshing your body, mind, and spirit: continually, and in ways big and small. Your best work can’t come through you unless you do this.

It’s Worth the Effort

Vacation Weeks: Virtually all the leaders I coach tell me that despite the inevitable scramble prior to leaving for vacation and the email overflow that greets them upon return, it’s worth the effort to take a break. They come back with better perspective, a restored sense of humor, and more energy.

Self-Care Routines: Richard enjoys his role as a director of analytics in an e-commerce organization; however, following a period of burnout, he is now focusing on better self-care. He is watching his hours, spending time with family, and taking breaks to do a quick stretch or to step outside and take a walk. After one month, he reports feeling sharper and said the quality of his work has increased. (1)

A Single Day: When a longer vacation isn’t possible, refreshing can take the form of a single day. When my sister Lori’s daughters were younger, she and her friend Tami would reserve the first day of school for an annual beach ritual. This one day at the beach – for two friends and without summer crowds – was the perfect way to mark another successful back-to-school launch and the change of seasons. It became a tradition they enjoyed for many years.

Three Breaths: When someone I’m coaching arrives to our meeting feeling scattered, I will guide us both through a simple mindfulness exercise adapted from OASIS in the Overwhelm. We take three breaths together and with each exhalation, we each silently name something to release; with the inhalation, we think of something to invite in. Most people welcome this opportunity to take a few deep breaths and even with the occasional skeptic, the results are positive: a bit of calm, the ability to let go, and clarity about what’s important to focus on in our conversation.

Whatever Form It Takes

A planned vacation, a beach tradition, or a new self-care routine.

There is always a way to refresh.

Two weeks, one day, or three breaths.

There is always time to refresh.

This Week’s Call To Action:

• What refreshes your body, mind, and spirit?

Maya Angelou expressed it well in this frequently-cited excerpt from her book of essays entitled: Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now:

“Every person needs to take one day away; a day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence.

Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.

…A day away acts as a spring tonic. It can dispel rancor, transform indecision, and renew the spirit.” (2)

Enjoy the rest of your summer and I’ll be back to you in early autumn!

Notes:
(1) Name changed for privacy.
(2) Maya Angelou. (1993). Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now. New York, NY: Random House.