1,2,3 for Week #14

Started my vacation this week. Wanted to make sure I get this posted for everyone before I disconnect. Rest and reflect right? Let’s go!

The thought for this week is about taking some time for yourself. I learned in order for me to keep up with who I wanted to be for others, I needed to ensure that I take care of myself. I prioritize time for me every day in the morning and at night before anyone else gets it. Even scheduling said time into my calendar so nothing else gets booked on top of it. Not only does this protect the time for me, but it shows everyone else that this is my space. I can not ask for others to be at their best, to take care of themselves, if I am bad example of that with my own time. If you like to coach, you like to help others be the best version of themselves, then you have to ensure you do that for yourself.
As I wrap learning this month about International Women’s Month I appreciate Pocket for their collection on 15 of the most remarkable women. I’ve learned so much from the women in my life, this month was really important for me to learn even more. 15 Remarkable Women Who Powered The Civil Rights Moment was a really great collection of women who chose to challenge. The second article of this week is about the power of choosing. Why did I choose some of the hardest things I choose to do last month? I Asked Hundreds of People About Their Biggest Life Decisions. Here’s What I Learned really explores those decisions that literally change us for the rest of our lives and why we choose to make them.
My three quotes of this week are all from articles or books that I’ve had my nose in this past week.

“Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.” – Lao Tzu
We need flexibility in our lives. Those hard things that crash against us, try to break us, have no power over us if we can just bend or learn from them.

“Almost every successful person begins with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have power to make it so.” – David Brooks
Choice. I have power of what I choose, no one else does. The power to make my choices. To change the universe. Bring change where none existed before. My future can be exactly what I want. The power of the first step, the choice, is mine.

“Interestingly, the very experience of fear itself is the tip-off moment, the signal that a possibility for action is opening up and so a choice needs to be made.” – Robert Biswas-Diener
That feeling in the pit of our stomach, that is your mind telling you this is new. This is the tipping point of a choice to do something or not. The other side of that starting line could be everything you’ve wanted to see in yourself.

Hope you enjoyed 1,2,3 this week. I’m heading out on vacation. For you, that means I’ll be bringing some great stuff back for you! Take a coffee vacation for the next 5-15 minutes and see what I mean about giving yourself room for you.

✌🏻 Shawn