“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Lao Tzu
It is a busy time of the year!
For me, it is Christmas. But regardless of our traditional holiday and holiday traditions, most of us try to take a little time off toward the end of the year. This precipitates a mad sprint to wrap things up (literally, in some cases) so that we can take a much-needed and yearned-for break from work, school, or both.
In that spirit, here are three things I am thinking about:
- I recently read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (thanks to Johny Wudel for the recommendation).
Comer said something that particularly struck me: “Hurry is the root problem underneath so many of the symptoms of toxicity in our world.”
Give this some thought; I have been. I’m considering the people closest to me, and how am I slowing down to be with them?
2. I’m also thinking about a wonderful Tiffany Shlain quote, which I have shared before, but I’m sharing again:
“What if we thought of rest as technology? The promise of technology is that it makes things efficient. It saves time, and it allows us to get things done…By giving you a day off each week from screens, from responsibilities, from being available, letting you reflect and connect, [rest] becomes the ultimate technology.”
3. Frank Calberg, One of our faithful newsletter subscribers, reminded me of the podcast episode with Marcus Buckingham, where he made the very delicious statement, “Life is putting on a show for you. Life is trying to show you that which you love. If you would look, you would know.” He also said that you will fly up an S Curve, when there is LOVE.
And then Buckingham invites us to fill in the blank three times, “I love it when ______________.”
Here are my answers:
1. I love it when I have a deep, meaningful conversation.
2. I love it when I laugh.
3. I love it when I hear rhythmically and harmonically interesting music that makes my heart soar, whether it is Nicolai Kapustin, Brand New Heavies, Jacob Collier, Diana Krall, and let us not forget Stevie Wonder.
So, while you are slowing down and resting so that you can love, consider the question, “What is life showing you?” And maybe with your loved ones, fill in the blank “I love it when____________,”
This week’s podcast episode is with Jennifer McCollum, CEO of Linkage, a leadership development company focused on advancing women. Jennifer clearly loves her work; she loves leadership. What I appreciated about speaking with her is that she is the embodiment of what she professes.
It is fitting that at the end of the year, she will be leaving Linkage (it was recently acquired by SHRM) and looking for her next CEO role. She is, herself, advancing.
As always, thanks for being here.
My best,
Whitney
P.S. Are you looking to accelerate your growth and invest in others? The Smart Growth Certification program gives you the tools to start meaningful conversations about growth with your direct reports, teams, coaching clients, and anyone else you care about.
P.P.S. If you are going to go on a vacation, like we are this year, you may want to read (or re-read) this piece about the Vacation S Curve.
