The 1:1:1 June 2021
Radical Self-Care.
1: Idea / Radical Self-Care
Summer is often a time of re-balancing getting stuff done and self-care. Vacationing, long weekends, time away from work all help us refuel ourselves.
Ray Dalio, the hedge fund manager, philanthropist, and author of Principles identifies that there are essentially two main life-driver types: people that want to make an impact on the world and people that want to soak up life. For most people who work within the leadership or innovative worlds, or who orbit closely to these realms (entrepreneurs, designers, artists, strategists, planners, etc.) we want and need healthy portions of both impact and life-soaking.
One essential ingredient in the fusion of impact and life-soaking is radical self-care. In order to manage the unpredictable demands of life and leadership, we need to have steady and accessible coping skills.
The way we respond to the assaults on our well-being can be to balance how we care for ourselves. This includes care for our mindset, our diet and nutrition, our spiritual life, our relationships, our physicality, our curiosity, our adventure, and our creativity.
Tip of the had to my friend and Studio colleague Libby Wagner, poet and consultant, for introducing me to the term “radical self-care.”
1: Inspiration
“Self-care is never a selfish act — it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to true self and give the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch.”
— Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation
1: Tool/ Leadership Self-Care
In learning from countless business leaders about how they thrive and where they struggle, a few key insights show up time and time again.
First, our inner critics, while great drivers, can be extremely harsh. One leader shared that theirs was so unkind that they would be fired if that inner critic talked to others like they talked to themselves.
Second, because we can have a harsh inner critic, we don’t often give ourselves the thoughtful advice and kind feedback that others we trust would provide us. Sometimes we are our own worst boss.
If you’re interested in refining your notions of what great leadership looks like, try asking yourself these questions:
- If the strongest leader you knew was struggling with stress, what would you advise them to do?
- How has taking some time for yourself benefited you or your team in the past? And, what are the downsides to taking time to refuel and rejuvenate?
- If you didn’t need help, but you just wanted to recharge your battery — how would you do that?
The most valuable feedback you’ll ever get is criticism from people who know you and have your best interests at heart. There are three vital questions that I tend to ask about such feedback:
- Is it true?
- Is it helpful?
- Is it kind?
If you have insights on this, feel free to share them with me here.
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If you want a more trusting team, a culture of belonging or a magnetic brand that attracts more of the right customers, I can help. If you'd like to explore if working together makes sense, drop me a line.
