Do different
What this season is asking of me... and maybe of you
Welcome back.
Three things today.
A First Thought. Then, What More. Then, What If.
Each one an encouragement to think clearly, for yourself and as yourself, about what matters to you.
Here we go.
001 | Bev x
A First Thought
Doing less is not the same as giving up. And I’m not sure I’m doing less, I think I’m beginning to do different.
I’ve written before about the seasons of my life, the 19 year chunks of time that seem to have become a pattern: from childhood, into adulthood, then a career, then a business and a family. I’m definitely aware that this next chunk has a different quality to it.
I’ve spent a long time, probably far too long, proving I could juggle everything. Being a good mum, wife, daughter, friend, colleague, coach, facilitator, mentor, teacher, co-founder, business partner and member of the community. Because I’ve carried around a belief that I ought to be useful. As if that’s a condition of me belonging in the world.
And I got really good at it. Worryingly good at it.
What I know now, at this particular point in my life and work, is that a mind stretched too thin isn’t actually that useful to anyone. If you’re in a room with me, you’ll get all of me in that moment, I can switch myself on and off as the occasion demands. But it can leave me depleted. Over-stimulated. Over capacity.
So I’m making different choices. About how I work, how much I take on, and what I trust is enough.
I’m embracing my ‘wise woman era.’ [Shout out to Tiffany Kay for naming it.] It’s less about slowing down and more about knowing my own wisdom, and paying attention to the things that are stimulating, joyful and meaningful to me… the things that make my heart sing.
Still letting it unfold. It’s finding me, I think.
What More
Big change this week. It’s March, and the start of meteorological spring in the northern hemisphere.
The sun came out, and I mean grab-a-folding-chair-and-head-to-the-prom, properly out. And I watched people change with it. Shoulders dropped with an ‘ahhhhh’. Faces lifted, to soak in the rays. Rather than bending double pushing against the wind and horizontal rain, someone I passed on my walk was audibly humming. Even the dog tails seemed to be wagging more cheerfully. And this is officially the month where it’s impossible to choose the right coat to match the ever-changing weather.
It makes me think about how much we attribute to the season we’re in. The heaviness of February, the flatness of a difficult patch, the sense that things might just always feel this hard.
But the sun was there all along. We just couldn’t see it.
Sometimes you just need someone to say it, don’t you?
What If
What if what you’re looking for has been there all along, and this is simply the season you get to see it?
What Next
If this latest thinking has landed well with you, and you find yourself wanting to think more clearly - about your work, your leadership, or just what matters to you right now - there are ways we can do that together.
I run retreats, programmes and sessions throughout the year. The next one is coming up in April.
If you’re curious, you’ll find everything at clearthinkinguk.com
That’s your lot, for now.
See you in a few days…
e — bev@clearthinkinguk.com
w — clearthinkinguk.com
New here? I’m seeing if I can write every few days. It’s an experiment. I’m not sure I can be consistent but I know that writing helps me work out what I’m thinking, and that when I write, I think better too. Three things: A First Thought, a What More, and a What If question worth thinking about. For people with a lot going on in their lives, who still want to think well.
I love your thinking here Bev. So much resonates for me too 👏