It’s always surprised me that my strength of Beauty and Excellence was not more prominent in my VIA Strengths Survey. As a leader I would often ask my team/s what I should do more of, less of, and differently and I always appreciated the feedback I received. It was an opportunity to grow, which is what feedback should be. My team agreed that I did appreciate beauty and excellence but I didn’t stop often enough to do it. So here we are, not post COVID- 19, but we are post iso and we are living in the new norm. So, in this space I have been thinking about what we might have appreciated about this time?
Appreciation
I appreciated the enforced pause, not the cause of the pause, and not in the first few days or even couple of weeks, but I have definitely appreciated the pause. Even though I would consider myself busy during iso, continuing to work from home and supporting my family and others as best I could, I did have more time than usual. I didn’t even feel guilty about not being “busy” 24/7. The photo above is from my garden and it demonstrates stages of growth and decay. I noticed much more during this time, especially about nature. I have always loved being with children and respected them, now I realise how often they enabled me to pause and practice wonder and awe. They are fascinated by ants, flowers, rainbows, light, the sound of a dog barking and a siren. They see for the first time, and they enable us to reacquaint ourselves with what we might have taken for granted. Iso afforded me this new opportunity, and I plan to sustain it. I appreciated time, time to be, time to pause, and more time with some members of my family. I really struggled with less time with other members of my family and friends though.
What did you appreciate at this time?
Struggle
I missed physical contact with family and friends. Connection is critical for wellbeing and I struggled with connecting on screens, more than physically. I found it hard when people avoided me in the street, even though I knew it was right and they were being caring. I missed connection.
What did you struggle with?
Learnings
Nature, exercise and connection are very good for wellbeing. I set up habits, walking and exercising consistently, more reading, and making a phone call each day to someone who I hadn’t spoken to for a while. I cooked more, and enjoyed being at home but I’ll be honest it was getting harder towards the end, and I was pleased when the restrictions began to lift.
What did you learn?
Now
We may or may not be ready for goal setting but I know if I don’t reflect now, hold onto what matters most, and set some goals for action, I may miss this precious opportunity.
In summary
What did you appreciate during our isolation time?
What did you struggle with?
What have you learnt?
What is your hope for the future?
What are you going to do to ensure your appreciation, struggles and learnings become positive directions for you, your family, your workplace and for humanity?
A final wondering- How are we going to continue building and maintaining agency for our personal wellbeing and for humanity?