My friends and teammates can testify, I am a demanding person. l often struggle with prioritization as I want to do EVERYTHING all at once, and in the BEST way possible (i.e. “perfectly”…). I often say the priority is A, B … and C and D because, let’s face it, everything is connected, urgent, and IMPORTANT. Even if this approach allows me to stretch myself and leverage systemic connections between different areas of my life, it sometimes feels overwhelming.
Have you ever felt you are juggling too many things at the same time?
If so, trust me, it may take time for you to be the changemaker you want to be while preserving your inner ecology and peacefulness.
If not, lucky you ;). You can keep reading to find ways to help your close ones who are experiencing difficulties in prioritizing.
MY JOURNEY - AS A CASE STUDY
As I embarked on my journey to becoming a certified professional coach; I was leading two missions within my company and - little did I know - I was on the edge of facing personal and professional consequences from a worldwide, viral epidemic. I was full of self-doubt, and yet, super excited, ready to juggle both worlds, even if it meant waking up at 5.30 AM.
In 2020, I faced more than enough challenges for the little human that I am.
As a manager, I faced the unexpected departure of teammates, as well as the difficulty of reassuring and motivating a remote, multicultural team. I had to be agile enough to adjust, maintain and enrich our projects so as to turn this uncertain period into an opportunity for sustainability. Together, we launched a podcast for ecological change-makers, organized external stakeholders committees for our management to assess the business risks and priorities for action, and accompanied operational teams in key projects such as the launch of sustainable waste collection centers for informal waste pickers.
I navigated between a sense of flow and an imposter syndrome while learning the coaching techniques, testing them on clients, and building my blog (you may be able to imagine the challenge if I tell you I still type with a few fingers on my computer…).
As it is with many expatriates, I had to cope with the emotional stress of being prohibited from traveling back to my home country. That being said, I must admit that my situation in Japan was more acceptable compared to other friends in more restrictive countries.
Worst of all, I was battling against myself. I was torn between gratefulness for my network’s trust (or what I tend to perceive as optimistic gullibility), pride in my team’s dedication, anxiety related to the state of our world, and finally, guilt from ‘not doing enough. What I mean is I was not doing enough to help the world compared to my company’s workers who were removing the waste in the streets, or the doctors, nurses, and humanitarian workers who were saving lives.
All of that to say, I was pretty much struggling with my “I want to do it all” and “don’t complain” syndromes, until one day, I discovered the balance wheel exercise! Spoiler alert, this is not a magic wand.., although this is not far from it. This exercise is very powerful to map your priorities while balancing all important areas of your life.
Thanks to my usage of the tool, I progressively became clearer on what was really important for me and my missions. I realized that the less centered I was, the more tired and confused I became, and the less helpful I was to others. So now, whenever I feel overwhelmed, I use this tool to recenter my attention to my deep aspirations. I can then leverage my values, talents, and wonderful allies to create a virtuous cycle of positive actions. This allows me to move - in a smooth way - despite the unsettling flow of external circumstances.
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actualizing your change
A SIMPLE Tool
First, ask yourself what are the important factors that would allow you to live a harmonious life?
Draw a wheel. Divide it into 8 categories and add your ideas in any order you want.
Then, without too much further deliberation, write down your level of satisfaction related to each item (the external line representing a 10/10 level of satisfaction).
Illustration with the key topics at stake in 2020
Looking at your wheel, what does that tell you?
If you could improve one element that would boost your whole level of satisfaction,
What would you focus on?
What specific action - within your control and in harmony with the rest of your priorities - could you take?
Let's suppose you progressed on this item, what would be your next priority?
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A MANTRA
““All men think that happiness is found at the top of the mountain, whereas it lies in the way of climbing it. “ ”
Over to you
What do you need to prioritize today, to find inner peace and yet be helpful?
Feel free to share how such an article resonates with you, I’d love to know. Besides, if you want support to become the leader you want for the world you expect, contact me! Here is a form find to further elaborate your ambition and challenges: English / French