Here are some Key Steps that you can use to jump start your battery:
- Set some goals that excite and inspire you. I’ve been coaching a particular client for a few months and she has been making some significant breakthroughs. Then she got Covid (not severe enough to be hospitalised but sick enough to miss a session and be in bed for two weeks). When we met last week, I was expecting to deal with some regression, but she surprised me by being more energetic and focused than ever. This is such a powerful combination! She shared that she thinks she recovered from Covid better than expected (she has hypertension and a number of other health concerns) because she is so inspired by the goals she’s been setting – and achieving – through the coaching process. She has really been stretching herself – in all the right ways – and is feeling the benefits of renewed energy, passion and purpose. She has stopped putting off goals until “things get back to normal,” taken on some exciting new projects at work and is also working very hard to…
- Eat healthy and exercise. I laughed out loud recently when a delegate on one of my workshops told me that Covid has turned him into a ‘fridge magnet.’ He lamented that he’s picked up 6kg and is not taking time to exercise. “Things have just been so hectic and pressurised that I can’t find the time,” he said. If we wait to try and find time for activities that are very important but not urgent, they will always come up short because something urgent and important is likely to get in the way. Urgent activities will constantly put pressure on you, keep you stuck in crisis mode and eventually drain your battery. You need to take your power back and TAKE TIME for what is important. As Covey wisely said, “Schedule your priorities and don’t just prioritise what is on the schedule.” You cannot make time, so you need to take time and…
- Set healthy boundaries. Does your work and home life blur? Have you allowed yourself to become a victim of ‘scope screep’? This is a project management term that refers to unexpected changes, and continuous or uncontrolled growth. It’s often a result of poor planning and not being able to – respectfully and appropriately – say “no.” I know that we cannot push back on everything, but we should not just take on anything either without thinking of the impact on our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. There is no point in doing ‘it all’ just to end up burnt out and incapable of sustaining your pace. To determine what is and isn’t possible you need to…
- Plan, plan, plan. Many people have let go of proper planning because things have been so unpredictable. It can seem pointless to make a plan, only for external circumstances to change things. I had a sales manager talking today about the need to do things differently and find new ways to make contact with customers and reach new markets. It’s been almost a year since Covid hit and upended our plans. They’ve been in a bit of a holding pattern that is draining their batteries. Can you relate? It might not only be happening in your work but in your personal life too. We can’t keep waiting to be able to do things like we used to do them, we need to plan new ways, different ways, maybe even better ways. This might not be easy, but we have an opportunity to reinvent the way we work and live. When life gives you lemons… make lemonade (or have tequila 😊). And while planning, remember to…
- ‘be the difference that makes the difference.’
- Recreate your favourite habits, rituals and routines. This might take you back to point 2 but I am sure that there are many other things you might have left by the wayside because you can’t do them like you used to. Think of the decompression time you might’ve had in the car on your way home from work… how do you build that in again if you are working from home? A client recently shared that he used to meditate in his car in the garage as soon as he got home from work and it helped him to feel grounded and focused. He’s been working from home for 11 months and has virtually stopped meditating. Bringing it back and recreating – and likely reinventing – the ritual can have significant benefits and jump start his battery. He’s chosen to do it. Will you? What do you need to bring back and/or recreate that gave you fuel and joy? You can jump start your battery and take Key Steps to…
- Key Steps Executive Coaching with NLP.
Sharon adopts a unique coaching approach that includes Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques to accelerate professional and personal development. Again, take a look at our programme outline to hear directly from our clients about their experience.
- Key Steps to Practical Virtual Presentation and Facilitation Skills.
2 x half-days of practical, engaging virtual learning is is designed for professionals who regularly facilitate meetings or conduct training, and need to adapt their skills to ensure that they are as engaging, impactful and powerful doing this virtually. We do have a longer programme designed to work with newer presenters or trainers to teach them everything they need to know about the craft.
- Key Steps to Emotionally intelligence Leadership.
This is a masterclass series that is getting some exceptional results. You can hear what our clients have to say on the last page of the brochure.
- Namaste,
NOTE: The information in my blog may be freely shared and re-used in any online or offline publication, provided it is accompanied by the following credit line: This was written by Dr Sharon King Gabrielides, and originally appeared in her free weekly ‘Key Steps Food for Thought Blog’ available on the Key Steps website.
About Dr Sharon King Gabrielides
Sharon is a dynamic facilitator, speaker and executive coach with over 25 years’ experience in leadership development and organisational transformation. Her PhD thesis contributed a framework for holistic and sustainable leadership development that was published by Rutgers University in the USA. She is faculty of numerous business schools and highly sought-after by leading corporates because she works hand-in-hand with them to create sustainable results and long-term success. In 2020, Sharon was inducted into the Educators Hall of Fame, which is a lifetime achievement award, recognising excellence and her contribution to the field.
Sharon is one of only three women in South Africa to have achieved the title of Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) – the Oscar of the speaking industry. She is also a COMENSA Master Practitioner (CMP), a qualified Modern Classroom Certified Trainer (MCCT™) and an accredited Global Virtual Speaker. Sharon is also a registered Education, Training and Development Practitioner (ETDP), holds an Honours degree in Psychology and practices as an NLP master practitioner.
Most important to Sharon is that she has become known for her genuinely caring manner, practical and transformational approach, and for providing valuable tools and that allow people to take Key Steps to really… ‘be the difference that makes the difference.’
