Jim Collins, in his book Good To Great, talks of how great companies become great. It's not because of a tremendous event that takes place or a major decision. Greatness comes from doing many small things very well. It involves a consistent turning of the flywheel. Then, as time goes on, BOOM!, greatness begins to appear.
Life Balance and self care don't occur because a person simply wakes up one day and says, "I'm going to be balanced and take care of myself." That is a great start, but strong people helpers become strong because they weave life balance and self care into their journey of life and profession over time.
New habits are a challenge the older we get. We get set in our ways and become comfortable with the familiar. Newness = change. Change = grieving. So we'd just as soon leave things well enough alone. But new habits and routines are the way life balance and self care is woven into the fabric of life and profession.
It's a lot like grafting a new branch onto an existing tree. Grafting is a process of cutting, binding, sealing, nurturing, and lots of time. That's what it's like to create a new habit. It takes time and persistence. But when we're talking about balance & self care, it's worth the effort!
Here are five questions to ask as you embark on the journey of grafting a new habit into your life:
- WHAT kind of change are you making? Some change is called "technical". For example, if I go to the doctor and he says I have a cold, then I change my life by taking the prescribed medicine for a period of time. Then the cold goes away. Other change is called "adaptive". For example, say I go to the doctor and he says I have a chronic heart condition. Then I need to adopt a different lifestyle long term which involves my diet, exercise and perhaps medicine. The habits we're talking about in this post are ADAPTIVE.
- WHY the change? What is the reason for starting this change in the first place. Your answer needs to be motivating for you. Time will test your resolve. In those tests, you want to have the strength of the "why" to keep you on message.
- HOW are you going to go about the grafting? Think logistically. Write down all the steps involved. Create a timeline - a step by step plan.
- WHO is your support network? Surround yourself with cheerleaders - people who will support you and lovingly hold you accountable.
- WHERE are the resources to assist you? Seek out helpful resources, tips, tricks, information that will help you become better informed on the topic you are addressing with your new habit. You may find this online, in the library, your own bookshelf, etc. Greater knowledge will yield greater resolve.
Grafting balance and self care into your life and work of helping people will enable you to Serve Strong!
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