Many people are coming out of this pandemic questioning whether the lives they lived before are the ones they want to live now. I heard a story of a headmaster resigning because he realised that he wanted to spend more time with his own kids and the role he had simply wasn’t going to let him do that when life opened out again and the restrictions were lifted.
And in speaking with many people I have seen that this is not an uncommon discovery and not just those with children. Many busy stressed Execs are questioning the amount of commute time, business travel and time spent at work and not enough time spent enjoying life. Where is the work/life balance everyone talks about?
But for many, not being able to work out how to change life is meaning that they are shying away from even asking the question of themselves and exploring the options. Not being able to see how to change and being fearful of the big change – like resigning and looking for something completely new – is holding them back.
We have to change our thinking
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Albert Einstein
This is a great clue when trying to find new ideas. And this pandemic and the effect it has had on our working life is the catalyst to the shift in thinking that we all need to be able to see our lives differently.
Many of the “not possible’s” are now possible. I know someone who worked for a bank and was told pre-pandemic that it was absolutely impossible to do any days of work from home. However, in the last three months that’s all he has been doing.
So to start to get some clues as to what you can change to make life easier start by looking at what new thinking has occurred because of this pandemic.
And not just the new thinking of the company you work for, but how have your ideas and attitudes been changed?
What have you seen your friends and colleagues do that may be useful information for you?
Ask yourself the question – what would I like to do if there were no limits? Allow your thinking to go to a different place – one where none of the restrictions counts.
For some these questions might feel scary but the good news is that even if you allow yourself to ask and answer these questions the final result – the changes you make are still up to you. No one is going to make you change unless it feels right. However, by looking at these answers you get some very clear clues as to what areas need to change.
“Don’t shy away from exploring what a new future may look like for you – it isn’t always about resigning and starting again – it may be some small shifts that make a huge difference in your experience of your life.”
Living a more authentic life
Another side of living your more authentic life is to continue to listen to your feelings. During the pandemic, we have all become more aware of how things make us feel. Rather than going along as normal – rushing unaware of how we feel about what we are doing, this slow down, even if it has been hectic for some, has almost pushed us to notice how we feel. It has helped us notice what we have been missing in our lives because we have felt better about some of the things that have changed.
So if you want to live a freer, more authentic life then continue to ask yourself – what do I feel about that? Our minds can rationalise any idea – that’s what they are built for, but our heart – that part of us that answers the feeling questions is a much better lead on these types of questions.
We are questioning our life goals, priorities and future plans because something does not feel right anymore. This is your heart talking to you. Time to stop and listen to what it has to say.
If you’d like to explore what a new future may look like for you Jessica will be happy to arrange a time to have a chat. You can contact her on [email protected] You can also see more about what she offers and how she supports people through life change at https://www.jessicamcgregorjohnsonson.com