Happy September! 😊 While the summer is fading fast, there is so much to look forward to! The crisp, glowing crimson red and golden yellow fall foliage with the cooler weather will be arriving before we know it, along with many festivities for the upcoming holiday season! It’s back to school for some of our E&I extended family, and we are working hard to achieve and wrap-up our rocks and yearly goals! All exciting indeed, and yet, quite busy… Lately, it seems that we are ALWAYS busy, and our plates are overflowing with competing personal and professional priorities. Life is fast paced these days, but within it all, there are ways to make the moments we have with each other more meaningful and impactful.
One of the greatest gifts we can give to one another is our commitment to be fully present for each other. Whether someone is struggling or even celebrating, both personally and/or professionally, ask yourself: How do you show up? How do give? Or do you?
A fundamental component of our Deliberately Developmental Organization (DDO) is the continual ever-present support of our colleagues: our community of Home. To the extent we decide to be fully present for one another is always a choice. Do we place the needs of others before our own on occasion to help them overcome a challenge and be a source of comfort? When we are willing to give our time, our most precious resource, it is because we care, and perhaps, it’s because we can see the great possibilities that could emerge from our generosity.
In the rush of our daily tasks and responsibilities, when we are willing to slow down and be fully engaged with one another, in those moments, even the uncomfortable or challenging ones, we commit to the other person that nothing else matters but them. We are also practicing mindfulness, deep listening, all the while increasing psychological safety, and making an investment to “better” the person in some way, and in turn, “better” us. We learn something. We grow- together.
Check out this thought-provoking article, “Being Fully Present to Others”, from Intentional Communication Consultants. https://intentionalcommunication.com/giving-our-presence/ It discusses how to create more meaningful conversations and deeper connections with each other, what gets in the way, and what enables us to be present with and for each other. There is even scientific evidence that suggests our meaningful connections can change our emotional state for the better, and that’s a bonus for us all!
2 comments
I love this post. Last Sunday, our pastor said, “Our fear of what matters much draws us away from what matters most.” While all of our work certainly matters “much,” I love that that E&I is working to foster an environment and DDO culture where our colleagues, supporting & engaging with each other, and our community of Home matters “most.”
Thanks Aimee! I have thought quite a bit lately about how immediate priorities can, at times, leave us in a myopic state, taking us away from the bigger picture of what really matters most. When we can slow down enough to truly listen and be there for each other, we can appreciate and understand one’s perspective even more so. Our support of one another can also allow us to offer alternate points of view, enabling us to consider all possibilities, helping to reframe our thinking.