A reflection on being our own CEO
“It’s tough being the CEO of your own life,” said yours truly to her sister earlier today.
And while it is—tough, that is, playing this all-crucial role of CEO—it’s also not a role that I’d want to outsource to anyone else. I and I alone can hold this position for Me, Myself & I Incorporated.
There are days when I would give myself CEO of the Year Honours. (These are few and far between, mind you.) And there are days when I would fire myself if I could. (Thankfully, these are also few and far between.) Most days, I’m an average CEO. I get the job done. I can do better in some areas, I could probably do worse in others.
How do the best of us manage?
This is something upon which I’ll be exploring in the coming weeks, with new thoughts and resources to share in the New Year, as even the best of us would like to improve our performance in the many aspects of our lives, be them physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, financial, relational, professional…you get the idea.
In a world of “constantly on”—with a barrage of information coming at us on a daily basis and never-ending expectations being placed on us (by others and sometimes by ourselves)—we need to manage our self-care and well-being such that we are both strong and flexible in order to handle that which comes our way. We need to proactively design our life such that we learn to place our attention versus just operating on autopilot. And we need to decipher between that which we can control—and that which we can’t—and then prioritize accordingly, letting go of the rest.
None of this is easy. All of this is universal. While there might not be a “one size fits all” solution set, there is a toolkit full of tools, which I look forward to offering you.
Immediately, here are some “tools to try":
Move.—plan your week. Look at each day. Schedule time to check emails. Schedule time to eat. Schedule time to walk your dog, play with your cat. Schedule time to stretch, to tune into your breathe, to sit and meditate on your thoughts. Schedule time to say no, to say yes, to smile. Then…focus. When the time comes for any of the above, do just that and only that. Give it your best attention and intent.
Breathe.—each morning for a week, wake up, and after a (quick/long) <<walk, run, stretch>>, sit comfortably on the floor or in a chair with your hands on your lap. Close your eyes, or keep your gaze soft. Notice your breath. After a minute or so, on your inhale, think to yourself, “I Am”, and on your exhale, think to yourself, “Enough”. Do this for a few cycles of breath, eventually letting the affirmation go and returning your attention to simply the inhale and exhale.
Be.—each night, turn on your “Do Not Disturb” on your phone and/or tablet. Turn off your computer. Turn off the TV. “Unplug”, literally and figuratively. If you have a roommate, partner or family member, spend 15 minutes sharing what went well during the day. If you live alone, spend this time writing this in your journal. Afterwards, pick up a book you never finished (or started). Lose yourself amongst the pages.
What are some tools that you recommend?
