The Purpose Post, May ‘21
Hi Everyone!
I can’t believe it’s May already - April went by in a flash and I just didn’t make time to get the newsletter out in time to make it ‘April’, so this is April, but coming out in May!
I’m writing this in April though, in the afterglow of a luscious full pink moon in Scorpio, it was a big one. Full moons represent a time of fruition, closure, intentions moving forward. This full moon in Scorpio has been particularly intense with lots of big stuff about transmuting fear into courage and pain and trauma into wisdom and progress.
With courage and wisdom we can live our lives with full authenticity. With fear and pain ruling us we stay stuck and small, often living someone else’s version of life.
So as we think about this new month ahead of us, what areas of your life or work could do with less fear, more courage and how could your pain and trauma or challenges you’ve been through serve as your fuel for change versus your reason to stay stuck?
Monthly reflections
April has been busy and intense for me and honestly I’m crawling to the end of the month with a heavy heart and quite tired. Still haven’t got my balance and boundaries right and there is definitely a feeling of languishing (more on that below).
We are relatively safe here in Singapore although we are seeing a rise in COVID clusters popping up despite the vaccine roll out. I’m following the situation in India closely. My partner's family are in Delhi and it’s pretty harrowing how India, Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are all in the grip of the third wave of cases.
Hospitals and healthcare workers are struggling to cope and literally no amount of money can get resources that people need because these resources are all used up. It’s what everyone predicted would happen if COVID spikes weren’t managed and it could just as easily have happened anywhere if people don’t take warnings and prepare for the worst.
What that means for me is I’ve also had employees in Asia showing up to sessions with real sickness and grief in their lives.
Some having recovered from COVID, others having lost friends, family members to COVID. At the same time they are trying to do their jobs and keeping going with some sense of normalcy where none exists.
I can’t help but feel worried that there is a sense of relaxedness and confidence now the vaccine is getting rolled out and it’s giving everyone a false sense of security. With all the virus mutations that are happening no one can guarantee how this is all going to evolve.
So wherever you are in the world, please stay safe, wear your mask, work from home if you are able to and keep showing up virtually with a huge heart and asking for what you need as so many are still struggling right now.
In this months newsletter, I got carried away with my writing so we’ve divided it up into some bitesize smaller blog posts! Take extra care of yourself and each other and please do re-share anything I’ve shared with anyone who might find it useful. Carla x
inspiration this month
We’re talking about languishing
reflections:
We are all languishing, so let’s start talking about it. Here is my longer post on it Read more…
The antidote to languishing is focussed uninterrupted time, small goals, small wins and getting into flow.
Adam Grant suggests that this ‘Flow’ helps up minimise the languishing.
People who became more immersed in their projects managed to avoid languishing and maintained their pre-pandemic happiness.
He says fragmented attention is an enemy of engagement and excellence
2. We’re beyond burnout..
REFLECTIONS:
We are beyond burnout and self-care isn’t enough. We need to shift our work culture fast. Here’s my longer post Read more…
In the recent HBR Series, Beyond Burnout, Jennifer Moss talks about how burnout in organisational life has 5 main causes
We need to completely rethink the way we are all working and we need a two pronged approach to this.
Yes, self-care (please keep doing this), but also we’ve got to find a better way to create the right cultures and support structures in organisational life
3. Tiny Habits make a big difference
Reflections:
Tiny Habits are tiny wins multiplied and it feels easy and fun. We can all fit in some tiny new habits, which feels far less onerous than having to complete a big hairy audacious goal right now!
The whole principle of BJ Fogg’s work is that people change best by feeling good and not by feeling bad.
Where can we start to take control of our own lives and put in place some habits and boundaries? Here’s my longer post Read more…
4. Leading with Empathy
REFLECTIONS:
Why do some people struggle with empathy? I’ve been reflecting on this here Read more…
When you’ve struggled through difficult situations, empathy research suggests that you have less, not more, empathy for those in similar situations to you
Words for May
empathy
Moving into May with even more commitment to have empathy for others and listen even more.
balance
Intentions for May, learning to relax as hard as we work.
flow
There are some things that are just not within our control that we just need to flow with.
Thank You
Much gratitude as always this month to @thepurposecollective founding tribe members Christina, Samantha, and Freddie for supporting me to get all of my thoughts out of my head and into print.
I’m here for virtual coffees, chats, learning and sharing so please don’t hesitate to reach out if I can be of service to you or your organisation.
Please do share this with anyone who might benefit and sign up here if you’d like to receive this each month.
Much love, Carla x
