A pretty funky week

I’ve been thinking a lot about funk lately. And not the good George Clinton kind. I mean funk of the ass-dragging, Eeyore-moping, ho-hum variety. Because I’ve been in one this week…which is not, I repeat NOT my natural habitat. On the rare occasion that this happens, my first step is to check in with what I’m DOING. Upon closer inspection, I’m doing everything I’m “supposed” to be doing. Everything I “should” be doing to lead up to some pretty big goals. Which is good. In hearing the air quotes in my own thought process, I figured it was time to pay attention to them and reevaluate some goals to see if they were SMART or not (that is, resonant and thrilling) and yup, they are. HELL YES, in fact. So, that’s not it.

Step two: checking in with what’s going on when I’ve been feeling really good. And lousy.

This week’s good:

  • coaching clients through tricky spots

  • contributing to design decisions for the campaign creative of a charitable event I’m chairing (more on this later)

  • being fully present during family time

This week’s lousy:

  • doing things that don’t feel like me in order to keep up with the Jones’s (oooh, those lousy Jones's with their brilliant insights, fabulous style, crazy success...you can fill in any number of unrealistic attributes here)

  • collaborating on a project that doesn't have a really clear end result

  • going through the motions of checking things off of my to-do…and worse, lacking focus to check off much

  • being fairly judgmental about a situation in my personal life

  • not having very much fun or many belly laughs

Not surprisingly, what’s felt good has meant that I’ve been honouring some fundamental core values: helping/healing, creativity, collaboration, and connection.

What’s been lousy about my week is that I’ve been not only tripping over some other core values, but metaphorically starving them of affection and attention. My values of leadership, authenticity, clarity, recognition, play, empathy and risk taking are getting mighty pissed off and rewarding me with, you guessed it…a funk. And again, not the good kind.

It’s plain to see, laid out on paper like that. Being a coach and having a coach means that I am well aware of what my values are, and what needs tending to. I may not get my life to turn on a dime, but I can shift nimbly and start tending to some attention-starved values straight away....as in, THIS VERY MOMENT.  Luckily, they are as forgiving as my jade plant…once they get the right amount of loving, they’ll plump right back up and reward me in an infinite number of ways. They always do.

I’d like to same for you. Stay tuned for the next post…it will be chock-a-block full with tools to help you uncover your values….with or without a coach.

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Tanya