Can you think of another time in your life when absolutely everyone has been in the same boat?
Covid-19 has certainly given us all something to talk about and align with. The variances in the ways that people have responded to the situation have been huge. How did you respond? Did you push on like nothing was really going to change, attempting to maintain the same production level as before? Or did you down tools and consider what the point of it all was? Or did you use this as the perfect time to reassess and see what more there could be to life if you changed your outlook?
Whichever response you took initially, it would have been quite a ride on the emotional coronacoaster. When I look back to January, at the things I was planning for the year, and was setting in motion, it’s quite unbelievable seeing how the year has actually panned out.
You will likely have experienced a wider range of emotions than ever before, and you may or may not have emerged from these yet. Whether you have or not, the end of the year is the perfcet time to look back and appraise your own leadership. This is important as even if you are an avid note taker, or a regular at journalling you have probably not kept track of how well you personally have done during this time. You may have been moving too fast to notice your resilience, how you have bounced back from those cancelled plans and disappointments, and the news of loved ones being sick.. But you did come through it, and no doubt you have done so better than you have give yourself credit for.
December is a brilliant time to look back and pat yourself on the back. If you are struggling to work out what you have earned that pat on the back for, then let me help you get a head start on 2021.
Create a jolly jar
Jolly jars are made in primary schools for the Christmas tombola – old jars, cleaned and decorated, then filled with sweets or little toys. A simple concept that brings a lot of joy. I wanted to use the concept to bring myself joy. It came to me at a time when I felt rejection more than I felt success, and so I wanted to be jolly for the other 50 weeks of the year when the jar was redundant.
Every Friday, I write on a small piece of paper the best thing that I MADE happen that week in line with my goals. If at any time I feel low, I can take a piece of paper out of the jar and remind myself how valuable my contribution is. It is also a superb way to measure how far I have come – that piece of paper might have been from three or six months prior. If you are making a contribution towards your goal every single day and this is the highlight from that week, you will have moved on significantly over the course of a year.
My jar has enabled me to counterbalance all of the rough times this year. While I seem to have spent most of the year cancelling, rearranging, and re-cancelling tickets and bookings, I have also learned to be more grateful, and take fewer things for granted, including myself. This jar helps me keep perspective and stay focused on the things I have made happen despite what is going on in the world around me. I hope this inspires you to start 2021 the same way, so that next year you will be celebrating your impact like never before. And those you lead, in love, life, and work will be all the better for it.
About the author
Women in business turn to Susie Ramroop when career and life is not meeting expectations. She expertly stops unhelpful patterns of self-judgement and impostor syndrome and focuses on what matters – progression AND fulfilment.
Susie’s mission is stopping you believing you can’t be what you can’t see. Her book “Be The Leader You Want To See” is the blueprint for unlocking the goldmine of talent you already possess, so you take the lead now.
With heart and humour, Susie brings easy clarity to confidently stepping into the career you were made for. She is a highly sought-after speaker, coaches privately and leads utterly transformational retreats.
Find her at www.susieramroop.com where you can get a signed copy of her book. Connect with her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susie-ramroop-mindset-coach/
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