This year has been a complex muddle of changes, challenges and stress that comes with it. As we come to the end of this challenging year we would like to recognize that we have all had opportunities thrown at us based on those challenges. Even normal changes due to death, divorce, job loss, or everyday family stress can be a lot to deal with when we are moving through our daily lives. What we would like to do now at the end of this unprecedented year is celebrate the silver lining. What was one of the best days because of the challenges you faced this year? What were you able to do because of a challenge you faced?
Share you silver lining and help put the year in perspective. It is easy to think about all the hard things and let them overwhelm. We are working on a perspective shift that asks for growth versus everything sucks. So, how did you grow this year in your challenges? What change was the best thing to happen to you this year? Here’s a couple from our office:
Kat: The challenge of doing business remotely has meant being creative and finding new ways to keep in touch while still collaborating with my coworkers. Learning new technology is challenging, but we have made it happen. The bonus was that I have been able to assist others, clients, friends, and family, to become more familiar with different platforms. It has meant new ways to keep in touch and creative celebrations. Having a sense of humor has definitely kept our spirits up. Ask about our porch fairies and the taco fairy who delivers!
Andrea: One silver lining from this year for me, has been spending more time at home with my husband. Our work schedules are often the complete opposites, and when our office shifted to working remotely my husband and I were able to spend more time together than we ever have. We were able to focus a lot more on personal goals and make a lot of progress on those goals this year. Being at home so much altered my perspective on who and what is important, and what should be taking up all of my time. There were a lot of challenges that came from working from home the majority of the time. While it was nice to see my husband and dogs so much, it was also very distracting. I got much better at allocating time for work, and time for family. Setting up a designated work area for me helped keep me focused and productive.
Karen: Well no one can say this year has not been interesting at the very least. One silver lining has been being able to spend more time at home with my husband and our 3 dogs (oh and the cat). They are all very spoiled and each time I have started spending more time in the office they certainly let me know how much they liked having me home. Getting to visit with more of my clients, friends and family virtually has been fun this year as well. Everyone has now been introduced virtually to my pups who love to be on camera! Whenever they realize that it’s time for me to presenting they decide it’s time to play or go outside or bark at something. I hope you are all having as much fun with your furry friends as I am!
I also honed my ability to delegate! I don’t know if any of you know this but I can be kind of a control freak. Something 2020 pounded into most of us is that we do not have any control over SO MANY things. Well I took that to heart and started delegating more the things that I don’t have to do. At the office and at home. You may have noticed that you hear from Kat or Andrea more often … delegation. They are fantastic at what they do when I let them shine (SILVER LINING). I have also started delegating tasks at home. My kids are all gone so no they aren’t getting the brunt of this… and the dogs just aren’t that well trained. I have learned to use more of the apps that will go shopping for me or drop off meals. This has taken a load off me for sure. One thing I have had on my wish list forever was to hire someone to help around the house once or twice a month just to take that off my to do list and free up more down time on my day off. Well.. instead.. I was able to take shopping off my list. Now, my husband still likes to go to the store whenever he can and pick out his items himself (If you’ve ever experienced Mike’s baking or cooking – you understand – he is an artist!). But for me, that weekly trip is now Walmart pickup or InstaCart. And it is totally worth it to use these services because I get my down time and can actually relax and not have to run a million errands on my day off. And trust me – we all need our down time! Looking forward to visiting with you all in person again soon!