Did you light a candle, bake a cake, throw a party for one, or just reflect on the last 365 days when the first anniversary of the COVID 19 pandemic passed?- I took my daughters real-life-shopping for the first time since February 2020.

If you use Facebook then the memories feature is currently reminding you of your last before lockdown set in. I've seen my last meal out with friends, my last time speaking on stage, my last plane ride, my last walking the kids to school... all memory and emotion inducing photos.

Here is the good news: real emotions that this past year has magnified will make us all stronger here’s how:

1. Awe

England has declared March 23 as a day of reflection with a minutes silence at noon to remember those whose lives have been lost. I remain in awe of our first responders, healthcare teams, and front line workers who have been leaving their homes every day to risk exposure to serve and support in their jobs. Think about those in your company—who is on the front line? Who has had to adapt the most? Who is at risk? Noticing and sharing your gratitude towards those who you are in awe of is a new habit to embrace.

2. Guilt

Many leaders are feeling guilty and asking me if it is ok to complain about their current situation when so many others are worse off or have lost loved ones. Don’t use that guilt as a reason to bury your feelings or not share your frustrations - so much of what we have experienced in the last year has led to a pressure cooker style build up of stress and emotional demands. But it does help you gain perspective. Use your feelings of guilt as an early warning sign you may need to spend more time talking through your current work life and whole life with those you trust.

3. Exasperation

I’m working with leaders who have interviewed for and changed jobs virtually and never met anyone they now work with in real life, those who have experienced months of loneliness or months of crazy demands of parents/kids/pets & life. I describe The Caged Animal Effect for those who are used to being out in the wild -Meeting customers, attending conferences, being in the office - and instead they are trapped in their home unable to roam free. This is hard/exhausting/endless/draining. No wonder exasperation sets in! This is where you get to reset your Sensibly Selfish Charter - what you time, couple time, family time, friends time, do you need in your life right now to maintain your energy levels - and what can you put in place that will release some of your exasperation?

4. Joy

Yes, shake that guilt off- it is ok to feel some joy— in fact go and seek it out right now. It might be fleeting, it might be surrounded by a whole lot of other difficult demands but noticing what truly brings you joy isn’t just for when you are clearing out your house Marie Kondo style —- This week I noticed one of my daughters now has a strong British accent — thanks to all the time she is spending with her British parents rather than her friends - (or maybe in part from the new obsession of Harry Potter too!?) —either way it just brings me pure joy so I’ll take it. - it doesn’t have to always be about profit/revenue or market share- notice what brings you joy, makes you smile, or jolts you to notice a ray of what is brilliant in the world.

This weekend we celebrated the anniversary of lockdown with “alone time days” with each of our daughters. They get to choose what we do, with one parent at a time. A long standing tradition of ours that we had to adapt in this last year to inside our house moments but a tradition I can’t wait to bring back in full force over the next few months.

Until then— which real emotions have you felt and how have you embraced them? I’d love to hear.

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

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