re·fine·ment
“The improvement or clarification of something by the making of small changes.”
In conversations over the last couple of days, I’m reminded of “refinement”, a key element in my business.
Our instincts are worthy of our attention, often encouraging us to do something different. They guide and propel us to take steps for creating “better” or “what could be”. It’s often easy to put off, delay, or shy away from acting on instincts because it feels overwhelming, a huge commitment, or too cumbersome or “impossible”.
As a Wellness Lifestyle and Career/Professional Coach, Mental Health Counselor, and Business Consultant, I am emphatic about “refinement” verse “transformation”. Refinement recognizes instincts, honors the expert within us and affords agency in creating “better” by leveraging our strengths and attributes, while relieving us of undue pressure of a dramatic overhaul that’s often associated with transformation.
Refinement fosters a shift in thinking from a “huge commitment” to a “commitment to what matters”. It encourages us to re-evaluate what truly matters. It encourages us to make minor shifts – small, consistent actions to ensure our commitment to what matters.
Refinement helps us prove what is possible when we honor our instincts. It reminds us to trust ourselves and follow our intuition.
With privilege of sharing yesterday afternoon with local educational leaders, we spoke about the importance of managing our stress to mitigate anxiety, depression, and burnout. Not surprisingly, leaders spoke about their busy, tight schedules and related challenge of time for caring for self in the workday.
Recognizing their instincts for need to commit to what matters- them, the conversation moved to “how can we make it work?” Refinement! They identified small, creative ways to adjust meeting times and meeting spaces to ensure time for breaks, calming environments, and opportunities for movement- all strategic stress recovery tactics. It expanded to reflection of time and activities in and beyond the workplace. Educators left with much enthusiasm for making personal well-being a priority- not something to try to squeeze in to the day.
You may have heard the expression “people prioritize what they value”. What you prioritize is what you value.
What refining will you invest in to ensure that you are prioritizing what you value- what matters most?
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