Can prioritizing your aspirations make a difference in the world?
My friends and teammates can attest to the fact that I’m a demanding person. I often struggle with setting priorities because I want to do EVERYTHING all at once—and in the BEST way possible (i.e., “perfectly”…). I often say that the priorities are A, B… and C and D because, let’s face it, everything is connected, urgent, and IMPORTANT. Even though this approach allows me to push myself and leverage systemic connections between different areas of my life, it sometimes feels overwhelming.
Have you ever felt like you're trying to juggle too many things at once?
If so, trust me, it may take time for you to become the changemaker you want to be while maintaining your inner balance and peace.
If not, lucky you ;). You can keep reading to find ways to help your loved ones who are having trouble setting priorities.
MY JOURNEY - A CASE STUDY
As I set out on my journey to become a certified professional coach, I was leading two projects at my company—and, little did I know, I was on the verge of facing personal and professional consequences from a global viral epidemic. I was full of self-doubt, and yet I was incredibly excited and ready to juggle both worlds, even if it meant waking up at 5:30 a.m.
In 2020, I faced more than my fair share of challenges for the little person that I am.
As a manager, I had to deal with the unexpected departure of team members, as well as the challenge of reassuring and motivating a remote, multicultural team. I had to be agile enough to adapt, maintain, and enhance our projects in order to turn this uncertain period into an opportunity for sustainability. Together, we launched a podcast for environmental change-makers, organized committees of external stakeholders to help our management assess business risks and identify priorities for action, and supported operational teams on key projects such as the launch of sustainable waste collection centers for informal waste pickers.
I oscillated between a sense of flow and imposter syndrome while learning coaching techniques, testing them on clients, and building my blog (you can probably imagine the challenge if I tell you that I still type with just a few fingers on my computer…).
As is often the case with many expatriates, I had to cope with the emotional stress of being barred from traveling back to my home country. That said, I must admit that my situation in Japan was more manageable compared to that of other friends in countries with stricter restrictions.
Worst of all, I was struggling with myself. I was torn between gratitude for my network’s trust (or what I tend to perceive as optimistic gullibility), pride in my team’s dedication, anxiety about the state of our world, and finally, guilt over “not doing enough.” What I mean is that I wasn’t doing enough to help the world compared to my company’s workers who were cleaning up the trash on the streets, or the doctors, nurses, and humanitarian workers who were saving lives.
All that to say, I was really struggling with my “I want to do it all” and “don’t complain” syndromes, until one day, I discovered the balance wheel exercise! Spoiler alert: this isn’t a magic wand… though it’s not far off. This exercise is a very powerful tool for mapping out your priorities while balancing all the important areas of your life.
Thanks to my use of this tool, I gradually gained greater clarity about what was truly important to me and my purpose. I realized that the more I lost my center, the more tired and confused I became, and the less helpful I was to others. So now, whenever I feel overwhelmed, I use this tool to refocus my attention on my deepest aspirations. I can then draw on my values, talents, and wonderful allies to create a virtuous cycle of positive actions. This allows me to move forward—smoothly—despite the unsettling ebb and flow of external circumstances.
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Updating your change
A SIMPLE Tool
First, ask yourself: What are the important factors that would allow you to live a harmonious life?
Draw a wheel. Divide it into 8 categories and add your ideas in any order you like.
Then, without giving it too much thought, write down your level of satisfaction for each item (with the outer line representing a 10/10 level of satisfaction).
Illustration showing the key issues at stake in 2020
When you look at your wheel, what does that tell you?
If you could improve one thing that would increase your overall level of satisfaction,
What would you focus on?
What specific action—within your control and consistent with your other priorities—could you take?
Let's say you've made progress on this item—what would be your next priority?
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A MANTRA
“‘Allmen think that happiness is found at the top of the mountain, whereas it lies in the journey of climbing it .’ ”
Over to you
What do you need to prioritize today in order to find inner peace while still being helpful?
Feel free to share how this article resonates with you—I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like support in becoming the leader you want to be for the world you envision, contact me! Here’s a form to help you further explore your ambitions and challenges: English / French
