Priming The Pump

I'm currently out of town for some R&R, but thanks to the magic of technology I still get to share with you!  Thankfully, what I want to say fits right in with my being away.

Some of you know I have a small part-time job (my side-hustle!) at our local airport here in town. One of the tasks I do everyone once in a while is refill the tank on our Deice machine (here in Redding it's more like Defrosting the planes!). This task requires the use of a small portable pump with hoses connected to it that goes into the holding tank for the extra deice fluid, which then gets pumped into the larger deicing machine (I know, way too much airport nerd stuff, but hang with me). In order for this small portable pump to actually work, you have to unscrew a small cap and pour some water in there to "prime the pump." By filling the small pump with some water, if fills up the empty space and allows the pump to actually do it's job.

I think you see where I am going with this. We are still in the early days of 2025 and so much of our work and lives are about pouring out into other people. But here's the thing, if we are empty, we actually don't have anything we can give to others! We need to remember that taking time to Prime the Pump of our own souls and hearts is absolutely critical to our ability to have anything to give to others. We've got to be intentional about Priming Our Own Pumps in order to function in a sustainable way this year.

When you think about this idea, what are the kinds of activities, patterns, and/or practices that help to fill you up? How could you approach those with intentionality in 2025? What adjustments need to be made in your weekly or daily schedules to help create a sustainable pathway of being able to help others? Are there certain perspectives or narratives that are running in your head that are negative that need to shift so you can see these practices as healthy and necessary? Is there someone you need to have a conversation with to help you think through and prioritize these practices for yourself, and what would it look like to reach out and have that chat?

Here's to all of us Priming The Pump this week (and this year)!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation

The First Monday

I recently heard someone say that The First Monday of the new year after the holiday season is a "Monday to end all Mondays!"  I thought that was pretty funny, until this morning when I felt it!

It also reminded me of an idea I have been thinking about for this first post of the new year: Do you remember why you got into this in the first place?  Kind of appropriate for "The First Monday to end all Mondays!"

Of course, I have had several conversations in the past few weeks that have all touched on this question in one way or another. In one chat, we were trying to rediscover the root of purpose behind the work someone was doing.  In another conversation, we were discussing how critical it is as a leader to remind your team Why we do what we do. In both situations, reconnecting with their Why was very helpful in finding focus and direction for their next steps.  It brought clarity to their actions.

It would be so easy on The First Monday to ask, Why am I doing this?! What I am suggesting is, that is exactly what we should be asking as we start the new year - Why am I doing this?! Reconnecting with our purpose and motivations is always a good exercise because it brings clarity for our actions and choices moving forward. It helps us tap back into those core realities that give us a sense of intention and drive. And it can often reveal the next steps we need to take in order to stay true to those purposeful pathways.

So, on The First Monday of 2025, Why are you doing what you are doing? How can you reconnect with the places deep in your heart that first drew you to this work? As you explore those original motivations, are there adjustments you need to make, or next steps you need to take in order to find better alignment with them and yourself? By asking yourself the deeper Why, can you cut through some of the grey of The First Monday and move forward with greater purpose and motivation?

Here's to using Why as a powerful tool to help us tackle The First Monday!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation. 

Back For Forward

Wow! The very last Monday of 2024! Truly hard to believe, but that's what the calendar says.

I have shared with you before that I am not much of a New Year's Resolution person. However, I do think there is something to be said for paying attention to the natural rhythms and seasons of our lives, which means the turning of the page to a new calendar year is a good time for some reflection.  And while I think there are appropriate times to reminisce just for the sake of it, most of the time I think taking time to reflect is best done with an eye toward tomorrow. 

With that in mind, on this final Monday of 2024 I offer you:

Back For Forward

If you were to take some time this week to review 2024, what would stand out? What were the major joys and sorrows you experienced this year? Were there significant changes or milestones you reached? If you were to characterize the entire year with a simple word or phrase, what would it be and what kind of feelings does it evoke in you? If you took a different approach and you gave 2024 a score on a scale of 1-10, what would it be and why? What are all of the elements that contributed to that score and how do you feel about it in general?

These questions are just simple prompts to help you reflect Back and get some perspective on where you have been and what has happened this past year.  Certainly, some of it has been in your control, but most likely there are lots of things that happened that weren't in your control, but that you had to deal with anyway. Regardless of the circumstances, by looking Back, we get to put this past year into some objective perspective - to see it for what it has been and allow it to simply be what it was (since we can't do anything to change any of it now anyway!).

Now that we've taken some time to look Back, and given the fact that we can't change any of it now, part of why I like to look Back For Forward is because 2025 is currently wide open! I can't do anything about yesterday, but I can certainly make some decisions or determinations about what I want to do moving Forward. 

So, with your objective perspective of 2024 in mind, what would you like to focus on in 2025? Is there something you want to adjust or approach differently this year? Is there a relationship you want to give different energy toward (this is another whole post for later, but shifting the way we use our energy in relationships is powerful). When you think about the things that happened last year that you didn't have any control over, and knowing there will certainly be more things this year you don't have any control over, what kind of intention would you like to set for yourself in responding to those circumstances when they arise, and how might that involve a shifting in focus as you move Forward?

I can't remember what movie this is from (I'm sure someone can help me remember), but there is a scene where two parents are dropping their son off at school and one of them says, "Have a good day!" and the other parent says, "That's too much pressure." So, the first parent then calls after the son, "Have the day you are going to have!"  While I like that sentiment in general, and it would be easy just to call out, "Have the year you're going to have!" I think by taking some time to reflect Back For Forward, we can enter this new year with a little bit more determination and intention than just letting the year unfold whatever it may bring.

Here's to taking some time this week to reflect Back For Forward!

All The Best,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.