If you’ve been checking in each Thursday while I write about Political Action Plans, you’re probably expecting me to hit on the next of our 4 Ts, Timing. Well, gotcha!
I absolutely will be doing a post on Timing and continuing this series in a couple of weeks. But I’m pretty sure that you, like me, are about burnt out for the year. It’s showing on every zoom call, and every digital holiday happy hour. People. Are. Done.
Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to keep plugging away on the advocacy pieces, but I think we’re all at the point where we need something lighter. So, how about we talk about resting during the holidays.
I’m not sure what, if any, holidays you are celebrating. But regardless of one’s personal practices, this time of year it’s pretty universally acceptable to “check out” a bit at work. In talking with a colleague the other day, he was regaling me of his company’s longstanding practice of letting folks flex their schedules with impunity this time of year – and also how that’s not really an employee perk in 2020. So true.
For many of us, a real break this holiday season might actually look like returning to our offices for some quiet time. What a year.
But however you’re approaching the holiday season, I hope you’ll take time to invest in quality active rest. And before you ask, no that does not mean binging Queen’s Gambit in one sitting. I get it – we’re all going to do our fair share of couch surfing since we’re so much more homebound this holiday season. But I want to challenge you to rest differently.
While on active duty, one of my favorite descriptions of the challenges facing leaders is that they are constantly forced to draw from their well of fortitude. That well is what empowers you to make positive decisions, what keeps you from losing your cool under pressure, what allows you to keep helping others achieve. But if your well runs dry, game over, everyone’s going to be thirsty.
So, recognizing that well has to be filled back up, why not make the conscious choice to do just that this year? It’s something we should consider especially in what promises to be a very different holiday season. If you’re anything like me, you have gone from 7-8 major holiday celebrations to 1. Whatever will you do to occupy your time?
Here’s my recommendation: Invest in a Masterclass membership.
I bought in to Masterclass earlier this year when it became painfully obvious that we would have so much more time on our hands. It gave me a great platform for expanding my learning opportunities in a digital environment. It gave me new topics to explore and ways to productively entertain instead of simply amuse myself.
There’s a tremendously big difference – well at least if you go back to the original french etymology of amuse. Over time we’ve divorced this word from its foundation. In the beginning, to be amused was to “stare stupidly” (Netflix sound familiar?). Even worse, as it evolved it took on a more malicious quality: to fool, tease, hoax, entrap or deceive. Well shoot, that sounds a lot like cable news.
No, we should not solely seek amusement this holiday season. We should lean in on our traditions as we can. And in the added hours that we have at hand, we should find a way to fill up our wells. Masterclass may just be that avenue for you. You can still couch surf with it. You can still binge. But it may also challenge you to think about something new.
Here are just a few that I’ve gone through this year: Screenwriting with Aaron Sorkin, Writing with Malcolm Gladwell, Space Exploration with Astronaut Chris Hadfield (worth two watches), Campaign Strategy with David Axelrod and Karl Rove, the Art of Negotiation with FBI Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss. They have a deep bench of experts ready to share their lives, professions and experiences with you. There’s even a business leadership class by Howard Schultz of Starbucks so you can blend your learning with a healthy dose of coffee.
It gets even better: right now, they are running a 2 for 1 Membership deal that you could consider gifting to a colleague, employee, friend in business. Just a thought.
Well, now you know that I’ll be spending some of my down time watching Masterclass, and also taking some more targeted professional development courses. What are you going to be doing to rest differently this year? How are you going to actively engage your mind and help jumpstart 2021? Share it with me and everyone else in the comments below. I think we’re all looking for ideas!
Part of the Possible 