Give, Take and Pay | Genius | Choice Theory
Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS.
You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach:
Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: an energy (good or bad) word and it’s meaning
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge
LEARN
Something Worth Sharing
Give, Take and Pay
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme is ‘movement’. This led me to think about all the lessons I’ve gained through weight lifting, ice skating, ballet and all the other forms of ‘movement’ I’ve undertaken in my life. The phrase that was top of mind was ‘time under tension’ or TUT. This refers to the amount of time a muscle is held under tension or strain during an exercise set to maximise muscular strength, endurance, and growth. The harder muscles work, the stronger they get over time.
When I first heard it, I thought - incorrectly - I was being instructed to think about ‘time and attention’. While I was corrected, I held on to the ‘attention’ part of my misunderstanding because it struck me that to focus on an exercise in terms of time a muscle is under tension, you definitely need to be paying attention too!
Life, work and relationships are often experienced as “time under tension” and we need to pay attention. Of course, it’s not necessarily physical tension, but more likely mental. The tension, when endured - like with physical training - creates strength and growth. It isn’t easy, that I know, but it has often helped me by remembering these three things:
Give myself time - and give others time too
Take the tension - it’s inevitable and makes us stronger
Pay attention - to instincts and what’s going on around me
There is a good reason that the theme this week for #mentalhealthawarenessweek is to physically move - put simply, our body (including muscles, vital organs and our minds) are all part of one system. This beautiful and complex system works - or doesn’t - together. If you want to feel better in your head, move your body!
ENERGY
An emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s
Genius
I heard someone use the word ‘genius’ this week while talking about an idea. That led to me looking up it’s origin.
Genius is a Latin word and means "guardian deity or spirit which watches over each person from birth; spirit, incarnation; wit, talent" - with an original meaning of "generative power, inborn nature".
Exclaiming that an idea is ‘genius’ is really quite fabulous and fitting!
ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference
30 Minute Walk
Again referencing the theme this week of #movement, I wondered how long the recommended minimum walking time per day is. After a bit of research the popular belief is that at least 30 minutes a day walking is recommended. The action for you this week is to take a 30 minute walk.
PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)
“What advice would you tell your younger self?”
Now you know all that you know, and having lived all the experiences you have lived so far, what do you wish you could tell your younger self? What single piece of advice would have helped your younger self to know?
I’d love for you to send me your own stories / thoughts about this. Drop me a line with your answer / thoughts on this question
SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition - my gratitude or to be celebrated.
Clarkson’s Farm
Amazon Prime is currently showing season 3 of Clarksons Farm - a docuseries following the ups and downs of British farming life through the perspective of Jeremy Clarkson, his colleagues and family. It is beautifully filmed - showing the very best of the countryside, but also the harsh reality of the farming industry. My husband and I have learned so much during the show’s three series and it definitely gets my ‘shout out’ - as do farmers!
BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
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LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis.
I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:
L: what have you learned?
E: what’s your energy / feeling word
A: what’s one thing you need to do?
P: what are you thinking / processing?
S: who or what can you shout out?
