Play Your Part | Agency | How To Live A Meaningful Life
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
Play Your Part
We do not get to choose everything that happens around us, but we do get to choose the part we play in response.
I was shopping recently with my 19-year-old daughter. As we walked past a large store, we were startled by the security alarm going off. When we turned, we saw a young woman and a man casually strolling through the exit laughing. It quickly became clear that she had stolen a packet of false eyelashes.
They were now walking just ahead of us, clearly pleased with themselves. Then she ripped open the packaging and threw the cardboard onto the floor.
We were both stunned. For a split second, I felt heartbroken by what we had just seen, the disregard, the entitlement, the carelessness.
Then my daughter quietly stepped forward, picked up the discarded packaging, and put it in a litter bin. In that moment, everything shifted.
She could not stop their behaviour. She could not undo what they had chosen. But she could choose her own response. She chose not to add to the mess. She chose not to become hardened. She chose to play her part. That is true for all of us.
We will all come across behaviour that disappoints us, angers us, or saddens us. We will see selfishness, disrespect, dishonesty, and carelessness. But even then, we still have a choice. We can let the moment pull us downward, or we can decide who we will be within it.
We may not be able to change everything, but we can still influence what happens next by the part we choose to play.
ENERGY
Focusing on an emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s
Agency
From the Latin agere, meaning “to do, to act, to drive forward.”
The word evolved through agentem (one who acts) into agency, referring to the capacity to take action.
At its root, agency is not about control over everything, it is about movement.
The ability to act, to choose, and to take responsibility for our part, even when we cannot control the wider situation.
ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference
Own It
Choose a situation you’ve been blaming, avoiding, or tolerating. Now ask yourself what your part is within this. So often we point the finger at others, but really consider your part. What is the action that you can now take that you can own, even if it feels uncomfortable?
To help you, consider:
Start the conversation.
Set the boundary.
Clear the mess.
Make the decision.
Agency isn’t about waiting for better conditions, it’s about stepping in anyway and owning your part.
PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)
“What roles do I want to consciously choose in each area of my life?”
We all play different roles across our lives - in work, at home, in relationships, and within ourselves. Often, we drift into these roles by habit, expectation, or reaction rather than by choice.
This question is an invitation to step back and decide more consciously who you want to be in each of these spaces.
This question will be added to the Community Space in the Leapers Club for you to share your thoughts.
SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition, my gratitude or to be celebrated.
Clarity Space
Having recently come across an article from Gino Wickman, he described the importance of his weekly “Clarity Space.” He’s spot on.
The ability to step away from the day-to-day and create space to think clearly is often what makes the difference. He heads to a coffee shop for a couple of hours each week, something I’ve found hugely valuable too - however it looks for you, structured time, a change of environment, or simply stepping out of the noise - creating clarity space is worth protecting. It’s where better thinking begins.
Live Leaps Virtual Event:
Balance is Not What You Think
Overview:
Most people are trying to fix “balance” by managing time. This session reframes balance as something deeper, across the different parts of your life. You’ll explore where you may be under or overcompensating, and what true balance actually looks like for you.
Who It’s For:
Anyone feeling stretched, stuck, or slightly off, even if things look fine on the surface.
When:
Wednesday, Jun 24th (12:00 PM - 01:00 PM BST)
Click to register
BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
This week’s little extra for you - from me.
This week’s gift for you is a visual from a book I recently read: How to Live A Meaningful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.
The offer (below) is available to you for free (for 7 days) using the code: FLOW when you check out. Access is via the link / button below.
Please note that if you miss the 7 day offer, we can not extend this for you. You can, however always access the download for a nominal charge.
Invisible Influence visual synopsis
The artwork featured in this section is all copyrighted and for private use only. If you wish to use these online, in blogs / features or in presentations etc - we are happy to discuss licences. Please get in touch. The downloads do not have watermarks.
If you’d like to discuss having your ideas, business or culture captured visually - you can also let me know via email.
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?
