Shaping Our Surroundings Shapes Us | Complete | Love + Work
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
Shaping Our Surroundings Shapes Us
When working with people, I often talk to them about their environment - what they are surrounded by. But this isn’t the only important thing about our surroundings. Who we are surrounded by is important, as is what we do within any given environment - and don’t forget timing and ourselves!
This past weekend, my husband and I went to Paris for his birthday. This was my third visit to the city of love, however I was struck by how different it felt to be there. It’s the same place I’d visited when I was 16 and again at 30 - the buildings have been there for centuries and I’d visited some of the same landmarks. So why did it feel so very different this time? Why did we have such an incredible time?
Surroundings are complex - they require the right equations to be optimised. What I’ve learned is that environments that allow us to thrive have:
Good physical space (keeping rooms clean and tidy with what’s needed)
Interest (showing up to an unchanged environment gets dull)
Met needs and timing (we need to match needs with the right timing)
Clear structure and activities (the environment allows for the right activities)
Right people (who - and how they behave - dramatically changes the space)
Best version of you (your state of mind, balance and preferences)
Because it is more complex that just having a “cool space” (adding gimmicks to your office isn’t the answer!), it is also personal. What’s right for one person, may not be right for another. Equally, not paying attention to changing needs means you can easily trip up. While I used the word ‘surroundings’, I could easily substitute the word ‘surroundings’ for ‘culture’. If any of the list above is not aligned, it will adversely shape our environment - and us. Equally, get these things aligned and you have magic!
ENERGY
An emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s
Complete
We are often challenged - by others or even by ourselves - to complete things. When we think about our day, it can sometimes be judged as successful if we complete a set of tasks. So what does the word ‘complete’ actually mean?
It is from Latin word complere meaning "to fill up, fulfill, finish (a task)". It was formed from COM, "together, together with, in combination” + PLERE "to fill".
I think it might be better for us to aim at having a FULFILLED day, rather than just COMPLETE. We need to be selective with how we fill our time!
ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference
Future Self
When I’ve worked with children (I designed a workshop called GLAS Adventurers), I encourage them to come up with something that they can do for their future-selves. This might be to read something, learn something, invest in health or well-being. I’m giving you the same challenge this week - to do one thing for your future-self.
PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)
“What is it that you LOVE doing more than anything else?”
Inspired by this week’s gifted visual and the book it’s based on, I want you to really think hard about what it is you LOVE doing. Try to be as specific as you can e.g. if you LOVE writing, is it writing anything? Who do you like writing for and how often? What’s the purpose of what you write?
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.
Attention To The Small Stuff
I mentioned our recent trip to Paris in my LEARN this week. One of the things that I enjoyed about the trip was some of the attention that I noticed was paid to the detail - the small things. Have you ever noticed sometimes the little extra gestures can feel like someone removing the stone in your shoe?
We visited a wonderful place called Angelina’s for breakfast. I ordered a cafe au lait (a white coffee) at breakfast and it was served as one jug of piping hot black coffee and another jug with piping hot milk. It allowed me to make the perfect drink - without fear of a generous dash of milk resulting in a cold drink. It was a small thing that made me smile. Shout out to the small stuff that makes all the difference!
BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
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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?
