Don't Neglect Those Small Pebbles.
Hi There,
Last week’s confession about my failed vacation and the messy aftermath struck a chord. Many of you related to my realization that I’d been missing a lot of details due to careless communication. Thank you for letting me know. I’m better equipped to practice self-compassion when I don’t feel like I’m the only one!
A communicative, successful professional can’t simply ignore the smaller career “pebbles” and focus solely on attending to the “big rocks” like program design, client deliveries and coaching sessions. In a commitment to rectify the effects of my dropped pebbles—the dozens of small but crucial details with regard to colleagues, network allies, and contacts—I have begun reaching out to the people I so clumsily “lost” in my inbox. These included messages that weren’t urgent at first or that my eyes zipped by too quickly.
But somehow, the sentiments of neglect remained like a thin coating on my psyche. As the days and weeks passed, my conscience continued to scratch at me. I hadn’t realized how such acknowledgment could affect me. Those little pebbles sure do add up in weight!
The upside of leaning into the shame and guilt of this gap in communication is that each person I’ve reached out to has been happy to hear from me. And the reward for my transparency has been acknowledgment, understanding and true empathy, as these folks have been victims of this challenging time, too. Ah-ha! Connection is essential now more than ever. Because no matter how you slice it, we’re all in this together.
So, I ask you: Who will you reach out to today with a long-overdue message or response? Will it be someone you feel guilty about keeping on the back burner? Reach out to them right now and prepare to feel an energetic surge when you hit “Send”, and again when you hear back, as they express their understanding and appreciation. Enjoy the reward of your lesson learned.
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
DRIVEN Professionals, 35 Adrienne Lane, Garrison, NY 10524