Writing this post reminds me of the recent meme, “Job interviews in 2015: No one got the right answer to the question “Where do you see yourselves in 5 years time?””
As a facilitator and a coach navigating a “With Corona” world, this feels especially relevant. And I know that everyone has been impacted in some way and is feeling “Well this is not how I imagined my life would be like going into summer of 2020!”
Looking back at last year’s post, Integrating my Ikigai in Year 4, I closed off with excitement about the Tokyo Olympics “Unity in Diversity” theme. Whilst we don’t yet know the status of the Olympics for 2021, the global pandemic has certainly delivered a united human experience. Something that was not isolated to one location and one time. It is showing our interconnectedness as a human race.
And the race and gender identity aspects of diversity have also finally become part of a wider dialogue.
I guess that I can put 2020 down as the “year of unlearning”. Unlearning my bias, unlearning my lifestyle, unlearning my assumptions of what “should happen next”
It’s a slow process, with uncomfortable discoveries, constant inquiries and realignment of what I thought was true.
Re-evaluating my Ikigai
I am not going to lie. It’s been a roller coaster since February – as I imagine it has been for you. in the early days I lost myself for a bit. I’m an extrovert facilitator who loves to be in the room with people with plans to speak internationally. I love the mirroring that happens in group work and the ability it gives us to see different perspectives.
What the heck was I going to do? What was my reason for getting out of bed in the morning with all training postponed?
Professionally, launching the #makemarchmatter online community has given me life. Literally a reason to get out of bed in the morning, get dressed and put on makeup as we have 8:30am meetings and co-working spaces. It gave me a place to play and experiment with new online experiences and allows me to feel connected as we work through the new way to be in the world.
Personally, I’ve been studying more (The Copy Cure, Graphic Facilitation, Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute), enjoying access to amazing plays online and checking in on my veranda garden.
And in big news, I send my 15,000 word Ikigai book proposal to an agent in New York yesterday. A big milestone on a real labour of love (and frustration) over the last 12 months!
Resilience
This year has given me multiple opportunities to bounce forward, overcome disappointments and keep on trucking. I think Spartan Racing helped me develop this mindset and find ways to work through obstacles with humour and grace. Keep on, keeping on.
Being open also to the constant changing nature of information, ready for last minute ideas and reducing my focus to the things that I can control and influence have been essential mindsets for me this year.
Agility
Agility is my middle name! (Obviously, it isn’t, it’s Rebecca). Shifting all my offerings to shorter online sessions happened quickly. I had a solid base in virtual facilitation due to leading Lean In Circles online in the past.
Agility for me is also about not getting too hung up on plans turning out exactly as I hoped. I imagined I would be getting amped up for my role as an Olympic Volunteer and ready to make one of “My LIfe’s Wishlist” commitments from November 2019 happen: to hold an Olympic medal. I am going to need to be more creative on that so here is my ask to you: Do you know an Olympian or Paralympian close to Tokyo who will let me hold their medal? Any sport, any year, any type of medal? It would be a true testament to the next item if I can make this happen through my network. よろしくお願いします！
Points of You® Academy Workshops have also moved online. I’ll be delivering my first session in English on July 29, 30 and 31 so follow the Peatix Page for registration info
Community
Together Apart – even though we are physically distanced, I felt super close to a wider community of great people to support me. My family, obviously. My husband cooking, my kids keeping me busy with lego, animal crossing and origami, catching up every day online with my family in the UK. My coach, Sarah Furuya, has created a space where I can share my frustrations and hold the paradoxes of being “OK” (in the grand scheme of things) but also not “OK” (in my personal realm). My clients who have experimented with new formats online and been ready to try out new tools. My Points of You Global Tribe for the weekly uplifting sessions with hundreds of participants and those who have been joining my L2 Practice Sessions from around the world.
So here is to year 5. Into the Unknown! I don’t know exactly what it will bring for the industry but I do know that people still need to connect, to feel included and to develop ways to live meaningful lives together.