Gate 6
Our flight is boarding in 54 minutes. That gives me almost an hour to meet my (internally-assigned) deadline of drafting this month’s blog.
James and I cashed in some use-or-lose flight credits for a post-Thanksgiving getaway to Key West, Florida. For four days, we biked and wandered. We drank frozen rum beverages. We avoided feral chickens. We read. We got too much sun and I’ve got a souvenir ear infection.
We took no pictures.
It was a much-needed “break.”
And.
Yes, I checked my work email. I worked on some guest blog content (more on that soon). I looked at my calendar and tried to deconflict the sprint to the end of the year. I did some light program development for what’s next for Uproar in 2023. Most of this I did under the poolside shade with the bungalow cat, Jeffrey, snoozing under my chair.
And when we touch down in DC tonight, we have to Lyft home to get the car, head back out to pick up the dogs from their own getaway adventure, get everyone settled and situated, figure out groceries and dinner since I think the only thing in the fridge is leftover pumpkin pie (if it’s still edible), and run down a huge checklist of stuff that needs to get done TODAY that cannot wait until tomorrow. Things that I didn’t have the brainspace to get to as we barreled towards vacation.
By the time we tuck in tonight, this moment of writing under a palm tree on the airport bar patio will feel days-ago distant. I needed more time to disconnect. I wanted more time to reflect before “normal life” resumes.
I look around the flight holding area and wonder how many small business owners and leaders and entrepreneurs are here, beep-booping on their devices as they prepare for their destinations, business and personal.
28 minutes until we board.
I wonder how many of them are also wishing they had more reflection time. I wonder how many realize that the thing that’s standing between that opportunity for reflection is themselves. It’s true that our calendars and to-do lists are often informed and interrupted by other things and other people. It’s also true that we hold the keys to our own productivity and accountability towards our own priorities.
During this time of year – when there is a false sense of things slowing down (I call that “downshifting”) in the lead up to the winter holidays – setting aside time for reflection and big thinking is essential.
As small business owners or solopreneurs, freelancers, gig-goddesses, leaders and individuals, it’s time to take a moment and review your year.
What are you most proud of achieving?
What do you wish there was more of?
What did you do that you didn’t want to do?
Where are there boundaries you let slide?
Where did you find new lines to hold?
What permission do you need to do things differently next year?
Really, these questions are only the beginning.
Holding the time on your calendar to reflect and review can be tricky, especially if you’re inclined to act in service to others and put “you time” on the shelf. Giving yourself the pause to identify challenges and solutions, new I Wants for you and your business, new products or offers or services or opportunities… that’s rad. Those moments can go a long way towards turning down the volume on your imposter inner voice and keeping you from burning out.
There’s still time to make time to daydream. There’s still space to review what you got up to in 2022 and safely and playfully disrupt 2023. There are other glitterbombs ready to share the deconstruction of the things that didn’t work for you. Together, we can shake loose the things that are holding you back and amplify the opportunities to harness what makes you a badass. Join me for a little Mayhem.
Gotta go. We’re boarding.
