Priority Learning February 2021 Newsletter

Finding Our Way to Spring (on our hands and knees, but finding our way)

It has been almost a year of isolation, fear and, God only knows, enough stress and anxiety for ten years. But here we are still standing and we are only a couple months away from tulips, the return to dry ground and Maine sea breezes.

Welcome back and welcome to our February newsletter. This month it is Lorraine’s turn to deliver a message. As we emerge from a year like no other, we want you to know that you are on our minds and we can’t wait to see you all again in person. Please enjoy Lorraine’s message and enjoy part 8 of the Leadership Maker for those of you following along. This month it is one of our most important, most requested topics, delegation!

Stay strong, stay safe, we are almost there.

Message from LT

Happy February Everyone! This month I decided to write a few words and spread some good cheer and encouragement!!

Quite a lot of us have been in chaos mode, trying to get through all the trauma and uncertainty (which may have caused fear and depression for many of us) in the last year. I know no less than a dozen people who are having health problems that may have resulted from the pandemic, but fear has also been a factor. These kinds of years can make or break our psyches if we’re not careful. As much as we want to stay strong and show strength, we still carry our fears inside. We can tamp our fears down or place them in a compartment inside our consciousness while we try to move on or hold on to some sort of normalcy. I’ve come to a few conclusions in the last couple of weeks…mindfulness and positive thinking are the key.

Mindfulness is probably the most effective yet the most underutilized skill to have as human beings. I have had to remind myself many times this year that my thoughts are more negative and cynical than ever before, which is SO not going to help me stay healthy in my aging years. I believe this thinking causes pain and suffering “inside” our physical selves, which causes many of us to become ill in some way. I’ll be 70 this year and, knock on wood, have been able to go through life without many emergencies…I don’t want to jinx it, but I believe positive thoughts and thinking help us to find or experience whatever we need just by “being” positive. Optimistic-minded people will vouch for this, I promise you!

Here are some things to consider that I’d like to share with you that has helped me this past year:

• Listening to music- puts my head in a great place 
• Dancing (and singing) – low impact aerobics and singing along to my favorite tunes make me happy
• Exercise and eating healthy – was the concentration of the last month and has put my head in a better place
• Zooming with friends and family – is what has kept me sane throughout – lots of laughing going on and laughing is great for our “inner” health
• Having friends who validate and challenge – helped me get out of my head and into my heart
• Caring of others who need it – brings me more joy than anything I have found
• Creating new processes – helps me stay “brain” healthy and to take my mind off negative things
• Idea generation – this and our supportive team below is magic and helps us all to bring forward great things
• Being on a supportive team – see above
• Think before acting – mindfulness is constant and forever ongoing
• Smile more and worry less 😊 – let’s breathe and relax and think of all the fun we’ll have in the months to come when vaccines are plentiful and the world creates new and exciting things to improve our situations!!

In closing, I just want to say that I’ll be darned, after all these years of looking on the bright side, if I allow myself to go down the road of cynicism and negative thinking. There’s always a light at the end of every tunnel, aha moments of inspiration, feelings of joy to experience, people to help, wisdom to be gained, and lots more life to live.

Thank you for reading…come on spring!!

Delegation

“…as life is action and passion, it is required of a man that

he should share the passion and action of his time…”

Oliver Wendall Homes, Jr.

The final test of leadership is to leave behind men and women with the conviction, commitment and competency to carry on in your absence. This can be accomplished through the process of placing your trust in others, or delegation. Delegation is the on-going process by which a leader assigns additional tasks (i.e., responsibilities and authority) to a subordinate in such a way that there is acceptance of responsibility for the assigned tasks.

Benefits to the leader:

• Eased work pressures not dominated by minor details
• Increased time for primary (broader) responsibilities
• Increased time for self-development

Click here to read the rest of the article.