When was the last time you had coffee indoors with a friend? Do you remember it?
How well will you remember the next one?
We have a unique opportunity ahead of us - and one we'll hopefully never experience again - the chance to add back into our lives all the things we once took for granted - and this time to savour them!
Old You
Think back to pre-pandemic habits. Most of us had a tendency to rush. To meet a friend for coffee - on the way to something else. One eye on the friend, one on the time, never fully engaged with either, and the over-priced coffee sat beside us as a luke-warm accessory.
You may also recall routinely grabbing coffee on the go to save more time - multi-tasking down the street with cup in one hand, phone in the other, racing to get to your next destination, only to tick it off and move on again.
And if you're highly skilled in the art of efficiency you might even have multi-tasked your way through an entire day! Just enough conscious awareness to cover the tasks before you, but no more than absolutely necessary. Spreading yourself as thin as you can to cover as much as you can. Plate spinning your way through days, weeks and months.
Maximal efficiency, minimal enjoyment. A life on autopilot - life as a blur.
Life in the Pit Lane
Lockdown living has forced us to stop. It's taken away many of the things we once took for granted and has made the most basic of tasks and interactions much harder, requiring much more concentration and much more conscious effort.
Autopilot is no longer an option.
One major advantage of this slower, more conscious existence is it has given us - or forced upon us - time to think and time to reflect. If you've not already done so, ask yourself these questions:
What or who do you really miss?
What are you looking forward to?
What don't you miss?
New You
Before you race back out the pit lane and into autopilot, be clear on what you're racing to and why. Prioritise what matters to you most and be prepared to let go of what you no longer need.
It's never easy and life will 'get in the way'. But if you find yourself racing around with too much to do and no time to savour what you're doing, remember there was a time when you couldn't wait for the simple things in life to return!
Pause, take a breath and re-prioritise.
Put down the phone. Sip the coffee. Engage fully with the person in front of you.
Make your days about quality, not quantity and at the expense of being highly-efficient, try being fully present.
Good luck!
Martin
For more information go to www.stillwater-coaching.co.uk
Phone: (+44) 07969 653 024
