Supercharge September

Opportunities for you: recommit, refocus and recharge

September 2022

In the northern hemisphere, the weather is changing. Even hot days taper more quickly. The twilight creeps in earlier, and the night air is cool. Kids have started school, or start next week. In our village, the tourists have left, suddenly leaving the streets quiet. You can feel the season in the shifts in the weather, the light, and the rhythms of our homes.

As the season changes, expectations for the months ahead are unsure, and perhaps even rocky, and we humans don’t like uncertainty. We’re primed for security— and the need for belonging. But it’s impossible to know how to be secure, or how to belong, in a world that is in such flux, in workplaces where people are continuing to leave, and which have not yet been redefined after the cataclysmic changes of the past two and a half years.

Facing the wind means taking this discomfort and reframing it— acknowledging the fear, the concerns, the uncertainty, and stating them aloud. Writing them down. And then deciding how it is that you will move through them.

Perspective: Seasons of change are perfect opportunities to refocus and reset. As we close out Q3 and move into Q4, now more than ever, it is the perfect opportunity to turn to face the wind. What are you avoiding, or putting off? What goals are you further from than you’d hoped to be? What else do you want to define for a focus for the rest of the year?

Sometimes things don’t go as planned

After a wonderful weekend away with my family, we all came down with COVID. We have avoided it so far, and suddenly we were flat on our backs, and miserable. We’re recovering slowly, but still a bit under the weather, and it’s been humbling, to say the least.

It was an unwelcome but important reminder to give ourselves grace to let things go as we rested, and healed. I’m not much good at that lesson. I imagine I’ll be learning it for the rest of my life. A setback is not forever, but it’s an invitation into a rhythm of stillness in the midst of the work, as well.

Writing it out

As we move into fall (by the school calendar at least), I’ve started using a combination of a new planner and my improvised Bullet Journal (I like using Moleskin journals), setting out goals for this next quarter— and then the month, and then each week. Writing this out— by hand, for me— gives me a vision and the commitment to move forward.

 


 

This fall, I’m excited to be joining graduate level classes at George Washington University and Seattle Pacific University to share The Grit Factor, as well as scheduling virtual keynotes and opportunities to go deeper into connection to what matters at work and in life with The Grit Institute’s most popular program, Paths 2 Purpose (the wait list is open for the next cohort independent of corporate and educational groups).

PodcastSquare_Option2

The Grit Factor:The Podcast, Episode 11

The Grit Factor podcast welcomes Leigh Burgess who went from a successful healthcare career to complete burnout during the pandemic, and had to make a change. She talks about how she made the changes she needed to make to thrive in her life and work, and the deep sources of her motivation that have pulled her through the biggest challenges and opportunities in her life and developed a profound sense of purpose.

PodcastSquare_Option2

The Grit Factor:The Podcast, Episode 12

The Grit Factor podcast welcomes Merryl Tengesdal. Merrl is an American retired career military officer and the first and only Black woman to fly the United States Air Force's U-2 spy plane used for specialized high-altitude reconnaissance missions. She speaks with candor and humor about her experiences and lessons learned, and is passionate about connecting to support the next generation of leaders in and our of the skies. Give yourself the gift of listening in to our conversation— and forward it along to whomever might enjoy or benefit!

Opportunities for you:

To help you with your work this fall, with facing the wind, I’ve developed a few opportunities to offer to you connect, and I’m really excited about them- I hope you will be too! Please be sure to share with your friends and colleagues who might benefit.

  1. GRIT123: A 5 day LIVE training in September on building the foundation for grit. Can you set aside 30 minutes a day for a week? Let’s meet to talk through ways to build or rebuild your foundation of grit! Sign up today for the details!

  2. Live mini-workshop in October (details coming soon)

  3. High touch Mastermind for senior leaders by invitation, beginning January 2023. Applications are now open here.

  4. Paths 2 Purpose: the waitlist is open for Paths 2 Purpose in the next cohort. Are you willing to invest in your well being at work and at home? This is the place for you to put your energy. If you’d like to be added, send me a note.

Finally, a photo of lunch at home. What more do you need, when everything is fresh?

With all my best as always,

Shannon

PS as always, I welcome your questions, comments, thoughts and suggestions by voice mail— you may be on the next podcast!

The Grit Factor Book by Shannon Huffman Polson

 

Get your copy

The Grit Factor:
Courage, Resilience, and Leadership in the Most Male-Dominated Organization in the World


ShannonPolson_Web_Footer01ShannonPolson_Web_Footer01B
ShannonPolson_Web_Footer02ShannonPolson_Web_Footer02B
ShannonPolson_Web_Footer03ShannonPolson_Web_Footer03B
ShannonPolson_Web_Footer04ShannonPolson_Web_Footer04B