Happy Friday! Have you reflected on your week yet?

As the Board Liaison for EDF I have three types of work (1) Governance (2) Relationship Management and (3) Project Management. And each year I’m responsible for the smooth planning and execution of our three annual board meetings. This means that for about three weeks of the year my workload swells quite dramatically.

This was one of those weeks. In fact it was my third experience with this increase and this time, I was ready. Rather than anticipate this week’s stress with concern – I made a proactive decision at the start of the month to be incredibly kind to myself, and the ROI has been worthwhile as I find myself this Friday, cool, calm, collected and organized. And ready for reflection.

Outside of work, I spent a lot of time this week reading a new book (The 6 Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning), hanging out with an old friend turned new friend at Neuehouse and submitting articles to various publications. And as per usual I learned a few things:

•  Exercise is the best antidote for stress - Over the past two weeks I’ve transformed our 2nd bedroom into a home gym. With a spin bike, free weights and yoga mat - plus some great workout videos on Youtube (i.e this video and this video), I’m much more active than I’ve been in months. For a long time I saw exercise as something to do for aesthetic reasons only, but the truth is (and research proves it) it’s good for so much more. As an antidote for stress or anxiety – exercise is the cheapest and most accessible intervention. 
• LinkedIn is an incredible platform with a lot of untapped potential - I’ve been on LinkedIn for years. Truly, I think that I joined LinkedIn nearly a decade ago (if that’s possible) but it wasn’t until this month that I learned more about Groups, Slideshare and the potential for it to be used as a blog of sorts through customized posts (like this one!). I love connecting with people about work – because your professional life can be a real source of personal transformation and fulfillment, and it’s worth building a community around it. Cheers to getting to know you all more! 
• Co-working spaces are the new social club - When I moved to New York City I discovered Soho House. Growing up in a small suburb outside of Albany, NY it was a new and curious discovery. While some of my mother’s friends from church were members of the Links, there wasn’t a physical space that was exclusive with influential people and engaging programming. And I had no idea what I was missing. This week I went to Neuehouse for the 2nd time and have to say – what a place! Thought provoking speakers, delicious snacks and tons of innovative millennials thinking big and dreaming bold. That’s my kind of place. I look forward to going back soon.

 
I hope that you’ve taken the time this week to reflect on your accomplishments and lessons learned.  Because as Baltasar Gracian once said, “Self-Reflection is the school of wisdom.”

Sincerely yours,
Simone aka The Management Geek