It’s a “reaching for the edges of a blue, blue sky” kind of week for me. I’m particularly grateful for that, given that not all skies are blue and not all weeks are filled with accomplishment. At the end of this blog you’ll find some suggestions for turning things around, but first I’m celebrating a week of accomplishments where I feel like I really moved forward.

I took the first of a series of workshops this week on developing my business skills – it was inspiring and gave me some ideas to try. Feeling like I’m learning something new and seeing a way to step forward is encouraging. I also did a speech on leadership at Toastmasters. It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to say about leadership but am happy with what I came up with in the end, and it was very well received. I’ll share it with you in next week’s blog. I started a new coaching client, which is always a joy and a good kind of challenge. I am currently assisting at a 3-day coaching workshop in Toronto. It is a thrill to be back a little more than a year later, not as a student this time, but as an assistant. This week I also managed to get two blogs done by Monday. This felt like a huge accomplishment. I made good (but not easy) food and exercise choices, and I said yes to an upcoming leadership opportunity that will stretch my boundaries.

THE EDGES OF THE SKY

You must reach towards

the edges of the sky.

 

Beyond the horizon

of a timid

imagination.

 

For if you don’t,

you may as well

round your

shoulders

and shuffle lifelessly

towards a cold

unwelcoming grave.

 

Such is the consequence

of uniform ambition.

And not reaching

for the edges

of the blue blue sky.

Nik Askew

What one thing can you do that will help you reach towards the edges of your sky?

Not all skies are blue. Here are my top three tips when skies are grey. There are a lot of other things you could do in addition to this, but I find too many suggestions overwhelming when I’m in this grey state of mind. These are not quick fixes, but rather daily habits. The point is not that you have to do these things in particular, but rather that you do something. Stick to it. Don’t give up. It can take some time.

3 Tips For Turning Things Around

1. Change what you are eating/drinking. (This is surprisingly powerful, especially if you’re eating something you have an intolerance to. In my experience intolerance does not only show up as stomach pain/issues, it can also reveal itself through bone crushing fatigue and feeling really down).
2. Tell someone who cares about you that you are struggling (and let them encourage you). Pay someone (like a counsellor or a coach) if you can’t think of someone you currently have in your life who could fill this role.
3. Get outside every day for a walk (preferably in a place with trees or water or mountains) and pay attention to the beauty around you.

Here is something I shared on social media, which also really helped change my focus and was in part responsible for helping me turn things around.