It was a cold day in Nairobi, exacerbated by the concrete house I live in which was keeping the chill in like nobody’s business.
I was curled up on my couch with a good book but was distracted by the cool temperature.
I decided to untangle myself from my blankets and build a fire in the fireplace.
This can be a time-consuming task as the wood here is dense. It can be very hard to start, but once burning, it keeps burning.
And because it took me some time to get the fire started my thoughts turned to you and whether there was some learning to be had here.
If you’re a regular reader you know that I believe pretty much every moment is a teachable/learnable moment.
So here’s what I came up with to keep your fire burning so to speak → S.O.F.T.
We all need some softness in our lives as my cat SID is so aptly demonstrating above. Especially now.
Pressures are high. To do lists are endless. The planet is burning. Marginalized people are increasingly more marginalized.
The price we pay for inaction is simply too high.
But so is the price for burnout.
Instead, try my S.O.F.T. technique to keep your own fire burning at a sustainable level.
S – Spark
- A fire needs a spark to bring all the ingredients together to produce a flame.
- What’s sparking your interest these days? Follow where your curiosity takes you.
O – Oxygen
- Beyond the spark, a fire needs oxygen to keep burning. No oxygen, no fire.
- How are you keeping your flame alive and lit? How are you taking care of yourself, your community, and your passions so you don’t burn out?
F – Fuel
- A fire needs fuel to burn. Fuel like wood, kindling, paper.
- What’s nourishing you? What’s fueling your fire? Are you eating and sleeping well for example?
T – Time
- A fire has a rhythm. It needs time to spark, flourish, and die down.
- If I looked at how you’re spending your time, what trends would I see? Is how you’re spending your time reflective of your priorities? Are you paying attention to the rhythms that drive you? Are you alternating stepping on the gas with stepping on the brake?
If you’re feeling stuck, uninspired, or just plain tired, use my S.O.F.T. acronym to gently focus on your spark, oxygen, fuel, and time.
It’s important to all of us that your fire keeps burning.
Now go on and learn, laugh, and lead
Learn
- I recently did a Learning and Development Roundtable on motivation and habits. If you’re not already, become a member for free and get access to that Roundtable’s resources and all 11+ years of Roundtables.
Laugh
- Fire brings out a lot of feels.
Lead
- Share the S.O.F.T. technique with a friend or colleague and support each other through it.
P.S. For UN Staff only
- I’m leading two online workshops for UN staff. One on Work-Life Balance (April 17/18 and May 15/16, for two hours each and one on Effective Online Presentations (April 17/18, May 14/15 and June 19/20). Click on the links for more information including how to register.
- If you’re not a UN staff but you’re interested in the courses please reach out!
- Here’s what past participants have said:
- On WLB: I enjoyed the activities and the way Lee-Anne made me feel
- On Effective Online Presentations: Being constantly involved throughout the session kept it lively and interesting all through. As such, there was no temptation or even “chance” to get distracted by emails or other work business.
Leave a Reply