Hello and welcome to Weirdos in the workplace, the podcast where we dive into bringing authenticity, transparency, passion, and purpose into the workforce so that weirdos like me and maybe like you can be free to unleash our talents in the world and safe enough to learn how to learn faster. I'm your host, Erin Patchell, and it's a brand new year. Welcome to 2024.
And today we are talking about the importance of pauses, reflections, and celebrations in our lives and our workspaces. Let's start with the present moment that we're sharing together. It's as we approach the end of the year, it's crucial to look back and reflect on our journey. Reflection is not just about reminiscing, it's a powerful tool for growth, according to a study by Harvard Business School.
Setting aside 15 minutes, only 15 minutes at the end of the day to reflect on what was learned will boost your performance and impact your future success. So let's use these moments to assess our victories, our challenges, and the wisdom that we've gained. You've probably all heard that journaling is a great exercise and sometimes life changing for the people who believe in it. But writing isn't for everyone. So I'm going to suggest some alternatives that have similar benefits in terms of self reflection, mindfulness, and emotional processing. So taking voice recordings or voice to text notes instead of writing is great for a lot of people. If you're able to kind of talk stream of consciousness, and even if you're not great at it, it's a skill. So you can actually start.
I remember when I first started doing voice recordings, I absolutely sucked at it. I had to pause it every couple of seconds. I was constantly rewriting it. And then as I got used to the process, it became easier and easier and my thoughts flowed a lot more smoothly. Mind mapping, collaging, or vision boarding. So creating like a visual map that represents your thoughts, feelings, experiences and desires. And I love virtual whiteboards like Miro or mural for this. But I know my sister loves to use paper and cut things out of magazines and do a whole vision board for every year, and I think that's a great way to do it as well.
So you do you walking or movement meditation is fantastic. Taking a mindful walk or doing movement exercises like yoga or Tai Chi can be very reflective. Blogging, music, drawing, building lego or a puzzle. Anything that can help you slow down, focus and ponder. But however you choose to do it, I would definitely encourage you to think about the significant moments from this year. What are you proud of? What are you avoiding? What brings you joy? What grounds you? Who are the people who influenced you this year? Are you going in the direction you want to be going? What will you do differently? How have your moments in 2023 shaped you, for better or worse? And reflections are really important. But just as important, or probably even more important, are celebrations. Celebrations in life or in the workplace are not just about acknowledging the big wins, although that's always nice, too.
They're really about recognizing the small steps in the effort and the journey. And I have to admit, for most of my life, until very recently, I have been literally, like, allergic to celebrations. I didn't like them. I didn't like hugs. I didn't like to accept affection. I shuddered at the thought of being the center of attention. It was a couple of years pre pandemic, so what was it? Probably 2018 or so when I began to consciously try to change this behavior. Because I've been like this my entire life, I wanted to know what it felt like to not avoid something that other people seemed to take great pleasure in.
So we took a family vacation to Mexico back in 2018 with the three kids. And there was something about the warmth of the people and the relaxation of the environment where I felt safe. We're near big bodies of water that always makes me feel happy. Something about the environment triggered something in me. And when I came home, I gave my longtime friend Sarah, who now works with positivist group, a hug. And she will tell you this. She literally thought I was dying. This woman has known me over well.
Now, it's been a long time, but at that time, she'd known me, I think, for like 20 years and never witnessed me willingly give a hug. It was like a hostage situation every time someone tried to give me a hug. So she thought I was dying. And I've come a long way since then. By the way, I like hugs now. I'm a hugger. I know it sounds crazy, just these past few months as well. So in know, speaking of evolution, these past few months talk about getting outside my comfort zone.
I've been training to become an officiate with an organization called Humanist Canada, and this training has profoundly deepened my consciousness of the importance of celebrations. Milestones are important. We humans tend to be forgetful unless we cement something into place in our memories. Most people don't have a space these days anymore outside of work and home, to spend time consistently. It used to be people attended a church or other community involved in the community in other ways. But these days it's changed a lot people are more isolated than they've ever been. And our holidays have evolved into celebrations of consumerism rather than celebrating anything truly meaningful in our lives. Even though a lot of the time we do try, I think a lot of us recognize this and we do try to roll it back every year and try to focus on the things that are important, but not enough.
Heck, in my family we hardly celebrate birthdays. It's just not something that we've ever really been interested in. And we're all kind of similar to me. I'm like the prototypical person in my family. But this year I'm sure that they're all going to love this. But I have vowed to change this and I'm going to roll it back. It's going to take more energy, for sure. But I'm convinced that the energy I spend on planning and celebrating the people that I love is going to transmute and come back to me and come back to us in the form of memories.
And I'd encourage you to entrench those milestones at work and at home with a celebration. Even if it's something simple or unique. Find ways to build new traditions and rituals into your life. And to you folks who are already doing this, well, good for you. Honestly, it's something that I think that we've started to lose. So that you're kind of like one of those anchors in the storm. I think that that's really important and continue doing the amazing work that you're doing. So when we create new traditions, celebrations and rituals through the lens of inclusion, things look a little bit different than they used to.
In recent years, we've witnessed a growing recognition and incorporation of diverse cultural practices into various aspects of our society, and especially in the workplace. This change is part of a broader movement towards inclusivity, respect for diversity, and a deeper understanding of history, tradition and cultural competency. One such practice is the indigenous land acknowledgment. This is a new custom for us, us white colonial folk that is becoming more mainstream in progressive business circles and involves making a statement at the beginning of events, gatherings, or on websites or corporate documents acknowledging the traditional indigenous inhabitants of our land. And it's more than a formality. It is intended to be a profound expression of respect, a step towards reconciliation and a reminder of a long history that predates our modern institutions. And rituals like this exist to help us form our living memories and establish our values into actions. In the decisions that we make, they remind us that we are part of a larger, diverse and historically rich community.
And around the world we're seeing this isn't just indigenous land, acknowledgments or other types of indigenous cultural practices. We're observing all types of cultural practices and celebrations from lunar New Year, Diwali, Juneteenth, celebrating pride month. These practices are bringing to light the diverse stories of our colleagues, and incorporating these celebrations are incredibly enriching. They offer opportunities for education and sharing experiences, building community and belonging. And when an organization takes the time to honor and celebrate different cultures, it sends a powerful message that you are seen and valued and integral as part of this tapestry. Remember, every thread in this tapestry adds strength, beauty and depth. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. This is an and, not an or.
And the third thing that I'm going to chat about today is the art of pausing. In our constant hustle, the art of pausing is often forgotten. Yet it is in these pauses that we find clarity and rejuvenation. Celebrations, rituals are part of the pause. So are as are our reflections. So let's practice this together. Take a deep breath, let go of the hustle, and ask yourself, what do I need right now? Do you need a break? Do you need a moment of gratitude? Do you need a distraction? Do you need silence? Do you need companionship? What do you need? Just breathe. As we close today's episode, I'll leave you with a thought by author and philosopher Alain De Botton.
The largest part of what we call personality is determined by how we've opted to defend ourselves against anxiety and sadness. So remember, it's okay to pause and breathe amidst it all. Thank you for joining me today on weirdos in the workplace. I hope in 2024 we can carry these lessons of reflection, celebration and pauses into our lives. Don't forget, we have four more episodes left in season one, ending January 31, each packed with insights and surprises. Stay tuned, stay weird, and remember, don't stay out of trouble.
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If you like this episode of Weirdos in the Workplace, don't forget to like and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. You can reach us online at positivist.ca, or on most social media platforms @positivistgroup. Have a beautiful day at work.
