Episode 47: How Do You Connect With Your Resourcefulness? Part 3 of 3

Hello everyone, welcome back to Everyday Leader podcast. Conrad here with Shannon as we continue our conversation about resources. If you don't know what I'm referring to, check out the last couple of episodes, or at least the last episode, where we referred to internal resources. Today, we want to model and demonstrate how we can cultivate and connect with our internal resources. Last time, we talked about these energies and resources within us as leaders. Today, we want to explore a little more how to connect with them.

The way we're going to do that is Conrad is going to coach me on a topic about resourcing myself. You can get an idea of the types of questions you can ask yourself and what it's like to be in this inquiry. We left with that inquiry in our last episode, so this might help you break it down even further.

This will be coach-like and conversational. Shannon and I have been in relationship for a long time in many different contexts. Today, it'll be a little more connected to the coaching context. Shannon, we need a general location of a topic.

I'm getting ready to go on a family vacation, a family trip and reunion, to meet up with my husband and his family, nieces and nephews, and all the rest. It's going to be very full, with lots of fun activities. I'm looking forward to it. I also want to be prepared and plan for resourcing myself during this time, leading up to and during the whole thing.

The preparation leading up to and then during. We just have a few minutes together, so the topic is resources for the trip. What do you want to know about that five minutes from now?

I want a really clear idea of the one thing I need to do before, and then what I need to remember and do to take care of myself during the trip, while there's this whirlwind of activity.

As you think about this, what are you connected with right now?

I actually feel pretty disconnected from the trip. I feel connected with this idea that I've got a bunch of things I just need to get through before Saturday.

Honoring that piece of you, that part of you, I'm inviting it to soften. Turning your attention inward, what are you aware of inside of you?

I feel pretty peaceful right now and calm. My brain is kind of scrambly, whirling around a little, but I don't feel anxious about it. I feel like there's something coming, a little anticipation, but calm.

I'm noticing and articulating this back to you so you can be at choice: head swirling, and then this peacefulness or calm. If you had to make it up, where does that peaceful calm live within you?

I think that lives in my heart, in my chest area.

What do you know about your heart, your chest area, this peacefulness, this part of you?

I know that when I'm connected with it, I'm present. When I'm connected with it, I have a lot of clarity around the things that are important, and that I have everything I need. I have my hand on my heart right now, and it's like, why are we even talking about this?

We're going to pause here in a moment. How would you like to be in relationship with this part of you?

I think it's listening to it. Even right now, it's like, “Hey, this is not a whole thing. There's not anything you need to bring with you. There's not a list you need to make. There's not anything to do besides show up in your whole self.” If anything, the idea that you have to be a certain way or do certain things to resource yourself is distracting you from this. It's a really nice feeling.

Sticking with that feeling, connected to it, two more pieces, with your permission. First, what do you call this resource within you?

I think I just call it my heart.

Connecting with that and naming it your heart, Shannon's heart, what is one thing it wants you to know about this trip?

It wants me to know that it's going to be really heart-filling, seeing everyone together and spending time with everyone.

Shall we pause here?

That's great. Thank you.

Absolutely. As we shift out of the connection to each other and connect back with the folks listening, is there anything you want to say about resources from that, Shannon?

Coming back to this belief that we are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole. Sometimes what's needed is just that moment, five minutes, to reconnect with that and remember it about ourselves. That can be really powerful.

I love that you're bringing that. Shannon connected with it in her way. She used a hand on her heart. There was some inner work, some going in. Other folks, in our experience, can connect with the body, sound, imagery, thoughts, writing, or moving. There are many access points to your internal resources as a leader. We invite you to find them within you and be in relationship with others to help cultivate those resources within them. The more access we have to these resources, the broader our creation can be. The differences amongst us can turn into a strength to create from.

Thanks, everyone, for listening.

Be well.