What is your “just right” pace for creating a joyful and liberated life, and organization?
Welcome to the New Year! It feels like 2022 ended on a big note for me, with all the excitement around the work we are doing at Anahsa, and our reflections on such an impactful year. I took 7 days completely “off” from work. As a CEO and entrepreneur, it is difficult to ever take one day fully “off” because my brain is always thinking, planning, and reflecting. If I’m being honest, I was anxious about closing my laptop and walking away from it, and putting an out of office message on my email. I thought I would jump right back in in January with that same high energy and fast pace.
However, when January 3rd, 2023 rolled around, I logged onto a meeting and promptly wondered what the meeting was about and why I had agreed to it. It turned out I wasn’t alone, because the person I was supposed to meet with had forgotten about the meeting, and professed a similar sense of confusion about our plan for work at that moment. We rescheduled for a few days later, and then had a very productive meeting.
This brings me to some reflections on pace, I have moved at what feels like the speed of light for much of my adult life. This is true for how I think and process information, and for the work that I put out into the world. I live, love, and work with a sense of urgency that has been just “normal” to me for so long, that I hadn’t paid attention to the costs that it had on me. Beginning in late 2021, I began some intense personal work to recognize this tendency, and to peel back the layers of my life experiences that contributed to it.
Slowly, but surely, I have begun intentionally taking time to pause, breathe and to close my eyes and let my mind wander.
That intentional pausing that I started to practice more consistently in 2022, and then the full on stop at the end of December 2022 led me into 2023 with a whole different energy that I am embracing and loving for myself.
There is so much work-work and life-work to be done every single day, and I am now starting to let myself be ok with not having it all done immediately.
I want to be able to live a life that has a joyful, purposeful and sustainable pace, and trying to do all the things, all the time will not allow me to realize that vision for myself. To that end, please know that instead of a bi-weekly newsletter, I will be shifting to a monthly newsletter moving forward.
Pace is something we all need to pay attention to as we work to create anti-racist, anti-bias, and joyful lives and organizations. We are working to dismantle our own conditioning, educate ourselves more accurately about history and US society, and to change minds, practices and organizational culture.
Additionally, we are continuously witnessing the painful expressions of anti-Asian racism, anti-Black racism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of bias and oppression play out daily across the U.S. Although these incidents and systems of oppression that uphold them are not new, the constant cycle of pain and outrage we experience can leave us both highly activated and depleted. We have to keep bringing ourselves to center, guided by our ‘why’.
We must be in this for the long haul, and know that our efforts will continue to set the stage for future personal, organizational and societal movement towards equity for all.
In the executive coaching sessions I lead with early education organizational leaders, pace comes up quite a bit. We all have a sense of urgency to “get it right”, “right away”, because we want children and adults of all identities to thrive while in our care.
However, it takes time to understand how systemic racism and bias impacts adults, children, and early childhood programs and systems. When we take the time to process and to integrate that knowledge, we start to make meaningful shifts in organizations. And reflection is a part of the work, too. As one early childhood leader said:
“I am reflecting on all of the work that has been collected {done}. I recognized that we are working towards these goals with our children but there is still a long way to go. We are able to now recognize the areas that need the most attention to support children… I am understanding the challenging moments of this journey is “the work”, and to push through the hard to come through to the other side. Even when the other side still feels hard, it is validation that we are moving in the right direction.”
I invite you all to take a look at the recently updated Anahsa website where you can learn more about our offerings of speaking, executive coaching and consultation.
I want to especially highlight that we are currently supporting leaders in coaching cohorts from early childhood, non-profit, and corporate organizations across the United States.
If you are looking for a roadmap for understanding and creating anti-racist, anti bias and joyful organizations for all, as the young people say, “We got you”.
We are also gauging interest in a Journey To Nia Summer 2023 retreat in a new 1 day format, with an in-person and virtual option. Please let us know your interest by clicking here and taking 30 seconds or less to let us know which dates work for you.
Towards joy and liberation,
Takiema and Team Anahsa
WHAT WE'RE UP TO!
Journey to Nia Keynote with United Way of Greater New Haven | Tuesday, February 28th 6-7:30pm
Registration Link: to be posted on Anahsa IG, FB and Twitter in the coming days
Preschool Promise's 14th Annual 2023 Readiness Summit | Friday, March 3, 2023
Sinclair College, Dayton, OH
Register here.
RESOURCE CORNER!
Join us to celebrate the start of Black Children's Book Week 2023 and the power of Black representation! At our museum opening you will get to tour the galleries in our Black Children's Book Week Shoppable Virtual Museum of Black Representation, where you can purchase Black children's books from our Sponsors! You will also hear from the authors and organizers who are hosting events during Black Children's Book Week!
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Creating joyful and liberated lives in early childhood, and in organizations.™
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