Six suggestions to fuel you through 2017.
At the start of last week I was sitting in one of my favourite spaces: on the fourth floor of The Hospital Club in Covent Garden (above). It’s a place that fires me up and as I sat looking at these two wonderful battered armchairs it prompted some ideas to help fuel your work life in 2017:
- Hang out in inspiring spaces. Last week I visited the new home of London’s Design Museum. It’s a wonderful big, clean, space especially if you arrive before the crowds. As I sat there taking it all in, breathing in the interior’s new smell, I was reminded of the power of the right space. It’s amazing how a building can lift your spirits, get you in a positive mindset and inspire ideas. Make a resolution to get out of your office and pop in to some galleries and museums next year.
2. Soak up great stories. I’m always on the look out for storytelling that stands out from the crowd. This year Netflix has opened my eyes to writer/ director Joe Swanberg. I love his show ‘Easy,’ a series of short stories based in Chicago. With much of the script improvised, the stories feel so natural and effortless. ‘Easy’ demonstrates how strong stories don’t always need dramatic juxtapositions or cliff hangers. Next year I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for other new talent in storytelling.
3) Get out of your bubble. If you need fresh ideas and approaches, look outside your bubble. Follow your curiosity into new territories and unfamiliar experiences. When different worlds collide the conversations that happen can be surprisingly life affirming. A couple of weeks ago I met with dancer and choreographer Zoi Dimitriou. On the face of it Zoi and I had little in common. But once we got talking, there were so many shared experiences and emotions. It was a conversation that really fired me up. Here’s to more of those in 2017.
4) Be human. You might have seen my plea last week in this little rough and ready video I posted. The world would be a much better place if more of us brought ourselves to work. Here’s to building careers and businesses on who we really are, behaving like human beings, not boxes on an org chart. How’s this for a human — and very honest — performance? Patti Smith sings “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” at the Nobel ceremony. It’s a wonderful rendition, especially because of her vulnerability when the words escape her. I love her honesty of asking to start again. Watch it here.
5) Find time for play. I’m looking forward to having some time off over Christmas. Taking long walks, reading books, and playing with my kids. As well as the inevitable Lego sessions, we hope to make a little film. Last year my kids and I got inspired watching a documentary about Aardman Animation. So we tried our own stop motion animation, ‘The Day Of The Satsuma’. It’s on YouTube here (disclaimer: it’s no award winner!). Here’s to making more time for play next year.
6) Know what matters. As we navigate these uncertain waters ahead, it’s helpful to tune into the experiences, projects and environments that fuel our best work. This knowledge can act as a life raft to keep us afloat when the waters get choppy. Recently I cranked out a list of the things that really matter in my life. It’s a great touchstone for making sure I stay aligned with who I am and what I stand for: Rediscovering the things that really matter: twelve lessons from the last twelve months.
I always love getting your feedback via email or Twitter. It was great to hear from Rafal in Dublin last week. He tweeted me to say that after hearing about my ‘walk and talk’ coaching sessions he’d started taking himself on his own ‘walk n’thinks’ at lunch time. Great idea! Get in touch and tell me what you’re doing differently in your business or work life.
And to get the cogs turning for 2017, here are three questions to ponder for the new year:
- Where are you headed in your business or work life?
- How are you going to get there?
- What fuel do you need on your journey?
Let me know how you get on. You can email hello@iansanders.com or tweet @iansanders
Have a great break!
Ian Sanders
Consulting. Walk & Talks. Skype coaching. Stories. Workshops.
