Opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared
“We have so much to rush for, so many things to fix and problems to solve, with all of that happening I’m trying to remind myself of self-care every day…” – Jonathan Van Ness
The idiom of “The calm before the storm” represents the quiet time or lull before a period of great activity or trouble. It is a time when one prepares for what is to come.
October may very well represent a veritable calm before line-ups, inventory flux, and staffing headaches combined with traffic, transactions, and tedious hours. Not to mention the polarity of grumpy customers (and team members) with all of their holiday cheer in tow.
It typically becomes a month of preparing efficiencies. The challenge can arise from multiple reasons, not just one. It represents an ideal time to pre-check or pulse-check oneself, the team, and the business for the potentially crazy times that lie ahead.
The thing is, inevitability comes into play when there is a reality shift. Preparedness gets tested—not just the structure, responsibilities, and behaviors but also the mindset. We experience the whirlwind.
Self-Care: The calm before quickly becomes the calm during
Fourth quarter challenges each of us. In almost every way possible, we will see our mettle from a hectic time’s perspective. It also defines the limits one will be willing to accomplish any and all things that need to get done. Each of us during this time will be stretched and formed by all the possible things that could happen, might happen, and will happen. There is absolutely no one-size fits all formula to navigate the tumultuous time from the days leading up to Black Friday and beyond.
If we had to identify the things that must be done without fail and those things that must be done to drive the business within the whirlwind of holiday craziness, what would they be? Here is a tip…pick up a handful of gravel and throw it all up in the air. Then, decide which rocks need to be caught.
Self-Care: Keep calm and carry on
This phrase originated as a motivational poster produced by the Government of the United Kingdom in 1939 in preparation for World War II. The poster was intended to raise the morale of the British public. In our current scene, it now enjoys general currency as an expression of resilience. And that is an exceptionally critical characteristic during Q4 in retail and living out the whirlwind of holiday selling.
We can be in the midst of a storm; the storm does not have to be in midst of us.
Hurricanes are very real example of a storm. A true whirlwind. Did you know that even in the middle of a hurricane, the bottom of the sea is calm? As the storm rages and the winds howl, the deep waters beneath sway in gentle rhythm. Below there is no storm. It’s calm beneath the waves. How do we emulate that calm within?
If I had one bit of advice, it would be self-care
Every year about this time I explore how we take care of ourselves during the holidays – a time when things can get crazy busy and overwhelming. Call it health and well-being when we’re busy being busy. Consider the following components of heart, mind, body and soul as a starting point.
Heart
What represents our outlook? Evaluate your passion and purpose. Set reasonable expectations and goals for holiday activities. Invest in establishing routines and keep things simple. Look for progress. not perfection. Remember that the whirlwind is short-term, so be patient and take things week by week, day by day, moment by moment.
Mind
Our mind is essential during this time. I will always believe the quality of my thinking determines the quality of my life. Of my circumstances and the pathway for success…and failure. Our choices direct the outcome. Control your control-ables.
Body
Let’s be real, there’s no perfect way to take of our self. We do the best we can, when we can. Maybe the best we can do is being aware that if we’re low energy or motivation, if we feel stressed, if we’re run down…we have to do something to take care of our body. Pay attention to eating, sleeping, exercising, and rely on our source for resting and replenishment.
Soul
Starve our ego. Feed our soul. How can we ensure we are feeding our soul? Believing in and paying attention to what really matters like doing the next right thing in the service of others. Maybe the best and most significant way is about our belief. To believe in our self and take care of our self.
Each of these traditionally represent a way of understanding ourselves as a whole person. Each interconnecting – the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual components not only influencing our actions as one offs, but also creating a broader consideration when they all become a collective mass of consideration during a whirlwind.
I bring all of this up because we are coming into a time when speed, volume, frequency, and unexpectedness will be elements of our reality. It will be the varying degrees of the whirlwind encountered during the intense phrenetic busyness of both the holidays and Q4 retail selling season that will test our calm during the storm. Go deep and find your rhythm.
I challenge you with the following questions to consider how you embrace self-care in the whirlwind.
- Define self-care?
- What are you prepared to do to balance your heart, mind, body and soul?
- How are you orienting your heart, mind, body, and soul?
- Give an example of what you can do to take care of your heart, mind, body and soul?
- In what ways do you understand your heart, mind, body and soul?
- Are you squared away…emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually for what lies ahead and what lies within?
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