I’m now in week two of the online course “Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence”. In this week, the professor introduce something called “The Cycle of Renewal and Sacrifice”.
Threats, Crisis, and chronic stresses can lead to Sacrifice Syndrome, within which one cannot lead effectively. The only way is to engage in the renewal cycle to renew oneself.
There are 4 things that contributes to the Renewal Cycle (and which happens to be the same 4 things that contributes to resonant relationships). These 4 things are:
- Mindfulness
- Hope
- Compassion
- Joy, Laughter, Playfulness
As part of the course, we are then to identify some of these things that helps with renewal. Some of the items mentioned were:
- Mindfulness – Meditation, Prayer (to a loving God), Reading a book, going to the beach, going for a vacation, going for a massage
- Hope – being hopeful about the future, talking with others about hopes and dreams
- Compassion – being in a loving relationship, stroking your pet, volunteering, helping those less fortunate
- Playfulness – Laughing with others
Those are all very interesting things that a person may do to renew himself / herself. Now, let’s take a look at renewal through a strengths-lens. Since our talents are our naturally recurring ways of thinking, feeling or behaving, then it must be that how we renew ourselves must also be linked to what our dominant talents are.
My top 5 Talent Themes are Empathy, Individualization, Developer, Strategic, and Learner. How can I apply my themes to the above 4 areas for renewal?
Mindfulness – My Empathy theme needs someone to acknowledge my feelings and listen to me. One way to renew through mindfulness is to have a best friend accompany to do something as we talk and share. This can be a short trip, a nice dinner, visit to the beach, etc. Creating that personal time and space would help me to renew myself.
Hope – With my Strategic theme, I like to see the big picture and map out my options. With that, I often times come up with some plans for me to meet some future (and hopeful) goal. Taking the time out to think and strategise is rather therapeutic. Now, let me add the Mindfulness portion into the mix, and share these plans with my best friend during the personal time that we set aside for ourselves to talk and listen to each other. Ahhhh…… Talk about Synergy.
How about you? What do your strengths tell you about how you can best renew yourself?
