Andrea’s reflections as the year comes to an end
A few months ago, I completed the “emotional agility” assessment by psychologist Dr Susan David, having been a follower of her writings and TED Talk. According to Susan’s research, emotional agility means having any number of troubling thoughts and emotions and still managing to act in a way that serves how you most want to live. That’s what it means to step out and “unhook”.
One piece of the feedback from that assessment resonated strongly with me:
Just going with the flow drains the purpose from your work and life, makes personal and professional relationships seem tenuous and uncertain and almost guarantees that you’ll fail to live with intention.
As I was already in the phase of making some “changes” in my lifestyle, this spurred me on to make those changes a bit bigger, to stretch my goals.
So I am now back on my mountain bike (wind permitting), getting out onto the golf course (mostly driving range currently – bring on the summer holidays!), and not wanting to become the person who simply goes with the flow and just does what is most comfortable. Best of all, in a moment of madness, I joined a club that meets up three mornings each week, with the goal that I will be able to run 5km by mid-December (NB: I have NEVER been a runner – I will honestly admit that I had a strong dislike of running). I do love being outdoors, and for the past 4+ years have done most of my exercise walking around the hills of Mt Victoria alongside regular sessions in a Pilates studio. Susan’s wise words have spurred me on to broaden my “outdoor” activities – getting back into the two exercises/activities that I do love (golf and biking), and extending my reach into running. All this variety of activity matches with my values, as well as having the knock-on effect of being good for my mental health, as much as it is for my physical health. Go, 2020!
Andrea Bradley
Client Relationship Manager – Umbrella