One of my favorite commercials in this past Olympics coverage stars a young girl watching figure skating. She’s so inspired by what she sees, she sets up her own “skating rink” in the attic. She places all of her stuffed animal friends around the room, like spectators in an area. And then she starts skating, just like her olympic idol.

Have you ever been filled by possibility like this?

It felt like I had been working on it forever, never to be finished. The last few weeks were different. Finally, a few days ago, it felt inevitable that I would finish it. 

Have you ever felt this shift? 

“I see you. You are valued and appreciated.” Wow. I was moved. Receiving the gift of being seen, acknowledged for who I was, was powerful. 

Have you experienced the power of being acknowledged?

I felt overwhelmed. The kind of overwhelm where you know there’s a lot to do, but you don’t know where to start. Your mind won’t stop identifying more and more things that need to be done, each more important than the last. Before you’ve even fully processed one idea, another one comes up. And another. And another. I needed to find a way to slow down and take back control.

Have you ever felt this way? 

We were in limbo, and everyone was focused on an uncertain future. Things had come to a standstill, everyone focusing on just enough to get by and meet commitments, but no one was truly engaged in the work. 

Have you ever felt this way? 

It started out as an ordinary morning. Suddenly, I felt that something was off. 

Has something like this ever happened to you?

I recently got new glasses. Even though they’re light, comfortable, and stylish, I’m not a fan of having something in between me and the rest of the world, and I’m often acutely aware of the impact on my peripheral vision. I often find myself asking the question…

Do I want to see less, more clearly, or do I want to see more, less clearly? 

I was in middle school, already significantly taller than most professional skaters, and struggling with learning a new jump. I had the movements down, but just couldn’t get the air I needed to complete the rotations.  And my coach told me, “You need an injection of courage.”

Have you ever faced something similar? 

A consultancy I used to work for did something really powerful. We didn’t tell our clients what would be possible if they worked with us. We showed them. And when they saw, they would get excited. They would see what it would mean for their organization and the impact that working with us would have. 

Do you ever wish you could see your own future this clearly?

We were prepping to kickoff a big engagement with a new client. We were expecting a large group - around 10 on the client side, over half that on ours. Most of the client participants were flying in specifically for this event.  As we were heading home for the night, hoping we were ready for the big event the next day, I couldn’t help but wonder….

Had we focused on the right things?

I was having such a case of the “shoulds”. I had just finished doing a review of the previous year, considering what worked and what didn’t, how I did against the goals I had set for myself, and where I hadn’t. And I came away with a list of “shoulds.”

Have you been there? 

Today in Colorado we have 10 minutes more of daylight than we did on the winter solstice, just 2 and a half weeks ago. Just 10 more minutes. It might not seem like much. And in some ways it’s not. But it’s enough that I’m already starting to notice.

Do you notice it?

A few years back, I was in a yoga class. And the instructor said something to me that has stuck with me ever since. She explained that we should only push our poses to about 80% of what we thought we could handle. And by doing that, over time, we would have a stronger practice and achieve more. 

Have you ever tried that?

“What do you think I should do?”, he asked. I was in a conversation with one of my direct reports. Only once he had evaluated what had already taken place was he able to see clearly what options he wanted to consider next. 

Have you ever noticed this?

It was a stressful time. We were in our fourth quarter, under pressure to close the year strong and hit our metrics, and deep in planning for the next fiscal year. Much of our leadership was deep in planning meetings, or preparing for planning meetings. Everyone was saying, “we just need to get through this month.”

Have you ever felt that way?

This past summer, I spent 3 weeks in the Republic of Georgia with a travel group of about a dozen people. It was an absolutely incredible experience. 

During our travels, we quickly developed a tradition at meals that I loved. After the food had arrived, before we began eating, we held up our plates and simply said, in unison, “We are grateful.” 

I was making the leap and had accepted a new role. I knew it was a “towards” decision - I was moving towards work and a team that inspired me. I also knew that I couldn’t go back. I was closing the door on a chapter of my career. Even so, I was struggling through the transition. Did I make the right choice? How was it all going to work out? Would I regret stepping away from my old role? Could I “hack it” in the new one? 

And so I kept saying “I want to know it will all work out.”

Do you ever feel this way?

“I just don’t get it, Christina.” My friend was sharing a challenge he was facing with one of his consulting clients. He was genuinely puzzled at this behavior - why would his consulting client’s actions be so different from their words?

Have you ever observed this kind of obvious conflict in someone else?

My teammates and I looked at each other with big eyes. I could tell they were thinking what I was thinking. Our stakeholder wanted too much. The ask was too big. There was no way it could be done, at least not in the timeframe she was expecting. 

Have you ever felt this way?

“Wait, why do you do that?” Thankfully, I kept this thought to myself as my new teammate was sharing the team’s schedule.

Have you ever found yourself doing something in a way that made sense in the past, but doesn’t anymore?