“Be the best person you can be”... Lessons From A Waiting Room

Last weekend, in a hospital waiting room, I found myself with time on my hands. There’s something about waiting (especially in those surroundings) that brings the most profound thoughts to the fore. My brain duly went into overdrive and this question popped into my head: “What advice do I want to pass on to my kids that will give them the best chance of living a happy and fulfilled life when I’m not in it?”

The almost immediate response was “be the best person you can be”. I was called to my appointment at that stage, so it wasn’t until later that I had time to reflect on what that aphorism actually means. For me, there are 7 different elements.

Invest in yourself.

Spend your life learning and growing as a person. Broaden your horizons with culture and travel, but equally importantly, spend time getting to know yourself. Really understand what drives you, what fulfils you, what motivates you, what your values are.

Show kindness.

People will let you down – that’s life. But if your first thought is that people are just doing their best, it will help you to stay compassionate. Also, be kind to yourself. It’s ok to be self-critical, but only in a positive, constructive way.

Embrace your vulnerability.

If you’ve invested in yourself, you will know your own weaknesses as well as your strengths. Embrace - love, even - those weaknesses because they’re part of you.

Find purpose.

Life is enhanced when you’re doing purposeful work, whether you make that the centre point of your career, or you find purpose in your life outside work. You will find fulfilment in following your purpose.

Improve your Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is a skill and can be honed. Being emotionally intelligent gives you awareness of, and control over, your own emotions and the ability to build strong and lasting relationships with others. This is perhaps a subset of the first element, but important enough to be called out.

Know your worth…but be humble.

If you’ve achieved elements 1-5, you’ll know that you’re an amazing human being, with so many qualities you can be proud of. Even so, it’s important to treat people as you would wish to be treated and act with curiosity and humility.

Have fun.

We only get one shot at this, so have fun and embrace what life has to offer!

There is time and opportunity to make any of these your practice in 2021. Read about by Days of Winter Coaching Program to see what can fit around your time schedule.