Fuel your best life
Yesterday I attended a workshop ‘Fuel your best work’ by IanSanders. Ian brought his children to our Capoeira classes a few years ago and since then we have stayed in contact via social media.
It’s been exciting to see how Ian has grown into his own skin and has found his calling in life to be ‘himself’. He joked about how hard it was to give himself a job title when meeting new people. They would ask ‘What do you do?’ his reply ‘I do me’.
I’m excited by the prospect of people being themselves in their work. So many are pushed and pulled in directions which don’t fit well with their true self and ultimately create stress and tension or even dislike for their job or company. It takes courage to be yourself in your work. If you are, the fruits are many and you’ll benefit in ways that money cannot buy.
Before we started I met a lady that had just decided to quit her full-time job and pursue her dreams of becoming a freelance copywriter. I could see the nervous tension she was carrying of the unknown. Was she crazy? Had she made the right choice? I could only congratulate her on being brave enough to make that leap, I remember how scary it was to put everything on the line, not knowing if it was going to work or not. I reassured her she was in the right place and her time was now.
The workshop started with Ian’s story, how he came to be standing in front of us today. His story is a relatable one and certainly made me feel like I belonged in that room. It’s easy to forget the roads that someone has travelled to become an expert in their field. The internet has given us short attention spans and we want everything now. Skills and knowledge are built over time and to become an expert in anything takes years of investment, mistakes and victories. Ian is an expert in his field. Ian helps people fuel their work.
He talked about the importance of fuel, creativity in your thinking and approach, a working mindset, the importance of where and when we work, the tools we use and the importance of being curious. We touched on wellness in the workplace and how ideas can come in the most unusual times and places. On review, we covered a lot of ground. Almost hard to believe it was only two hours long. It could have easily been a day-long course. Maybe next time?
Everything we covered led back to one place. Self. Getting to know ourselves. Understanding our habits and tendencies and using them to our advantage to excel in our life, work and home. He shared ways that we can create space and use what we have to build new habits and invest in our ‘Self’.
Ian shared his 12 tips for fueling your best work
All of them resonated with me on a level. These ones created an emotional response that prompted me to want to take action there and then:
- Know what fuel you need to burn brighter — This point highlighted the importance of understanding what stokes your fire. What gets you out of bed in the morning. What makes you excited to get to work and then using it to spend more time in that productive space. I’ve never invested in what fuels my work, I’m not even sure if I’ve given it any thought. It excites me to know that finding this out will help me burn brighter still. That there is so much more to come. In fact, I haven’t even started yet.
- Choose your tools — There is a drive for everything to be digital, it’s cleaner, faster, more efficient… In theory, but nothing beats a pencil on paper. Understanding which tools work best in any situation aids to our ability to record new ideas and increase productivity. Ian reminded us that not everything can and should be logged in a spreadsheet. Sometimes the back of a receipt is enough. I took three tools to the workshop: iPhone, iPad and a notebook and pencil. I didn’t touch the apple.
- Be curious — In the big stuff, the small stuff, in all the stuff. Being curious opens doors that we never knew existed and guides us to places we’ve never been. I’m looking to my children for guidance in curiosity, I know they have all the answers.
I had to shoot off promptly at the end of the workshop. Changing hats to become a mother again. Many times I’ve felt guilty on turning my back on my work to fulfil my parental duties and vice-versa. Last night I didn’t. I embraced me. Because only I can be me, and right now being me means that on some days I give both of my young children my wholehearted attention and on others, I have space to share my mission with the world.
Thank you to IanSanders and Zoë Sanders for a warm welcome and for igniting a bright light to guide me on my way.
