Message from Mary
After a long cold winter, spring is popping out all over. Whether your trees and plants are in bloom or you’ve made a pilgrimage to a warm destination for spring break, we are surrounded by the physical transformation of our environment. Not that all of this is necessarily positive – the return of hay fever, grass cutting, poison ivy, thunderstorms and occasional flooding also come with this season of the year, but it is all bundled together as one unified experience. It’s a time when nature is in a state of action.
I’ve been thinking lately about the difference between action and reaction. In the last few months, I have observed myself consistently reacting to world, national and local social and political events. With every headline and inbox message, we have been receiving invitation after invitation to react. For me, these reactions have frequently been feelings of disbelief, anger, sorrow or loss. Reactivity is depleting. Fight or flight responses (i.e. anxiety, panic, anger, avoidance) along with a healthy dose of hypervigilance eventually give way to fatigue, exhaustion or despair as our autonomic nervous system descends into its primary strategy of ‘shutdown’ to keep us safe from threat. This is not to say that reactivity is not adaptive or fundamental. But the defensive stance that comes with a persistent state of reaction has a tendency to drain us of energy and cut us off from creativity and fulfillment.
Action, on the other hand, is rooted in energy and drive. It requires forethought, goal setting, planning and prioritization. What do I want? What do I need to do to achieve it? What is the next step to get me closer to my goal or destination? Action is creative and embracing. It is grounded in our own sense of personal agency. Action puts us behind the steering wheel where we get to choose our route and destination.
Professionally, the difference between action and reaction can make a world of difference to our feelings of satisfaction, growth and productivity. Consider the annual review process. Designed to be a constructive conversation about job performance and professional growth, this interaction can look and feel very different in a state of ‘action’ compared to a state of ‘reaction’. When we are in a stance of action, we can identify our areas of productivity, link these to areas for growth and propose a plan to move to the next level of our professional goals. When we are in a reactive stance, we are on the defensive (“why didn’t I do enough?”) and may feel out of control or resentful (“these goals were not my idea”) about the future. We can get stuck in the corner of the ‘shoulds’ (“I should publish more papers”) which surround us with obligations rather than choices.
This spring, I invite you to consider how you might embrace your action plan.
- Take stock. What is one area of professional or personal growth or change that is important to you at this stage in your life journey? Those of us who are overachievers might be tempted to name a dozen or more areas of change. Which one of these is the most important to you right now?
- Focus on a Vision. What would success in this area look like when you’re done? How would you look, feel or act differently than the way you are today when you reach your goal?
- Weigh the benefits. What benefits might you experience if you make a change in this area? Are there any risks or downsides to making this change? What barriers might get in your way? What can you do to offset risk?
- Make a plan. What steps are needed for you to move toward your goal? What resources are needed inside and outside of yourself to move forward? What support do you need? What time frame is realistic for you to achieve this goal?
- Monitor progress. What metrics can you use to measure your progress? What barriers do you need to keep in mind to work around as they arise?
- Notice reactive tendencies. Do you find yourself getting discouraged as you work on this goal? What does reactivity look or feel like for you?
- Celebrate successes. Positively reinforcing ourselves for our hard work is vital to forward momentum. Not only does it feel good, it has the side benefit of reinforcing our active stance and sense of personal agency/motivation.