The Glow May Start With You

This time of year, perhaps more than any other, our attention turns to light, warmth, and beauty. When it gets so dark, instinctively, we seek light. Lights can be very beautiful. I especially love the glow of the silver and blue lights you see strung on some of the trees.

Our sense of rhythm changes this time of year. We speed up to get our work done before the mad rush of the holidays and year end. Part of us also wants to shift gears and slow down. The holiday season is a time of wonderment. To experience that, we need to pause and let that in. It’s also a time of year when we reach out to people. We are grateful for many of our co-workers. We may feel like fellow-survivors. The past year or so has not been easy. Yet, we’re still here. Acknowledging that would be a welcome gesture.

Having researched, written about, and worked with workplace survivors, I wonder, given the economy, how is this season being celebrated where you, or those close to you, work? Is there any kind of communal celebration? Did there used to be? Or, have your office traditions been sliced from the budget this year?

Suppose the sense of holiday and celebration is missing from your office environment. If so, I invite you to generate that spirit yourself. Better yet, enroll your work group or department and create something worthy of who you are and what you share. It would be a terrible loss to give in to the scrooges. You, your co-workers and your office, I’m betting, could really use the light, warmth, and beauty you provide.

(c) 2009 Jeremy Nash, Fierce Partners