The Power of Grounding in Uncertain Times

The war against Ukraine has passed the one year mark this week, and I take it very personally. All four of my grandparents are from Zhitomir, a town just outside of Lviv, and I ache for every missile explosion and destroyed city. And then there’s a new prime minister in the Middle East intent on taking down democracy for his personal gain; a military coup that’s been ongoing for fourteen months in Sudan; and 47,000 people and counting who lost their lives from a massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The tumult of this world assaults my grounding and takes up space in my heart and mind. Thus, I dedicate this month’s newsletter to something that goes far beyond the concept of self-care. I’m talking about self-sanity here.

I recently attended an international conference and began interviewing friends and colleagues from around the world on what they do to stay grounded when surrounded by people and geography who are decidedly not. Here’s what they told me. To get his stress out, Paul B. literally knocks down walls on a home he is renovating. Ted M. shuts down his computer and walks his dog. Rachel sings and Peter does yoga every morning and stops to appreciate the sameness of his morning bowl of oatmeal. The methods went on and on … to intentionally find moments of magic and to pay attention to sunrises and sunsets.

My colleagues suggest listening to music and surrounding themselves with great art; to choose to spend quality time with only people who are good for you, and to find a mountain to hike and birds to watch. They often rerun mental movies in their mind of moments in time that they will always savor.

Our grounding and sanity are a conscious, intentional inner journey and a full-time job which requires our focus and attention. Standing on a globe and with people who are more on tilt than ever, we need to take every form of nourishment seriously. And, as the world heats up and the polar ice cap melts down, remember that we don’t have to. Let’s reconnect and breathe. Lightening the burden of this world begins with us. Let’s get moving.

~Fran

Reflect on these 10 questions on strengthening your grounding:

1. Which works of art have moved you or touched you in some way?
2. What poem makes you stop and marvel at the author’s word choice and artistry?
3. What song makes you want to sing along?
4. When have you been consciously inspired?
5. Which friend do you call who never fails to bring you joy?
6. What are your top three things to do? How soon can you do them?
7. What can you schedule this month that you will actively look forward to?
8. Who can you call who you love and haven’t spoken to in a while?
9. What is your favorite meal? When can you go and order it or make it at home?
10. Envision the faces of people who you love in this world and thank the universe for them.

Let these quotes be an inspiration to you:

1. “In order to deal with the chaos that exists in the world today, you need some grounding. That grounding best comes from knowing who you are.” ~Michael Ray
2. “My heritage has been my grounding, and it has brought me peace.” ~Maureen O’Hara
3. “All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness, can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I believe the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics that is beyond religion.” ~Dalai Lama
4. “One of the great exercises you can do is to stop and acknowledge the colors around you… If you’re constantly distracting yourself, then you’re never really experiencing anything fully. It can cause you to feel like you have no center, like nothing is grounding you.” ~Sheryl Crow
5. “My best sources of grounding are animals and nature. Animals live more in the moment and don’t worry so much! And nature is proof of a greater power than me. Both put things in perspective, or at least gently move us forward.” ~Kristin Bauer van Straiten

March 2023

March 1, 2023
Executive Coaching. North Little Rock Public Schools, Arkansas
March 2, 2023
Leadership Site Visits. Arlington Public Schools, Virginia
March 3, 2023
Women in Leadership Training, Indiana Association of School Superintendents, Indianapolis, Indiana
March 6, 2023
My newly married daughter’s birthday! Party time.
March 7, 2023
Advanced Communication Strategies for Leaders, ECIS, London, UK
March 8, 2023
Aspiring Leadership Training Virginia Beach City Public Schools, VA
March 9, 2023
Leadership Site Visits, Arlington Public Schools, Virginia
March 10, 2023
Leadership Site Visits, Arlington Public Schools, Virginia
March 13, 2023
Leadership Site Visits, Arlington Public Schools, Virginia
March 15-19, 2023
CEESA Conference, Keynote speaker and workshop. Vilnius, Lithuania
March 19-24, 2023
Site Visits to international school, Paris, France
March 27-31, 2023
Executive Coaching and Leadership Training, North Little Rock, AK