Welcome to PMI Durham Highlands Chapter!

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

The Jar of Life

NOVEMBER 2020. We have all heard the story of the jar of life—this simple message reminds us to fill our ‘jar’ with our big rocks first before adding the sand and water. It is a lovely and uplifting analogy, but who really has time to pay attention? 

I have been thinking about my own ‘big rocks’ over the last few weeks. There have been many changes over the last month—organizational changes at work, at PMI, and at home, and they include my family, my friends, my career, and my social activities (which includes volunteering). As I wrote my list, I realized that I was missing one huge rock! Where was ‘I’? ‘I’ was missing! 

I determined that I needed to re-evaluate and adjust where I am spending my time and where I am giving my attention. ‘I’ need to go into the jar first, ‘I’ need to be the biggest rock! My physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being need to be my priority, it is the only way I can continue to give my time and attention to other people and things in a meaningful way.

So many of us are entrepreneurs, leaders in our organizations and in our homes. We use our time as currency to ‘pay’ attention to the things that matter to us. The realization that time is not limitless and can not be earned or replaced like money has become shockingly real over these past few months. 

I read an excellent article that highlighted agility and resilience in today’s corporate leadership environment. It highlighted that people are the reason that businesses succeed and that a team of well-balanced people can and will perform at extremely high levels and still have gas in the tank for more!

Learning lesson for me: highly successful people lead well balanced lives! Long hours, burn-out, and doing it all are no longer a badge of honour to be worn. They are remnants of a system that is broken.

This pandemic has taught us many lessons, the biggest one for me has been that my time is valuable and cannot be replaced. Health, family and doing things that matter and bring joy are slowly taking priority once again. 

This month I challenge you to pull out the pen and paper and make a good old fashion list!

• What are your big rocks?
• Where are you spending your time? 
• Are you happy? or do you need to make a few adjustments?
• Can you truly afford not to make changes?
  
  

Your health and wellness matter. Take a moment this month to appreciate the sun and the clean crisp air.

I look forward to seeing you at our next monthly meeting. Dan Trommater will be sharing with us on how to CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS AND EMBRACE THE GROWTH MINDSET. 

Until then take care and be safe!

—Ranjini