Step 2: Position Yourself for Intentional Change by Preparing Your Workspace
Art credits: Mallorca, Joaquin Mir Trinxet (Spanish, 1873 – 1940)
Leading with Steady Action in 2025
3 minute read
If this is your first time reading, welcome! This is simply a regular communication from me about a topic that demystifies leadership and personal development. Regular readers, thank you for reading!
Welcome to Step 2 in our series on Leading with Steady Action. Last month we picked an area of our lives that we’d like to work on. This can feel daunting because we don’t usually work on our lives. We tend to work on our jobs or on our homes, maybe sometimes on our relationships. But work on our own lives? This is less familiar territory. Which is why this newsletter exists: to help you better understand and practice your own personal and leadership development.
This month, we will help position you for the intentional change you’d like to make. Before you read on, recall the area of growth you identified for yourself through last month’s newsletter. Perhaps you wrote it down somewhere. Didn’t do it? Why not start now?
Sit for a moment and really soak in why you chose to work on it.
The example I shared from last month is someone who wanted to be more creative. Perhaps their current life feels predictable, procedural, a little Groundhog’s Day (still a good movie, y’all). This person finds themselves longing for new experiences, deeper relationships, and even a little chaos now and again. But when it comes down to it, they feel the urge to grow their creative side.
[Lesson] The Four Pillars of Health
Ok… now that you are back in touch with where you want to grow, we’re going to set up your metaphorical work table. This is a project, after all, and you need a place to organize your work.
Imagine you are a home cook. Your work table would be your kitchen countertop.
In a personal development project, I see the work table as the strong “surface” supported by what are often called the 4 pillars of health: sleep, nutrition, movement, and relaxation.
Sleep, nutrition, movement, and relaxation are critical supports for the intentional changes we make to our lives.
And yet, as I write this, I feel unsettled. When we talk about lifestyles and habits, it can stir up mixed emotions about how we measure up to the standards we’ve internalized. I want to clarify that this article is not about meeting a single standard that we should all be aiming for, like 8 hours of sleep, 5 vegetables a day, 45 minutes of exercise, 20 minutes of meditation.
So let’s adjust the “table” metaphor slightly: your four pillars of health are not always going to be the same “height.” But the incredible thing about being human is that we can choose what to work on. So, while one area of our life may be weaker, we can build up another. So much of what we do is interconnected. And we can seek additional support from other people, resources, and tools, too.
Ok! So there you go. The 4 pillars of health are a foundational part of leading with steady action.
Source: Aetna
[Activity] Strengthen Your Pillars of Health
[Instructions]: Set aside 10 minutes for this activity at a time when you expect to feel relaxed and open. Find a pen you like to write with and some paper.
If you prefer to type this on your computer, you are welcome to use this simple template (when the file is open, click on File, then “Make a copy” and rename it).
Template: Strengthen your pillars of health
Pretend you are a student in your favorite class. You are engaged and curious to learn something new. Your teacher asks you to answer the questions below. You find you’re intrigued by the chance to look at your own life in a new way.
What is the pillar you'd like to strengthen this month?
What are 5 things you are already doing to keep this pillar strong?
What are 5 ideas of what could be added or changed to strengthen it further?
[Example] Strengthening the "Relaxation" Pillar
What is the pillar I’d like to strengthen this month?
Relaxation.
What are 5 things I’m already doing to keep this pillar strong?
Journaling each morning to start the day with a clear mind.
I (try) to do yoga on Saturday mornings before the kids wake up.
A five minute meditation before I get out of my car when I get home from work to transition between work and home.
Exercising helps me release all the pent up energy I hold in, and it helps me with my ability to relax at the end of the day.
Taking five minute breaks every 90 minutes at work to go outside, walk around my building, or even just stand and look out the window of my office.
What are 5 ideas of what could be added or changed to strengthen it further?
Lessening my screen time - physically putting my phone away when I need to work on something for a while, or at least an hour before I go to bed.
I could do a 10 minute meditation when I get home from work instead of 5.
My exercise schedule is inconsistent, and I can really feel it when I don't take the time to do it. Being intentional about making the time.
Slowing down when eating my meals - right now I rush through each meal, to take the kids to soccer or because we need to rush out the door to something, or because I don't have time at work to take a full meal break. It would be nice to slow down and be intentional with that time as a family to interact with each other.
Giving my brain to create things - creating art has usually been a source of relaxation for me, but I don't have as much time anymore to doodle, paint, etc. I could integrate this back into my routine, even if it's just five minutes of a little doodle.
What's next:
In the next issue, we’ll be focusing on how to create a motivating goal to start taking action. What would be different if you achieved this goal? How will you celebrate?
A leadership tip
Relax...
People in leadership development mode are often fueled by ambition and vision to change their lives and their communities. It is counter-intuitive, but when you find yourself feeling too busy, it may be a signal that you've been deprioritizing relaxation. Can you find a moment to build relaxation back into your day tomorrow?
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Thank you for reading!
As a reminder, next month's topic is how to create a motivating goal to start taking action. What would be different if you achieved this goal? How will you celebrate?
Lindsay Read Coaching, LLC
Leadership Development
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