Which person would you like to be?
"Some people light up the room when they walk in...others light up a room when they walk out".
Here's a hack that could transform the way you show up.
Read on if you're open to trying something new. A new way of, well, showing up, in the best way possible.
It goes like this…
Consider, for a moment, the tennis player who does a 'double fault' at a crucial point in their match.
Between this 'first space' (of failing to hit an ace, just when it mattered), and the 'second space', of needing to serve again, there is a 'third space'.
Stay on court with me, this is worth it.
There is a brilliant concept called 'The Third Space' ® which I use with my clients to help them 'reset' and show up in a way they need (and want) to, to help them with thinking clearly / positively / constructively about the way they turn up in their second space. High performers use this space to decompress, jettison the negative and bring new focus and energy to the next task at hand. Dr. Adam Fraser is a peak performance researcher who coined this phrase in his book 'The Third Space; Using life's little transitions to find balance and happiness'.
The tennis player who allows the frustration from their 'first space' seep into their 'second space' is unlikely to play as well as they could have, if they had used the space in-between points (the third space) to recharge (in this case take a deep breath!), to refocus (channel attention on the next point) and reframe, rather than dwelling on the frustration of the previous point.
Here are some different ways of taking your 'third space' ®:
- Reflecting / resting / resetting through journalling, yoga or meditation.
- Using the commute home from the office, playing your favourite music as a circuit breaker from some of the challenges in the workday and making sure these don't creep into your home life.
- Taking a half day with your team, away from the BAU, to reflect on what has been happening, and how the team can perform better in the next quarter / half year / full year and resetting before embarking on the next phase of activities.
If you're curious to understand more about this concept, here is a whiteboard animation summary.
To find out how you can be the person to light the room up when you enter, not the other way around, here are two Ted Talks by Dr. Adam Fraser which are hugely engaging and explain the concept in more detail. I encourage you to skip your favourite Netflix show for a night and watch these through until the end. Dr Adam Fraser 'The Third Space' ®
Do you encourage your team to take their 'Third Space'?