In the U.S. it’s summer time, a time to get outdoors, enjoy the fresh air (when it’s free of wildfire smoke), barbecue, spend time with family and friends, and vacation.  The thing is, just because it’s the time for this doesn’t mean it happens.  The question is how often are you stopping and smelling the roses?

Perhaps you think you’ve been doing this, and the reality is actually different.  Or perhaps you’ve been consciously avoiding doing this. 

Are any of the below frequently happening to you?

• Too much is going on at work to take time off

• You’re running so much with a busy schedule seldom do you slow down

• Others are typically pointing things out to you on walks / drives you otherwise would miss

• Rarely are you looking up or around you’re so focused on your destination and/or your thoughts

• You’re having trouble relaxing

If you answered yes to any of the above, then stopping and smelling the roses is something you could be doing more of.

What does stopping and smelling the roses mean?  It means:

• Slowing down

• Relaxing

• Taking time to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of life

• Looking up, around, and paying attention

• Being mindful of and savoring the moment

Why does stopping and smelling the roses matter?

• No one ever says on their deathbed “I wish I would have worked more”

• Life is a journey rather than a destination

• Those who do this experience greater happiness, well-being, life satisfaction, and a greater sense of connectedness and peace

• Working hard without doing this leads to diminishing returns

• What if your time is up much sooner than you think?

Over the years I’ve seen change agents and leaders so focused on work, moving up in the organization, or expanding their business, they neglect to stop and smell the roses along the way.  Sadly many of them only realize what they’ve missed once they retire, the organization decides they are no longer needed, they encounter a major health crisis, or lose a close loved one to death or divorce.

I was one of these change agents.  Thankfully I learned this lesson very early on in my career with plenty of time to shift gears and live life differently.  Unfortunately many realize this lesson much later in life and then live with regret.

If you’re a change agent / leader who could be stopping and smelling the roses more, ask yourself:

• How happy are you:

• At work?

• With your life?

• What are you missing out on working and living this way?

• What feeling(s) come up for you:

• Thinking about retirement?

• If you were to suddenly experience a major health crisis, being laid-off, or the loss of a close loved one?

Call to Action

• Unhappy with the answers to the questions above and struggling to stop and smell the roses?  Reach out to Rosanne for help so you can experience greater happiness, well-being, life satisfaction, and a greater sense of connectedness and peace which ultimately leads to you being a more effective change agent / leader for yourself, your organization, and family.

• Using the comments feature, what’s an experience you’ve had that highlighted the importance of stopping and smelling the roses?

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About the Author: Rosanne Essiambre helps change agents and departments in one-on-one and group settings to be seen, be heard, and be effective in bringing about change in the organization and/or in their personal lives.  She provides consulting and facilitation to organizations to improve communications and collaboration, smooth out the change / transformation journey, get to the root cause of an issue so it can be solved for good, improve processes, and implement successful lessons learned. And she conducts workshops, trains, and speaks on Energy Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Being a Change Agent and more. If you or your organization could use support with your change effort or some inspiration, contact Rosanne for a complimentary discovery session. Rosanne is a Change Agent Coach, Facilitator, Six Sigma Black Belt, Change Management / Continuous Improvement Consultant, Speaker, and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner with more than 20 years experience working on a variety of transformations across a diverse set of industries both domestically and internationally, while continuously improving herself.