Here’s to a More Intentional New Year.
The start of a new year inspires people to make a list of arduous resolutions for a "new beginning”, but this can quickly lead to a sense of overwhelm.
On the other hand, we can relieve some of the pressure on ourselves by focusing on the present and cultivating the habit of setting regular intentions, starting over with a fresh perspective on any given day, and knowing that real change takes time.
At MHI, we have set our own intentions for 2022. Our key word for the year is in fact just that:
Intentional
The past two years have been challenging, to say the least. At the same time, renewed interest in the area of workplace mental health has been experienced on an unprecedented scale. We have never produced as many proposals, new service offerings and workshops as we have in the past few years. Like most, we wanted to help organizations get through the pandemic turmoil in any way that we could, and this led us away from some of our fundamental values and beliefs. It should have been obvious as well that implementing change in the midst of a a pandemic would be even more challenging than it is in “normal times”. The beauty of our organization is that we value learning and growth. Our constant reflection and debriefing of activities provides a way for us to integrate all the last two years of learning into our DNA and future client projects.
Fast forward to today, and we now realize that although none of this work is lost, if we want to ensure sustainable growth and development for our people, we need to make sure we take on the work that is best suited for us and our vision of workplace mental health.
Clients are often eager to get programs up and running, thinking that the sooner they can get a peer support program in place, the sooner their people can be supported and access the resources they need. Although this is not inherently false, the past two years have only confirmed what we’ve known to be true for quite some time now.
In order for a large scale workplace wellness program (such as a peer support program) to work, the organization must lay the groundwork to ensure its culture and its people are ready to receive it.
For 2022, MHI is dedicated to making sure we are more intentional in laying that necessary groundwork with our clients. More intentional in the ways we guide and counsel our clients in their journey to better supporting their people. More intentional in how we select the projects and programs we work on.
This way, when the time comes to implement workplace initiatives that are perhaps more costly and time consuming, the organization is in a good place, ready to receive the program and integrate it wholly. This is how we can best ensure success for our clients, and their people.
We look forward to continuing to serve our clients and our community in this new year. We are hopeful for the future of workplace mental health and will continue to work relentlessly to ensure that well-being can be achieved by all.
Happy new year to all!
If you are looking to make a difference in your workplace and are not sure where to start, why not start at the beginning? WeCARE is a great first step for any organization looking to support their people in a meaningful and intentional way. Find out more here: wecareforyourpeople.com
On a more personal note, you can download our self-care check-in to help create mindfulness around your own well-being.