Slow down and take a brand new path

I believe we all have an opportunity to really pay attention to the world around us, to take inspiration and stimulation from the everyday that can be really valuable in fueling our work lives. In the daily moments of our working lives many of us (I acknowledge we don’t all have that freedom) have the chance to make choices about how we spend our time, how we show up and where we put our attention.

Sometimes these may seem like trivial or mundane choices. But what I have learned is that the small, micro-moment choices - they matter. I had a lovely example of this yesterday morning when I was travelling the short distance from Dalston Lane to London Fields in the east of the city. I could have jumped on a hire-bike, or taken an Uber. But it was only a mile , the sun was shining so I decided to walk. I don't know this area too well; I chose Wilton Way, a street I’d never walked down before. And as I wandered down the road I felt such a thrill, just from the simple act of being somewhere new. Taking a new path. Later down the road I stumbled upon Violet* Bakery where I sat outside and had a snack of cake, avocado and serrano ham. Simple pleasures. I walked on. An old lady was leaning on her gate in the sunshine. I said hello and smiled. I walked on to the park, the scene around me of small dogs on leads and children playing, giving me a real lift.

I know so many of us go about our working lives, travelling from meeting A to meeting B, with our headphones in, or our heads down, or looking down at a screen. Yesterday in a simple one mile walk I was reminded how enriching it can be just to slow down, take a brand new path and be open to your surroundings. It was the highlight of my Tuesday…!

*It was only afterwards I twigged that it was the Violet bakery I’d visited, founded by American chef Claire Ptak. Now if I’d gone looking for that experience, I might have had high expectations. Instead I took a wander and followed my nose.