The Power of Water
Lakes, oceans, calmness, and clarity
Hey, it’s Alexandra. Welcome to my weekly newsletter where I share my latest reflections on professional development and well-being.
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This week, I share the benefits of viewing water outdoors, including how it’s helped me:
Transition from employee to self-employed
Transition back to an employee as a changed woman
Take stock of two “magic beans” for growth
☕️ Read time: All bets are off considering I’ve shared a curation of posts (but as usual, I recommend tea or coffee)
Fresh from a few days by the lake in the Laurentians, just outside of Montreal, I can confirm this to be true:
“After just two minutes of viewing water outdoors, blood pressure and heart rate drop.”
—Adam Grant
I feel at peace from the moment I take my coffee down to the dock to bask in the sun, scenery, and silence of the morning and all throughout the day as family and friends gather to swim, tan, boat, and hang out.
Later, as everyone readies themselves for dinner I return to the dock even if only for a moment to take in the golden hues that remind me of the marshmallows my cousins and I used to roast as kids.
Wide bodies of water are said to bring you the most tranquillity and I concur given lakes and oceans have played a pivotal role in my decision-making process over the years.
Three recent examples spring to mind.
Three examples
Here’s how spending time waterside instilled a sense of calm and clarity I needed to take stock of my life (and make BIG changes) at various points in the last few years:
1. I quit my job to pursue solopreneurship
After a long overdue vacation in 2021, I suprised myself by quitting my job. It turned out Vitamin Sea was what I needed to get in touch with what I wanted deep down. Read more in the post linked below:
🦋 Come-to-Jesus Moments
I needed to get away—on vacation. At least that’s what I thought. So I decided to meet some friends in Florida. I wanted to see the ocean after a long time apart (Covid times). Being waterside has always been a source of rejuvenation for me. And when I finally saw the ocean in such a state of burnout, I couldn’t help but cry tears of gratitude.
2. I quit solopreneurship
Last summer was a rough one for me. I was lost in my solopreneur journey and my gut feelings about what to do next shifted as I alternated between the city and the country. Eventually, once I decided what to do I devised a “lake litmus test” to validate my decision. Read more in the post linked below:
A Major Crossroads in My Solopreneur Journey
I spent the latter half of my summer pondering what the hell I should do. Oddly enough, my surroundings had me back and forth like a ping-pong ball sailing through the air with the lightest of ease. I’d leave Montreal for the Laurentians (i.e., the country) and find myself thinking “I should stick with self-employment,” as I floated in the lake surrounded by trees and rolling hills.
3. I got clarity on how to catapult my growth
2022 was one of my best-ever years professionally—and personally, considering I welcomed my first nephew. In reflecting on both following an end-of-year lake visit, I wrote about how I catapulted my growth and why I encourage you to do the same. Read more in the post linked below:
Crowns, Flamingos & Writing Rituals
When you crown yourself first, you’re making a declaration about the new you. Whether you’re becoming a writer, solopreneur, course creator, or any number of other things, you have to make the internal identity shift in order to conduct yourself differently. That in turn forces others to see you differently.
I hope whatever your summer looks like, you manage to spend time waterside. You’re guaranteed to feel more calm and clear on what’s next.
In the meantime, here’s one more shot to tide you over (pun fully intended):
Thanks for reading and have a wonder-full week,
My favorite restorative exercise is rowing a single scull. I'm certainly not heading for the Olympics, but gliding over glassy water at dawn does something wonderful for both body and soul.
Very much agree…the effect of water is always so calming.
Really miss living by the river!
Great shots of the lake 😊