Some reading

In the series: “A systemic coach’s view” n°1/2873

Time to go back to school…?

Here we are. September and its flow of getting back into things that already has us exhausted: back to school, back to after-school activities, back to my Aikido class, back to work(ing from home), back to business (with inflation at +3%, something we haven’t seen for a very long time), back to diary clashes and negotiations, back to shopping on the internet, back to bad cooking habits, in other words, it is back to our daily routine. Even those who are changing jobs can say it: it's time to go back to school! And in France, after a “long vacation” where we had the chance to recharge our batteries together, we are going back… And for that, we are accompanied by politicians, the legal system, social support, broadcasting teams and above all... literature (N.B nearly 50% of us have already written a book... a world record!) going back to work. But what are we talking about? This term "back to…” therefore means that we left... and where did we go? What did we flee? Our hassles? How many of us haven't checked our emails over the summer? How many of us have totally let go of office worries? Did we take a real break? Who managed to read all the books they had brought, or carry out the projects they were unable to start during the year? Do you remember that little voice in your head when you were loading the car: “this summer, I'm going to take time to...” Who really succeeded?

So here it is: what if we change the way we look at it? If we punctuate it differently? What if the first day of our French “long vacation” became the first day of our year? Back to school time? Back to ourselves, back to the friends we love, back to the extended family circle, back to that place of retreat which is a source of joy...? So, September would no longer be a laborious return, but an outing to new adventures, new discoveries, new challenges to take up…

Would our reality be happier? I have no idea... but what I do know is that the systemic paradigm and its constructivist angle invite us to consider that our reality is flexible: I shape it as I please and it is my language that allows me to shape it in my way. The same reality will have a different meaning depending on how the story is punctuated. September will be tedious for me if it is a back to… season, getting back into everything. But in fact, it could be exciting if the back to… period is actually at the start of the holidays in anticipation of a new adventure-promised September. It's up to us to decide on our story, its beginning, its end and the meaning we want to give it!

So when are you going back?

Image: Singing in the Rain - Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly