From our Founder

We don’t have a brick and mortar office at Motivo — all our team members work 100% remotely. We like it this way cause it means 1) we don’t have to put on real pants, 2) we don’t spend hours of our week commuting, and 3) we can spend more time with those most precious to us — our people, pets, and plants.

However, working remote means we also have to be a bit more intentional about  building community within our team.

One practice we’ve implemented to build connection is for each team member to share an “About Me” presentation during a virtual company meeting. During the About Me, we learn about our colleagues background, loved ones, interests, and goals.

This last week, one of our talented software engineers, Lyn Kim, shared her About Me – and it was so good.

I learned so many interesting things about Lyn — she’s an incredible designer, a dedicated environmentalist, and an avid hiker. She’s truly a remarkable human.

She said one thing during her presentation that really stuck with me. Lyn said, “I love experiences that make me feel small.”

Lyn went on to say that she enjoys thinking about how vast and infinite the world is because it helps her put life in perspective. 

I’ve been thinking about her words ever since. I have never said, or even thought, about being drawn to experiences that make me feel small. In fact, I’m kinda the opposite — I seek out experiences that make me feel big and important. I have to actively work on taming my ego and resisting the urge to find my identity in my achievements.

While I believe it’s important to have a strong sense of self, focusing too much on my own strength and ability comes at cost. Often, it causes me to miss opportunities to build connection with others because I’m so reliant on myself. 

Since Lyn shared her perspective, I’ve been actively looking for ways to feel small — and this is providing me with some interesting insights.

Here are a few of my learnings, so far:

• Asking for help builds intimacy: Reminding myself that I can’t do it all provides an opportunity for new information and new experiences, which allows me to draw closer to others.
• Slowing down is good for my mental health: Taking a deep breath or going on an intentionally slow walk helps me hop off the hamster wheel of productivity and self-importance.
• Pondering about a higher power: For me, believing in a higher power simply means I acknowledge that I’m not the most important thing on earth, which allows me to have great compassion for the thoughts, ideas, and beliefs of others.
• Gratitude leads to contentment: Acknowledging aspects of my life that I take for granted. such as health, education, and shelter, helps me find greater peace in life just as it is.

How does this land with you today? Do you find value in experiences that make you feel small as a way of putting life into perspective.

If you have any thoughts or reflections you’d like to share with me, I’d love to hear from you.

Warmly,

Rachel

Rachel McCrickard, LMFT
CEO/Founder, Motivo
rachel@motivohealth.com