Hi Reader!

Hope your end-of-2022 was fantastic and that the first days of 2023 have felt fresh.

This has been on my mind the past few days and I wanted to share.

I was inspired by a post I saw on LinkedIn:

"Everyone is an artist."

Before your mind goes to paint, clay, pencils, music, or dance,

what about

care as art ?

The art of caregiving — whether you see it that way or not — has been filling up that resume gap of unpaid transferable skills.

After your time away from pay,

at the end of the long days,

at the bare minimum,

you will have a powerful set of transferable EQ skills that are unmatched.

This is not about elevating something that doesn't "deserve" to be elevated.

I challenge you to re-frame caregiving — alongside the hard fact that it is invisible and unpaid — to see it as an art.

It truly is.

Start thinking about & speaking [out loud],

matter-of-factly, with confidence,

about your gap months/years this way:

Care is an art form and highly complex EQ transferable skill.

Don't allow yourself or anyone else to minimize the broad strokes

and fine details

that go into caregiving.

Reflect on the art.

The connections you make.

The bonds you create, break, mend.

Over and over

again.

(I'll be the first to admit I make mistakes as a parent, on the regular).

Reflect on the Smiles. Laughter. Delight.

Tears. Tantrums. Cold shoulders. Night wakings.

Holding tiny hands while fielding 300 daily questions.

Holding growing-up hands while waiting for just one, or two questions.

Watch yourself ebb and flow in it:

Persistence.

Patience.

Adaptability.

Collaboration.

Resilience.

Communication.

Empathy.

Self-management.

Critical thinking.

Intrinsic motivation.

Active listening.

It is relentless. Unending.

Exhausting yet rewarding.

In the midst of the relentlessness and rewards, I hope you can step back

even just for a moment

to observe yourself

learn,

teach,

grow.

There is no greater way to sharpen an EQ skill set than caring for a kid (or few).

And care — as a highly complex EQ transferable skill — is absolutely an art form.

Make that part of your personal brand & story (if it fits).

When reflecting on the art of care, what aspect do you see in yourself most?

What EQ skill have you sharpened like none other?

Here with you every step of the way,

rebecca joy

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PS: Stay tuned for more follow-up guidance to your emails to individuals at target companies. If you missed my email template gift, search your inbox for "Rebecca Joy" or "Use this template" (subject line) and if you're new here, simply reply to this email and I'll send it your way 🙌🏼