OMG! Today Deserves More Than One Sentence

I'm breaking from my one-sentence commitment because the past 24 hours warrant more than three words.

Like all of you, I watched the news in horror last night.

The TV news was blaring as I made shepherd's pie for my family. The electoral college vote resumed while I was in a virtual college counseling meeting for my high school junior. I caught up on the news before retiring to bed at 10:00.

It's a weird juxtaposition to be eating salad while members of congress are swept out of their chamber to undisclosed locations.

This morning, I walked my dogs, listened to news podcasts and thought about what to say. Three words came to mind:

1. Attention: Pay attention. Witness what is happening. Let your emotions move through you. Last night, I wanted to eat bread and ice-cream and disappear. Numbing is not the answer. Keep your eyes open. Stay awake and conscious. See the world out there and yourself in here.
2. Equanimity: Equanimity is the state of mental calm and a strong core, even in the face of extreme difficulty. In my morning meditation today, our teacher talked about "strong back, soft front," the combination of equanimity and compassion. Find your inner calm in the midst of the chaos. Your world needs your steady presence.
3. Routine: Daily life must continue. You are a powerful human. You can handle complexity. You can do hard things. You can still eat salad and walk your dog. Routine brings comfort and like the United States Congress who got back to work within hours of personal terror, routines and rituals mean something. You can stand on the bedrock of your routines when your inner and outer world feel shaky.

I certainly don't profess to have all the answer in the midst of a complicated and painful situation.

And, I hope this is helpful.

Can You Be Powerful When Things are Out of Control?

Time to read: 40 seconds

If you're making choices, choose what's important to you, like Adventure!

I was talking with a client today about choices. She's in a tough situation that leaves her feeling powerless and isn't likely to change anytime soon. The challenge for her: to stay empowered and at choice even when so much feels out of her control.

So how do you stay empowered and at choice when things are out of your control?

The lesson is summed up in this poignant quote from writer, Annie Dilliard:

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."

You make choices every day - about how to respond in traffic, to be on time to meet a friend (or not), to show up to your child's soccer game (or not), to be annoyed after a meeting (or not). We all know people who seem bound and determined to be unhappy. And others who find happiness and gratitude even in the face of unbelievable hardship.

Your small choices matter, every minute of every day.

• They matter to you. (Are you truly choosing according to what's important to you or are you choosing based on some sense of what you "should" choose or from a reactive emotional place?)
• They matter to the people around you. (What are you modeling for your employees or your children?).
• They matter to the world. (What is the energy you are projecting out into the wider world? Is it the energy you want to project?)

Life isn't always easy, and you don't always get what you want. You do, however, get to choose, every day, how you will navigate the cards you have been dealt.

And that, dear Corporate Rebel, is how you create the life you want. One choice at a time.

With rebel love,

Christina