Give Yourself Grace

Time to read: 1 minute and a few seconds

This picture has nothing to do with anything. It's just something I like.

When I asked you what you need, I received many responses. I am going to work through your emails and address your questions one at a time. This week's question comes directly from a reader and has a 2-part answer.

"What I need most right now is how to give myself grace and how to handle the gazillion requests and tasks thrown at me every day. This includes focus and regaining control of my nervous system when it goes into overdrive."

Part 1 of this answer will address how to handle the gazillion requests. Part 2 will be managing your nervous system.

Do you have a gazillion requests or emails or tasks every week? Can you relate to this reader?

In our hyper connected, DM, email, text, Instagram world, people can contact you anytime, anywhere to ask for anything. Here are my best tips for managing the overload:

  • Set clear boundaries. Decide when you will answer email and when you will not.
  • Figure out which requests are urgent and which are important. Urgent does not always equal important. Focus on important unless urgent is truly urgent (like you will get fired if you don't reply ASAP).
  • Turn off notifications so you are not constantly interrupted. Interruptions drain your mental energy.
  • Manage the inflow of requests. Consider how to train the requesters. Create a process and communicate it clearly so everyone doesn't think you are on call just for them.
  • You likely have more than you can accomplish in one day. Get comfortable with leaving loose ends so you can go home and enjoy other aspects of your life.

I hope this helps!

 

Searching For An Answer?

Time to read: 1.48 minutes

Where is that darn answer, anyway?

Where is that darn answer, anyway?

Last week I talked about the depletion of your "surge capacity." The sourdough bread, gardening, and Zoom happy hours aren't cutting it anymore. You need a new set of strategies to face the next few months of the pandemic and the ugly election.

Your brain is full so I'm keeping things simple. One step at a time. One idea/thought/recommendation at a time. This way, you only have to think about or do one new thing each week. Easy peasy. I have the attention span of a gnat these days. I need things to be easy and think you might need that, too.

Where to start?

How about here... I (and everyone I know) have been reading a lot of news. Last week I realized I was looking for THE ANSWER. I was looking for the person who is smart enough, who has a big enough vision, who knows what will happen next. If I could just find it, then I would feel less anxious and more in control.

Unfortunately, the answer is not out there. No analyst or commentator or friend knows where we are headed or what to do next. No one person has the solution or the power to fix the mess that we see on the news everyday.

The good news is that the answer is in you. You know what's best for you, your career and your family. You know how to take care of yourself. You have the power to change the world with your choices and behavior every day. You can trust yourself to handle whatever happens and that you have everything you need to manage the future just like you have always managed the past.

So, this week, look around your life to see where you are looking for the answers "out there" and start to bring your awareness to the answers that are "in here." This new awareness will help you feel more powerful and in control in a situation that feels very much out of control. From there, you can take action.

Awkward transition

I'm excited to announce that The Corporate Rebel signature group coaching experience, Clarity U, will start again in mid-October. This program opens once a year and the plan was to launch in early 2021. Your emails tell me that stress is high. You've told me you have a lot to figure out. A community of personal and professional growth is just the place to learn how to live through this moment in history with power, possibility and courage so I moved the start date forward.

Intrigued? Let's talk.

Sign up here for a 30-minute chat.

We'll talk about what's going on for you, what you need, and whether Clarity U is a good next step for where you are headed. (See the PS for a few more details about Clarity U.) For any of you who have worked with me, you know this initial conversation is casual, fun and productive whether you decide to join or not.

One of last year's Clarity U participants said, "Doing this work has been more valuable than a lifetime of therapy. (And a lot more fun.)"

I can't wait to connect!

Christina

P.S. Want to talk about Clarity U? Choose a time here for us to talk about how the current moment is affecting your life and work and how Clarity U will help you use the next few months to build your capacity for what's next.

Want to know more?

Do you relate to any of these statements?

  • Life feels chaotic and uncertain, and you feel overwhelmed and depleted.
  • You make decisions from a place of fear instead of empowered choice, constantly second guessing yourself.
  • You’re simultaneously unproductive and working more than you ever have.
  • The ineffective patterns that have held you back for years have intensified, showing up in work dynamics and personal relationships.
  • You’re reaching for ways to get your life and work back in control and not sure how or what to do.

What's in it for you? Starting in October you will learn to...

  • Shake off negative patterns of thinking and behaving so you can stop holding yourself back. Your life will be easier and work more fulfilling during this stressful time and into the future.
  • Gracefully navigate uncertainty so you are confident in your ability to handle change and instability.
  • Ground yourself physically and spiritually to allow radical transformation so you can stand steady in the midst of chaos.
  • Wield your new, portable Toolbox of Skills so you're ready to take action, make choices, and be in control of your career and life.
  • Get clear about who you are and what you want, and bravely take action to make your goals real.