You Don't Need "Pandemic Permission"

Time to read: 1.36 minutes

During a recent group workshop, a leader worried about all the things she'll feel obligated to do as things open up. She observed, "the pandemic gave me a good excuse to say no to lots of things."

Try on a few examples:

• You could say no to online cocktails with that group of friends, because you were "all Zoomed out."
• You could decide not to attend the expensive and far-away family vacation you don't enjoy much anyway because you're "not ready to travel yet."
• You could skip the online after hours work happy hour, because your kids "need help with online school."
• You could have a holiday with just your family because "it didn't feel safe yet" to host other people.

Of course, safety and exhaustion were real. And, if you make an honest assessment, you made time for the people and activities you care about the most. You just didn't make space for all the people and activities you did pre-pandemic.

Here's the truth: You don't need the cover of the pandemic to say no to those friends or that vacation or after hours happy hour. You can simply say no.

I recommended to the leader that she consider giving up obligation as a pandemic gift to herself.

Of course, you sometimes have to visit people you don't want to visit and do things you don't want to do. Instead of dragging yourself through those things with resentment and resistance, anchor yourself to your values (like love, connection, family) and keep those in mind as you delight in coffee with a boring relative.

And, be honest with yourself. If you avoided it or them during the pandemic and those activities and relationships don't nourish you now, let them go.

Drop obligation. Obligation is sooo 2019.

Making decisions about how to smoothly and effectively return to life and work is daunting. Make the process easier by downloading your free copy of The Corporate Rebel's Playbook for Returning to Life (and Work).

I hope this helps.

I Lost My Email. Guess What Happened?

Time to read: 15 seconds. Still time to join Rebooting U: 2 seconds

I got a new computer (battery died on old one, blah, blah, blah) and in the transfer of data, my email went insane (that's the technical term) and deleted archived emails.

How many? Don't know.

From whom? Have no idea.

At first I freaked out. I save all those emails for a reason - to reply to people later, as reminders to do something, or to remember something funny or important. I begged my husband tech support team to find and restore what was lost.

Then I realized...

Those emails don't matter.

It's been a few days, and the world still turns. No one has been offended. I have no idea what those emails were about. If they were important, people will email again or I'll remember what I said I'd do. In short: Nothing happened. Losing those emails was a complete non-event.

From this non-event, here are two lessons for you:

1. You think things matter that actually don't. The pandemic taught us that lesson in spades.
2. You can trust yourself to keep track of what's important. The pandemic taught us that lesson, too.

So, consider one thing you think is important that actually isn't. Remove it. It was liberating to have only 5 emails in my inbox for a few hours.

I hope this helps.

Awkward transition...

The second class for Rebooting U is tomorrow at 11:00 CT. You can still join us. Sign up and I'll send you the recording of the first class about Recover: Your Brain on Stress. You can get more information and sign up here.

If you're in the US, have a great holiday weekend.

Take This Quiz to Help You Get Back On Track

Time to take the quiz: 15 seconds. Time to read: 1.5 minutes. Time to refine your life: forever

Hey Corporate Rebels!

Before you read further, please take this quiz. Answer yes/no. Consider how you spend most of your time.

Do you feel well used at the end of the day? (This question considers a sense of purpose.)

Do you spend your day on things that are important to you? (This question highlights values and priorities.)

Do you spend your time with people who matter to you? (This question points to balance and connection.)

Do you enjoy yourself? (This question considers energy.)

Hold on to your answers for a second.

In the past few weeks, I have talked with professionals across industries and age-groups, from young scientists to seasoned real estate mavens to recent college graduates. In a word, people are restless. The past year stripped away most things (dating, sports, travel) and left many people with work, laundry, homeschooling, and if you were lucky, roommates you like.

When life was reduced to work and Netflix, many people starting asking, is this enough? When you just spent a year staring your mortality in the face, is this how you want to spend the next 10-20-50 years?

Most of you are probably not planning to quit your job and head out on the open road (although I have talked to quite a few in all age groups who are doing some version of that).

Some well timed and considered refinements will bring your work and life back into alignment with what you want.

Now back to the quiz.

If you answered yes to all four questions, awesome. You have crafted work and life on your terms.

If you answered no to any of the questions or if the questions made you wonder, consider what it would take to bring your work and life back on your terms. What can you refine? What can you ask for? What do you want to change?

Here are some ideas to start your thinking:

• fire up an old hobby
• ask to go part-time
• ask for summer hours (Fridays off?)
• teach a class
• be home for bedtime every night
• rest
• quit your job and head out on the open road

My partner, Anne and I are doing a free 4-session live event in May, June and July to help you recover from the past year and get your work and life realigned with where you are now. The Corporate Rebel Rebooting U: Recover, Refresh, Re-emerge starts May 21. You can get more information and sign up here.

Please join us!

Love to you!