Refreshing Your Spirit

Time to read: 30 seconds

Gwynn Valley at sunset

Hello Rebels,

I'm away at camp.

I spend three weeks working at my children's summer camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. In a departure from my regular life of coaching and momming, I spend my days as the Miller (as in grain and an actual water-powered mill) where I take children through a farm to table experience that involves lots of corn and lots of food. (It also involves dead fish, which is a story for another day.)

At camp, there is little cell service, spotty wifi, no TV or technology, lots of fresh air, baby animals, and hundreds of children. Even though I end each day covered in cornmeal and drop in bed exhausted at night, I am grateful I get to spend so much time each summer playing with children. They refresh my spirit.

As we prepare to start the Quiet the Noise Challenge, I invite you to consider what refreshes your spirit.

Where can you step outside your usual existence, even if only for a few minutes or a day? What can you do or where can you go to quiet the noise in your life for a while?

If you'd like a quick daily practice starting on August 5, our challenge is just the thing. You can join us here.

Anne and I look forward to seeing you there!

Christina

P.S. If you're excited for the challenge, please invite some friends to join by forwarding this email to them. They can sign up here.

I'm Going to Camp. Let's Write!

Time to read: A little over 30 seconds.

Do you remember? This is what a personal letter looks like.

All through elementary school, high-school, college, and Peace Corps, I was an avid letter writer. If I was running this business 20 years ago, I would be cutting and pasting this newsletter together, licking stamps and snail-mailing it to you.

I love corresponding by letter. It's private and connected and in today's world, really special. When was the last time you received a personal letter, like hand-written, real stamp, with more than "happy birthday" written inside?

I have an invitation for you. I'm spending 3 weeks working at my children's summer camp, and while I'm there, letters are the name of the game. I can't carry my phone, and there's no internet in my room so I'm back to old-school pen and paper. (For those of you who are thinking, "Wait! I want my weekly newsletter." Never fear, you'll still receive it every Thursday like clockwork thanks to the wonders of technology.)

If you'd like to write, I'd love it. And I promise to write back. Send photos of your dog. Tell me about what you had for dinner or your summer vacation. Tell me about work. Or just scrawl a sentence that says, "you're the best" (or something to that effect).

Here's the address:

Christina Boyd-Smith
Gwynn Valley
301 Gwynn Valley Trail
Brevard, NC 28712

Last year, I invited people in my Facebook community to write. (You can join using the link.) Corresponding with Corporate Rebels was so fun, I'm opening it to all of you!

I look forward to hearing from you.

With Rebel Love,

Christina

P.S. Do you have friends who would love our quirky antics here at the Corporate Rebel? Forward this email to them and they can sign up to receive the Corporate Rebel Unplugged Podcast and Newsletter right here.

I'm Pissed Off and Bewildered. What's In It For You?

I'm pissed!

I was going to write today's newsletter about Corporate Rebel Summer Camp which I will still do briefly at the end. I was so disappointed, bewildered, and frankly pissed off this evening that I had to write to you immediately.

Before I tell you THE INCIDENT, here's the point. You live in a community (your home, your workplace, your town, your neighborhood, the world). There are easy ways to enhance your community, and ways to shred them. It takes about 3 seconds of thought to be an enhancer and yet people thoughtlessly shred their communities ALL.THE.TIME. 

Has something like this happened to you?

Here's THE INCIDENT:

It's a beautiful night. My daughter and I were walking across a soccer field with our dog (pictured above) to drop her (daughter, not dog) at a game with the neighborhood league.

Another mom walked up to me and in a nasty voice said, "Dogs aren't allowed on this field." And then she said something rude that I'm not going to repeat, because I don't want to perpetuate the bad juju. She stomped off while I was muttering something like, "I had no idea…"

Let's be clear. I appreciate that she told me the rule. This was the first time I'd been to that field, and I'd seen lots of families bring dogs to soccer games in other places. I promptly took my dog home not because I wanted to please this woman, but because I understand the rule and am happy to comply. 

And, I was angry and bewildered. Are you as confounded as I am when nasty confrontations happen in public? I'm always looking for the learning when something makes me this angry. 

Here it is:

• Community matters, and we create it. This woman could have made the same point with a smile and a statement like, "You may not know this but….." That would have enhanced the sense of community rather than shredded it.
• Your tiny, everyday choices matter. That woman was able to be nasty to me because she made up an unconscious or conscious story that I'm a jerk or an idiot or somehow not like her. That kind of attitude on a large scale has led to much violence in the world.
• Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR). It's good for your health, enhances your mood, and makes our communities stronger when you start with positive assumptions about other people. This is called unconditional positive regard. It takes no time to implement and can completely change your world. 

Talking to a friend and writing you calmed my reaction and brought me back to a place of peace and acceptance... And stopped me from marching over to her and shredding our community myself with some carefully selected words. In 30 minutes, I was able to offer her some quiet UPR (tired, hard day, hates dogs, is working with her coach on speaking up).

Here's where I could try to make a graceful transition about community and the Corporate Rebel Summer Camp and I ain't got one. Instead, I'm just going to be clunky and shift gears on you.

The Corporate Rebel Summer Camp kicks off next week, June 15 at noon CT with aFacebook Live Campfire Conversation with my friend, colleague, and rebelicious sister, Sandra Possing.

We'll be talking about Real Rebellion in three Facebook Live sessions throughout June. Each session will have a theme and is open to the public. (Invite your friends and colleagues. No one has to sign up to participate. Just tune in here.) You can comment, ask questions, and share opinions. We're not selling anything. We're simply building community and inviting you to think about your Real Rebellion this summer! The Campfire Conversations are on Thursdays June 15, 22, and 29 at noon CT. Mark your calendar now and join us here on Thursday.

If you've had a community shredding confrontation, I'd love to hear about it. Especially how you responded. And come to the Facebook Live Campfire Conversation on Real Rebellion next Thursday!
 
All my Rebel Love,
 
Christina

P.S. You and everyone you know is invited to join me and my rebelicious colleague, Sandra Possing for our public Campfire Conversation on Facebook Live on June 15, June 22 and June 29 at noon Central Time to chat about your Real Rebellion. Tune in here.