Talk About It!

I've run out of clever job search photos. So here's one of my dog.

Welcome to week 3 of Job Searching for Corporate Rebels!

When I talk to job seekers (or people who want to be promoted or considered for new opportunities), I talk about building momentum.

The fact is, what you think about, talk about, and do grows.

If you complain or bellyache that there are no jobs out there, you'll get more of that result.

If you think and talk about what you want, and you take action toward it, you will get more.

Be patient. Building momentum takes time. Finding a job takes time. You will likely not get an immediate job offer. That doesn't mean you're failing.

Job hunting is not a feel-good activity. You face a lot of rejection and effort that seems pointless. It's not pointless. Every step you take leads to another step and feeds the energy of forward movement and momentum.

So, talk about what you're looking for with everyone and anyone. If you don't know exactly what you're looking for, talk about that. Everyone has been there and will have stories to share.

Today's Hot Tip: If you wonder if you should apply, the answer is always yes. (Assuming it's a job you want. If you don't want it, the answer is no). Nothing is lost by submitting an application. The time you invest refines your ability to talk about yourself and what you are looking for. I'll say it again, every step builds momentum.

Next week, I'll talk about networking. I hate the word and bet many of you do, too. I'll break it down and make it more fun. Stay tuned.

Know someone who is job hunting, all they have to do is subscribe here to receive the whole series.

Email me to ask me a question. I love to hear from you.

Happy New Year!

Time to read: 25 seconds

If you're like me, it takes a minute to get in the groove of the new year. I always feel a little sad about the passing of Christmas, time with family, the quiet and downtime of the holidays.

I'm still not landed in 2024. Kids are still home from college. Work is ramping up this week. Getting back to the gym. Taking steps toward a routine.

These first few weeks of January are a period of transition for many of you. (Some of you may feel like 2024 shot out like a rocket, and you're fully landed. If that's the case, awesome!)

It's ok to be in transition. Simply acknowledging that's where you are making the discomfort easier and smoother to move through.

What do you do when you still feel discombobulated? Get into action. Don't spend a lot of time thinking or wallowing. Take action to build your regular routine. Just get yourself to the gym. Make regular meals. Clean. Do the activities that help you feel grounded.

In the familiar phrase, Just Do It.

You'll feel landed in 2024 in no time.

Happy New Year!

Challenge #14: Own It!

Time to read: 18 seconds

She owns it without apology

Welcome to week 14 of your summer challenge!

Today is another short, sweet, and powerful challenge.

We've been talking about action with full permission and full responsibility. This week, I want you to own it. Whatever "it" is for you. Here is what that might look like:

• Graciously accept a compliment
• Drop the apology (unless you truly mess up, of course)
• Claim a weird little habit and make it part of your "brand"
• Make a choice and stick by it without justification
• Tell a positive story about yourself in conversation
• Wear what you love and walk around like you're worth a million bucks

If you're enjoying this challenge, please invite your friends and colleagues to join you. All they have to do is sign up here.

Have fun with this one!

Challenge #12: Action!

Time to read: 35 seconds

Welcome to week 12 of your summer challenge!

A few weeks ago when you were practicing doing nothing, I promised you that one of the challenges would be ACTION!

Today is that day.

So, this week, practice an action orientation. This doesn't mean act willy-nilly without consideration or intention. It does mean looking for the places you are avoiding or stalling or wishing you didn't have to pick up the phone.

One easy way to act with intention is to follow your urges. Oftentimes, you stuff down an urge. This week, see what happens when you feel the urge and act (with full permission and full responsibility, of course).

So, this week, have that hard conversation, clean that closet, ask the hard question, make the decision, take the class, get out for a walk. The possibilities are endless!

If you're enjoying this challenge, please invite your friends and colleagues to join you. All they have to do is sign up here.

Have fun with this one. It's all about you, what you want and PERMISSION!

Challenge #8: What happens when you do nothing?

Time to read: 30 seconds!

So uncomfortable

Welcome to week 8 of your summer challenge!

I hope you gave doing nothing a try last week. Honestly, it's one of the most powerful things that my over-performing self can do.

Then, when you choose to do nothing, something happens, at least at first.

You feel uncomfortable.

If you are someone who reaches for control or who has a lifetime of believing you must act/solve/speak up/do, experimenting with doing nothing can be excrutiating.

I am certain that I have the exact advice my kids need (I am a coach, after all), or that I know what will fix any problem. I am a woman of action, so doing nothing can be so hard it hurts.

And yet, almost always, if I do nothing long enough, the problem resolves itself or the important conversation naturally emerges in daily life without force or urgency. A more effective resolution emerges without any effort. It's like a miracle every time. So, be in your discomfort. Here's the important question: Are you doing what you're doing because it's necessary or because you are trying to assuage your discomfort? You are strong enough to handle the discomfort. This week, simply notice your discomfort, and your urge to run from it. Next week, I'll give you a strategy or two to manage it. If you're enjoying this challenge, please invite your friends and colleagues to join you. All they have to do is sign up here. I'd say have fun, and I know that this week is important but not fun. You've got this!

Take Action!

Time to read: Action! Action! Action! 46.5 seconds

Today a client (let's call her Jane) told me she was waffling about sending a text to a neighbor to hang out after a frustrating day at work. She wanted the company and feared she was bothering her neighbor or asking for too much. She swallowed the second guessing, sent the text, got an instant "yes!" and enjoyed a glass of wine and her neighbor's companionship. She felt better after a hard day.

What I love about this story is the action orientation. Jane didn't analyze why she was afraid to send the text. She didn't succumb to not sending the text. She simply sent the text and got a result.

Action produces results. Guaranteed.

• You can plan to share a new idea with your boss. Sharing the idea will generate feedback, additional ideas, and energy. Even hearing "no" will generate energy.
• Joining a new club will instantly lead to new relationships and experiences.
• Applying for a job will create an updated resume, interview planning, and momentum even if you don't get the job.

Action leads to more action. On and on it goes.

So, make the call, book the trip, send the email, sign up for the class, say the thing. You'll be glad you did.

If you are one of the many people who forward these emails to your friends and colleagues, please make sure they know they can sign up for this newsletter here

Have a great weekend!

The Secret to Destressing

Time to Read: Less than one minute. If you read all the way to the bottom, it will take you two minutes.

Greetings Rebels!

When I go to North Carolina to work at my children's summer camp, I have no car. We fly and it doesn't make sense to rent a car for three weeks for a few days off and a trip to the airport.

My first year, I worried about how I would get anywhere on those days off and how my children and I would get to the airport from a little town with no Uber. Somehow everything worked out. People let me join their plans. The camp directors loaned me cars. I got everywhere I needed to go with ease. The worry was a waste of energy.

This summer was my third year at camp, and I no longer worry about the car. At all. Another parent asked me how I possibly manage with no car. I told her, with no sense of irony at all...

The universe always provides a car.

It's true, both literally and metaphorically. The worry is unnecessary. You will always have a car. It may not look the way you expect, and you'll always get where you need to go.

The trick is to do these three things:

1. Trust.
2. Trust.
3. Trust.

As someone who needs constant reminders to trust, I know what a challenge this is.

• Trust requires you to believe that everything will turn out, even when you're stressed.
• Trust requires you to know that you're on the right path even when that path has headed in unexpected directions.
• Trust means you can't tell the good news from the bad news.
• Trust is relishing the journey of the unknown and mysterious.

If you feel like a dose of trust in your journey would help make your day-to-day calmer and more joyful, let's talk!

You can schedule a 30-minute spot here. We'll have a casual chat about what's going on, develop a strategy or two to help, and talk about if support (1:1 or The Corporate Rebel Clarity U coaching group) is a good next step for you.

Why does this matter to you?

• You react instead of actively making decisions which leaves you feeling depleted and second-guessing your choices.
• Life and work feel chaotic and disjointed. You find yourself running from place to place, slamming out emails, and feeling like you're not actually accomplishing anything.
• You fall into the same ineffective patterns that have held you back for years.
• Every year you think, "This is the year things are going to be different." Then they are not different and you keep going with the same old, same old.

What's in it for you? Starting in mid- October, you'll learn how to...

• Shake off negative patterns of thinking and behaving so you can stop holding yourself back. Your life will be calmer and work more fulfilling.
• Gracefully navigate transitions so you feel confident in the unknown and able to handle the changes that work and life throw at you.
• Ground yourself physically and spiritually to allow radical transformation. You will look back and wonder why you didn't address this stuff sooner.
• 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 what you want and bravely take action toward making your goals real.

The Corporate Rebel Clarity U coaching group will help you put work and life on your terms. This link will take you to Christina's personal calendar to schedule a casual 30-minute chat.

We start in mid-October. There's no time like now!

You can also hit reply to this email to set up a time in the next few weeks or reach out to me privately with questions or inquiries.

Life is too short for work to suck.

With Rebel Hugs,

Christina

P.S. Are you ready to take action in your life? Let's talk! Click this link to choose a 30-minute spot on Christina's calendar. We'll talk about what's going on and whether Corporate Rebel Clarity U is a good fit.

P.P.S. Wouldn't it be awesome to do this work with your friends? Invite them to explore the possibilities by forwarding this email to them. They can sign up to chat about the group here.