My Moth Story - Finally!

Time to read: 30 seconds. If you listen to my story on the Moth, 4 minutes and 53 seconds.

Remember this?

Hey Rebels!

My Moth story is finally ready for prime time! Beyond a small handful of family and a couple of friends, you are the first people to see it.

Besides being fun, why does this Moth story matter to you? Here's why:

Getting on that stage...

• is a tale of triumph over fear.
• demonstrates that you can choose how you feel. (i.e. I chose fun and excitement over terror.)
• shows that it's possible to step away from the need to prove yourself and still get amazing results. In fact, you will get better results with less energy and more calm.
• proves that you can do new things. New hard things. New scary things.

Doing this story was one of the most courageous and sublime experiences of my life and sharing it with you feels tender and vulnerable. I'm glad we've built the kind of relationship over the years that makes sharing something like this possible.

So, if this Moth story is a metaphor for your triumph over fear, what will you do?

Enjoy it here!

Email me and tell me all about it. I love to hear from you.

With Rebel Love,

Christina

P.S. Feel free to pass the story around to any of your friends you think would enjoy it.

5 Ways to Be an Awesome Newbie!

Time to read: Just under one little minute. You have errands to run!

Now this is new: S'mores ice-cream cone with GLITTER!

OMG. Has summer already ended? If you have kids starting school and even if you don't, can you feel that fall, back-to-school energy? Things feel more serious. Like we're all settling in and getting back to a routine.

My kids started a new school on Monday. They know no one and believe me, this Corporate Rebel Mama's heart has been very tender this week. We have lots of rebels starting new ventures like new jobs (hey Rick!) or living in new locations (shout out to you, Audrey!) or experimenting with new ways to do old jobs (Dean!).

There is newness in the air!

New possibilities.

A new start. (Even if you're in the same job, in the same company.)

A new year.

As we get to know the new community and routine at our new school, I'm noticing a few things that are helping me through these tender days. I share them with you as you embark on your new fall. Here are 5 ways to be new:

1. Have a sense of adventure. Rather than focusing on all the things you don't have or can't do, lean into the adventure of a new job, project or school with all the fascination, wonder, and curiosity you would bring to an international vacation.
2. Be humble. In our new school, I know very little about how things work. It's a steep learning curve and for a woman who is used to knowing everything that's going on, it's humbling to be at the beginning again. Stopping in humility every so often in your life is a very good thing. It's a great reset button to remind you to keep learning.
3. Be open. Be open to new relationships and experiences. You have no idea where an opportunity or new friend is going to come from.
4. Ask for help. Many times, you won't even have to ask. Help will just be available to you. In either case, be humble and take advantage of it.
5. Stay in your discomfort zone. It's ok to be uncomfortable. In fact, it's marvelous to be uncomfortable. In the discomfort, you stretch. You learn new things about yourself. You discover new opportunities. And it will pass. Believe me, I'm uncomfortable a lot these days.

So, welcome to fall, beautiful rebels. Feels like it's going to be a smashing year!

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. As part of doing lots of new things this fall, I am going to be interviewed on the What's NEXT webcast with Jason Lauritsen. He's interviewing leaders who bring innovation and positive disruption to the workplace - like me! The webcast is September 5 at 1:00 ET. It will be recorded if you can't make the event live. Join here and invite your friends. They are welcome to join, too!

The only trick you need to do something hard

Estimated read time: between 1 and 2 minutes

Ahhh…corporate glory days. (Crazy hat day courtesy of the wonderful Michele Chin-Purcell.)

My clients are starting new jobs and expanding their opportunities and having brave conversations and doing things that are new to them. Some stuff feels hard for them, too. (And they're excited and moving forward and getting what they want).

That's why I'm writing this to you. I said there was one thing that will help you do hard things and as I'm writing, I realize there's a BONUS thing. (2 lessons for the price of one! Yay!)

Here's the one thing:

And it's funny because the lesson is this: do one thing. That's it. I learned this from my husband at 3:00 am after I'd been worrying about producing an Excel spreadsheet for a team of VPs in my new corporate job and OMG, I've never seen Excel before in my life! "All you have to do is go into the office tomorrow and do one thing." He said those words either because they are wise or because he thought they were his best chance of getting any sleep.

All you have to do is one thing. Then the next thing. Then the next until, amazingly, you've done all the things.

Here's the BONUS thing:

Hold onto why you are doing the hard thing. I'm producing a webinar because I care deeply about making sure that your freedom is never negotiable. You told me you:

• feel stuck
• want to get out of your own way
• lack opportunities
• want work/life balance
• are exhausted
• are worried that time is slipping by

I am delighted to keep testing the systems and producing content because I know the process I'm teaching next Wednesday will help you find the peace, balance, and opportunities you crave.

Christina

My ugly story and what you can learn from it

Estimated read time: An entertaining and real 1.75 minutes.

Photo of my brain on fear, courtesy of Anne Lippin.

I hired a coach this year to stretch me in my business. In our first meeting, she did exactly what I asked her to do. She stretched me. How did I respond?

I freaked out.

This wasn’t just a little bitty, genteel lady freak out, either. It was like my vital organs were going to fall out of my body. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t work. I was thinking about giving up the whole coaching gig for a job at Whole Foods.

I was in a bad way and even as I laid on my couch crying to my friends, I was thinking of you and hoping to glean some redeeming value from my misery. Here's the value:

When you stretch yourself – you go for the big promotion, you take on the leadership role, you say the risky thing in a meeting, you hire a coach – you are going to feel afraid. If you’re not afraid, you’re not stretching.

I imagine you’re thinking, “Great. You’re telling me I have to feel like my insides are going to fall out?”

Yup. That’s exactly right. If you want to go big, you will be afraid sometimes and fear shows up in your body before your head can catch up. That’s a fact. The good news is there is a lot you can do about it.

Here are my hot tips, hard won from the couch:

1. Having periods of doubt and fear are part of the journey. A vital part of the journey. Through them you learn valuable things about yourself, develop more capacity, and know what it's like later to feel great!
2. Recognize your process. When faced with fear, some of my clients get overly analytical, apathetic, or avoidant. Recognize if panic (my favorite!) is a place you stop on your way to clarity and action. When your process is familiar, you can celebrate the freak out and know it’s an important stepping stone to your success.
3. Remember that you will not be stuck here forever. As your self awareness grows, you’ll be stuck in fear less often and for shorter periods of time.
4. Have your self care plan ready to go at all times. Mine involves a book, the couch, and my dog. Oh, and calling a bunch of friends. And meditating. And crying.

It’s not about preventing the freak out which is a good thing as that's impossible. It’s about recovering from it. Fear is a sign of growth. What you need is awareness, a self-care strategy, and you're ready to go.

Be afraid and keep going!

Christina

P.S. If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter, they can sign-up for The Corporate Rebel Video Podcast and Newsletter HERE.

What To Do When What You Want Seems Crazy

My son came home from gym class the other day and announced he wants to play hockey. For the first time. In Minnesota. At the age of ten.
 
Minnesota is state where winter is long and dads are fitting their kids with helmets and pulling them on tiny skates before they can walk.
 
My son doesn’t skate.
 
Here is what I was thinking. “There is no way you can start hockey at the age of ten in Minnesota. You’ll be killed, and the leagues will tell you that you are washed up before you get on the ice.”
 
Here’s what I said, “Let me see what I can find out, honey.”
 
To make a short story of how our family’s life went down the hockey rabbit hole, my son is on a hockey team in a great league that is going to teach him to skate. Every morning this week, before his eyes were barely open he’d say, “3 days till my first hockey practice!” He was planning how he will learn to skate, trying on his equipment, and hitting a ball around the backyard with his new stick.
 
Here’s the point: My son believes he can learn to play hockey. So he will.
 
OK, all you cynics out there who are thinking, “Yeah great, that’s a story about a young kid doing something fun. This can’t apply to adults or to work.”
 
Keep reading. 
 
This story (told with permission) shows how belief does have to do with adults and work.
 
One of my friends, who is a rebel if ever there was one, sent me this response to a recent newsletter. Wait until you see what she does for a living!
 
“When I tell people that I take people all over the world to do flower arranging, they say,  'what?' 'sputter?' 'how?'  'Um, I had an idea. I wanted to go to a castle in France and pick flowers and show people how to arrange flowers and guess what?  People wanted to come.' Or that I teach Encaustic painting at art centers up and down the east coast (I needed to look that one up and you can, too, right here).  'How did you get that job?' they ask. 'I called them and asked if they wanted an Encaustic instructor.' It is a great, great world we live in. Truly." (Check out Ginnie Peterson’s business, Crocus Hill Studio).
 
Like my son, Ginnie didn’t spend time analyzing all the reasons her idea couldn’t work. She just believed it could and took action.
 
Life is not perfect. Failure is always part of the journey. And, your beliefs are a huge driver in the results you get.
 
This wouldn’t be the rebelicious newsletter if I didn’t have tips for you. Here you go, strategies for putting belief into action through the metaphor of hockey.
 
1. Find the right league. Have humility to know what you don’t know. And don’t let what you don’t know stop you for one second. Find the right coaches, mentors, and fit for what you want. 
 
2. Get on the ice. You won't learn a darn thing if you don't skate (and fall on your butt a million times).
 
3. Don’t listen to the people around you who say you can’t or you shouldn’t or you’re crazy – even if that person is YOU!
 
4. Set realistic goals and give yourself credit for every bit of progress. Maybe all you will do this practice is stand without falling. Next time, you'll skate to the other side of the arena without falling down. 

I have to go deliver the forgotten water bottle to my son on the ice so I’ll sign off here. Hit reply and tell me a story about how belief combined with action led to your success.
 
Get on that ice!

Christina
 

Doing Something New? A Strategy to Stay On Track

Many of my clients are starting new things this fall – part-time schedules, new jobs, new career possibilities, new projects at work, leading workshops for the first time, or founding big community service events.
 
Exciting stuff!
 
And when you’re embarking on something new, those needling voices can creep in. You know the ones. We all have them:
 
“You’re out of your league.” “You’re not qualified.” “You don’t know what you’re doing.” “Who are you to be doing that great thing?”
 
Damn voices.
 
There’s good news! You’ll never get rid of them entirely (not the good news), andyou can learn to use those voices to your advantage and keep them from derailing your success. (There’s the good news!)
 
Here’s the strategy:

1. Listen to them. What? I’m a rebel. All my instincts say fight!
   Think of those voices like a puppy that wants your attention and isn’t going to stop jumping until she gets it. Once you listen, the voices will curl up in their dog bed and go to sleep. Dropping your resistance will free a ton of your energy, too.  Bonus!
    
2. Find the 2% truth.
   Consider that 2% of what those voices are saying is true. For example: My clients are doing new things, and when you’re new, you don’t always know what you’re doing. That’s a truth you can easily own.
    
3. Uncover what’s important to you.
   Those voices appear because something’s important to you. Put your focus on the important thing. For example: When you’re in a new role, you want to do a good job. It’s important to you to show up, learn, be open, and show that you’ve got the chops.

 See how this works? Three easy steps to get back on track with your exciting new thing!
 
Bring it, Fall. We’re ready for whatever new things you’ve got!
 
Christina
 
P.S. I’m looking for new ideas. Please hit reply to this email and send me one idea or question for something you’d like to see discussed in an upcoming newsletter.