You're Not Imagining It. Here's What Helps.

Time to read: 76 seconds

Vintage is more fun that stock photos of random models in an office

The world is a lot right now. You still have a 9am. Let's talk about that.

This week, I want to acknowledge something out loud: it is genuinely hard to care about your inbox when it feels like everything outside is on fire. You are not weak for feeling distracted. You are human. A very tired, caring human.

You've told me you're struggling to focus. That you sit down to work and your brain is somewhere else entirely. That you feel guilty for worrying about a deadline when bigger things are happening. I hear you. I've been there too, as I've written about.

Here's what I want you to know: showing up to your work right now is an act of courage. Not the dramatic kind. The quiet, unglamorous kind — where you make the coffee, open the laptop, and do the thing anyway.

A few ideas for getting through the day:

  • Give yourself five minutes before the noise begins. Close your eyes, put your fingers on the keyboard so everyone thinks you're working, and breathe.
  • Pick one person you get to help today. Start there. The rest will follow.
  • Step away from the headlines for a few hours. The world will need your attention later. Right now, so do the people in front of you.
  • Be embarrassingly patient with yourself and the people around you. Everyone is carrying something you can't see.

You don't have to be unaffected. You just have to be present. And on the days when even that feels like too much, just show up. That counts.

Please email me and tell me how you're really doing. I always want to know. Really and truly.

 

Summer Fun Week 14 - Where Is Your Focus?

Time to read: 25 seconds

I think about food. A lot.

It's Week 14! This is the last week we're talking about fun. I hope this series, though, sets you up for a lifetime of more fun.

Today, consider where you put your focus?

  • What do you think about?
  • What do you talk about?
  • How do you spend your time and energy?

The things you think about, talk about, and do are the ways you spend your days. And the way you spend your days is how you spend your life.

If you want to have more fun and joy, consider how to have more joy in your thoughts … about other people and yourself.

If you want more fun and joy, drop complaining and pick up topics that are fun for you. (Anyone want to talk non-stop about vintage housewares and charm bracelets?)

If you want more fun and joy, choose to do things you find fun or to find the fun in the things you do.

And (shameless self-promotion), if you have difficulty changing the things you think, talk about, and do, a group coaching program might be just the ticket. Like…I don't know…hmmmm…maybe CLARITY U!

Intrigued? Email me to find a time to chat. Think a friend might be interested? Forward this newsletter to them. Clarity U starts on September 18, so let's talk!

I look forward to connecting with you!

 

Summer Fun Week 2 -Use This Simple Trick

Time to read: 35 seconds

Gorgeous 1960s vintage! So fun!

It's week 2 of fun, pleasure, and ease. Ahhh…summer!

When there is conflict or you want something and feel like you are not getting it, often the issue is your focus, not the thing.

Here's a concept: Focus on the function, not the form.

In last week's vacation example, the form was beach or mountains. When the form is the focus, there's irreconcilable conflict. Instead, look for the function…spending time together or physical activity or going off the grid for two weeks to recharge. When you shift your focus to the function, infinite possibilities open for the form.

I love examples, so let's play with a work-related one. You want a promotion, and it hasn't happened. The promotion is the form and keeps your lens on one narrow option. When you shift your focus to the function of what you want in the promotion…like more responsibility, supervising and mentoring employees, or a more strategic role, you have lots of ways to create those experiences both at work and outside work.

To have more fun, look to satisfy the function you want, rather than focus narrowly on the form. More possibilities = more fun.

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