Week 4: Do You Have To Choose?

Time to read: 41 seconds

Ah, wonderful costume jewelry.

Yes, you always choose. If living well is something you get to create, then not choosing is also a choice, just often not a good one.

Most of us don't refuse to live intentionally. You just let the calendar decide. The inbox decides. The next obligation decides. Weeks pass. You were busy the whole time. And, do you feel well-used, or were you drifting?

Drift feels safe because it seems like you don't have to choose. When in fact, you are choosing to drift. The cost will come later, in regret, missed opportunity, chances not taken.

This week, pick one place where you've been drifting. Keep it simple. Choose one. A relationship on autopilot. A habit you fell into. A "someday" that's been someday for years.

You don't need a five-year plan. You need one choice, one action, done intentionally, today.

Next week: What to do when your values and your circumstances don't line up.

Know someone who would like a dose of optimism, positivity, and action this summer? They can sign up here.

Week 2: How Will You LIVE?

Time to read: 46 seconds

1920s Camphor Glass Necklace. Think flappers and speakeasies. Yes, it's for sale.

This summer, I am talking about creating life…your life. In a complex and chaotic world, you are still the creator of your days, weeks, and years.

Last week, I talked about how the world you want to live in starts with you. Today, I'm taking that a step further. Fair warning: my father's death has made me philosophical. :-)

Death is certain. None of us will escape it. So, it behooves you to decide how you want to LIVE.

You have "one wild and precious life" (to quote Mary Oliver), and I think each of us gets to, actually, have a duty to, live well. How you define "live well" is based on your values, interests, and life situation.

Living well doesn't mean that everything is great all the time, that you always get what you want, or that life is always easy. It means finding your way through complexity with integrity, looking for slivers of joy and beauty, finding the good in people and situations, and feeling most days like you were well used.

Being "well-used" is next week's topic. Stay tuned.

Here's What You Are Worried About

Time to read: 10 seconds

My puppy, "helping" me in the garden

You are generous, kind, and transparent. I'm grateful to be able to spend this summer writing about what matters to you! You shared stories, thoughts, and the things keeping you up at night. Here is a short list of what you said so you know you're not alone:

• life balance
• the intense job market
• how to design the next phase of life (ie retirement)
• AI
• self care
• caretaking like aging parents
• too many emails
• your mindset around money
• family drama

And overwhelmingly, you wrote about your distress over the state of the world and our country. Many of you lie awake at night worried about the cost of gas, groceries, the job market, climate change, and the feeling that humans have stopped caring about each other.

All of these subjects share common themes, like change, living with uncertainty, managing fear, trusting life and yourself, and sustaining hope as a way of life.

I'll tell you up front: I am hopeful. I believe in the power of human ingenuity, resilience, and care.

I will be writing about all these things. Stay tuned.

Love to all of you, and thank you!

Know someone navigating a demanding season at work? Share this blog article with them. They can subscribe here

Questions about focus or making the most of an intense stretch? Email me . I read every one.

Bonus: Celebration!

Time to read: 87 seconds

This is me, snuggling my dog

You did it!

Six weeks of building a new relationship with your focus. That deserves a moment. Pausing to celebrate locks in new habits — and honestly, it's just fun.

I'll go first.

I recently came through one of those intense stretches — constant travel for work and pleasure, back-to-back client work, and time with people I love scattered in between. To move through it calmly and collected, I put everything we've talked about into practice.

When it was time to write, all I did was write. Bags were packed days before travel. My to-do list was sharp — what must get done, and a separate list of nice-to-do if time allowed. I used plane rides the way I recommend…no one knows where you are, no one can reach you. Maximum focus.

And because of that focus, I still walked my dogs, made it to the gym, ate real meals, and watched The Pitt. I was fully present at every work event, every client meeting, every family visit.

I'm proud of how I navigated it. I hope you're proud of yourself, too.

I'm celebrating with sleep, vintage buying and selling, dinner with my husband, and dog snuggles.

What about you? Even if you changed just one small thing over these six weeks — celebrate. You deserve it.

Email me and tell me all about it.

Know someone navigating a demanding season at work? Share this blog article with them. They can subscribe here

Questions about focus or making the most of an intense stretch? Email me . I read every one.

Managing Your Mind, Not Your Time

Time to read: 67 seconds

Goodness I love green glassware

You blocked the time. You cleared the space. You sat down ready to work.

Then your brain had other ideas.

The presentation is due Friday. Did you follow up with that client? You should really call your mother. What if the project falls apart? Is it too early for lunch?

No app blocks those distractions. No tidy desk fixes it. This is internal noise — and for most people, it's the hardest part of focus.

Here's what's happening. Under pressure, your brain generates a constant stream of unfinished business. Undone tasks, unresolved worries, unmade decisions. It's not trying to sabotage you. It's trying to make sure you don't forget anything important.

The trick is to give your brain a place to put that stuff. Two things will help you manage your monkey mind:

• 1. Do a brain dump. Take 5 minutes to write everything down so your brain knows nothing will get lost. Then your brain can let go, and you can focus.
• 2. Work with your energy. You know the time of day you are sharpest. You have a 2–3-hour window when your thinking is clearest. That window is precious. Don't spend it on email. Mine is in the early afternoon. Many people focus best in the morning.

Answer email when your energy dips. Do the deep work when you're at your best.

This week: Try a brain dump before your next focused work session. Write everything down, work and personal. Then close the list and get to work. Notice if it's easier to stay on task.

Why Focus Feels Impossible Right Now

Time to read: 55 seconds

Check out this gorgeous Zuni inlaid hummingbird pendant!

Your to-do list is long.

Your inbox has thousands of unread messages.

Your phone buzzes. A meeting appears on your calendar. Someone needs something. You have three browser tabs open that you were going to handle today.

Somewhere in there, you have work to do. Important work. The kind that moves your career forward.

No wonder focus feels impossible.

Here's the thing: it's not you. When the pressure is on, your brain does exactly what brains do under stress. It scans for threats. It jumps between inputs. It mistakes busyness for progress.

Focus isn't the absence of distraction. It's a skill that you can learn and strengthen.

Over the next six weeks, that's what we're going to do: focus on focus.

You differentiate yourself when you consistently do deep, meaningful work, even when everything around you is loud and chaotic. It builds your reputation. It creates the conditions for opportunity. It delivers for your employer and is fulfilling for you.

You can't control what comes next in your career. But you do own the quality of your work right now.

That's where we start.

This week: Take two minutes and do an attention audit. Be honest. Where does your focus actually go during a typical workday — not where you intend it to go? Jot it down. No judgment. Just notice.

Awareness is always the first step.

A Few Thoughts About Our World

Time to read: 1 minute, 10 seconds

Cute photo of our puppy

People reach out to me regularly about what I think about things happening in the world and what to do about it. It seems like everything everywhere has turned upside down all at once.

Honestly, I have days when I have a hard time keeping the faith. When I wonder if anything I teach and live matters.

Then I pull myself out of that pit of despair and remember that, of course, it matters. I matter. You matter. We all matter. It matters what you think because what you think leads to what you believe. And what you believe leads to what you do. And what you do, day in and day out, big and small, matters a lot.

Every act of violence is a choice. Every act of love is a choice. Every dehumanization of another person is a choice. Respect and kindness are choices. How you show up every day, in every situation, is a choice. You don't have to look very far to see the power of one individual to make choices that impact other people in positive and horrific ways.

So you see, you matter. A lot.

If you feel stuck, unappreciated, confused, and wonder what to do about it, let's talk. My signature group coaching program, Clarity U, starts on September 25, and there is still a spot for you.

One Clarity U graduate said, "It's better than 25 years of therapy!"

I know you get marketed to all the time, so if you're like, "not for me," ignore this email. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled missives in a week. If you're thinking, "I want things to be different, and I don't know how to get there," let's talk. Just email me , and we'll set up a time.

Clarity U starts on September 25. That's plenty of time, and it's coming fast.

P.S. If you're curious about a cohort coaching program, email me , and we'll set up a time to chat!