Where Are We In This Story?

Time to read: 1 min, 16 seconds

Singing vigil in Minneapolis last weekend

Before I say anything about current events in Minnesota, here are a few important things for you to know.

• I am not a political pundit. Although I read extensively and listen to many experts, politics is not my area of expertise. Other people do this work well.
• I don't have answers. If I did, I'd be a political pundit. :-)
• My lens is personal responsibility, ownership, humans, and process. I help humans become more effective humans. To me, effective means connected, responsible, honest, transparent and kind (that is a short list).
• I believe in the possibility of world peace... if we humans would just get out of our own and each other's way. That's why I do this work.
• I have a lot to say. It's gonna take a few weeks.

I appreciate all of you who reached back to last week's newsletter with notes of solidarity, expressions of overwhelm, and questions. I'm going to take things in bite-sized pieces. Here is what I want to say today:

We are not at the end of this story.

We are still in the middle. We are in the middle of events in Minnesota, our nation, this administration, world history, and human existence. Part of (perhaps a big part) of this administration's current actions are to create despair and powerlessness. Or to create overwhelm so you can't pay attention to one.more.thing.

When it all feels like too much, overwhelm and despair follow. This is true in politics, work, and family life.

This is not the end. The story is being written every day by humans who stand sentry outside schools to protect students, drive their neighbors to work, protest brutality and aggression, and show up in their daily lives to tend, care, love, and spread joy. You are not powerless. You always have agency. No action, prayer, or connection is too small.

I've said this many times over the years of writing this newsletter. You matter. The energy you bring to your life and work matters. What you do matters. And all of this matters even more now.

Email me anytime. Many of you learned last week that I reply to every email, and sometimes you get a big download to your serious question. I'm always happy to hear from you.

Love to you!

How To Live In Chaos: Control vs. Agency

Time to read: 16 seconds

Every photo will be vintage. It's pretty and fun.

You didn't hear from me this morning. I was planning and thinking and feeling about what to write when 11:00 CT came and went. Sometimes, it's hard to figure out what to say. I let it go until I knew what I wanted to say.

Clients have been telling me about chaos: changing leadership, health scares, challenges with children, corporate restructuring, and the impact of political decisions on their lives and businesses.

So, I am doing a series on chaos…How to think about it. How to live with it. How to thrive in it.

If you know anyone who is struggling in chaos…personal, professional, or political, please share it with them. They can sign up here.

We start next week.

What To Do With Your Discomfort?

Time to read: 1 min, 1 second or 61 seconds

Feeling anxious and unnerved in the uncertainty? You are not alone.

Last week we talked about walking through the uncertainty surrounded by your people.

This week, when things are uncertain, painful, or uncomfortable, your only option is KEEP GOING.

We make up that it's "bad," or "not ok" to feel uncomfortable which leads you to try to remove the discomfort. People turn to alcohol, shopping, drugs, work, and all sorts of other addictions and distractions to try to feel "ok."

That is not to say that a glass of wine or an evening of Netflix is wrong. (Wait until next week to find out more about that.)

Instead, though, see if you can simply be uncomfortable and let the discomfort be ok. Discomfort doesn't have to derail you from life and work. It can simply be a temporary condition that you live with for a while until a decision is made, a situation is resolved, or the election is over.

Once on the other side, you can start to find yourself and your equilibrium in the new space.

Does that make sense? Please reach out if it doesn't. Or if it does and you have more to say!

If you have friends who are anxious and uncomfortable please point them here. They can subscribe and join the conversation! Sign up here.