Feeling All August-y?

Time to read: 45 seconds. It's August.

A client asked this week, "what's the deal with August?" She is having difficulty finding solid ground and if she's honest, she wants to sit on a porch and read a book. I'm hearing similar things from many clients this week.

So, what's the deal with August?

After 10 years of working with clients, here are my observations about August:

1. You're in-between which is disconcerting. It's no longer summer, and it's not yet fall. It's hard to know how to be. (If you're curious, check out the concept of liminal space.)
2. The engine is revving and you're not ready to drive off yet. You feel like you'll be ready to go soon. But not yet.
3. The air is filled with anticipation. Back to school. Back to the office? (who knows about that one anymore)
4. Fall is around the corner and there's a lot of uncertainty. Will your 3rd grader like her teacher? Will projects at the office increase? Will your family's schedule take off like a rocket? Will your senior get into college?
5. Add the Delta variant, international and national politics, and ugliness in the news and you have a recipe for stalling.

The good news is that the solution is simple.

Wait.

August will turn into September which becomes October. I don't get to guarantee much in my line of work, and I can guarantee this. When September rolls around, you'll be ready to go.

Happens every year.

Happy August.

A Lesson In Uncertainty: 4 Principles to Live By

Time to read: 45 seconds

Election Judge! Election Queen!

In the wake of Tuesday's election, no matter who you support, we all continue to live in uncertainty. Coronavirus has left us in uncertainty. The economic down turn stokes uncertainty. I met with a corporate group today, and even in our daily lives, things like management changes and college applications leave us in uncertainty.

People tell me they're done with uncertainty. Exhausted. Over it. And it seems like 2020 is determined to hammer home the lesson of learning to live, love and thrive in the face of uncertainty.

Here are four principles to help you live and thrive in uncertainty today and forever:

1. Accept. Suffering comes from resisting your circumstances, not from the circumstances themselves. So, even in the face of outcomes you don't like, the first step is accept them. (Not the same thing as complacency or disengagement).
2. Honor your emotions. Feel whatever you feel - joy, grief, sadness, inspiration, anxiety, anger. When you experience your emotions for yourself, they will not leak out in your relationships.
3. Build your foundation. You choose your foundation based on your integrity, values, and ways of being. No candidate, job, promotion, raise, child, or even the resolution to the pandemic will provide your foundation. You are the thing you've been looking for.
4. Put uncertainty into a bigger context - perhaps the context of history or spirituality or human evolution. Looking at a 30,000 foot level opens new possibilities and allows you to see what's happening now in a larger frame.

That's what I've got today at a challenging point in our history as a nation.

I hope this helps. Reach out anytime. I always love to hear from you.

Be well.

Christina

One Practical Tool to Help You Thrive

Time to read: 56 seconds

Time to schedule on my calendar: 30 seconds

Actual time to chat: 30 minutes (You can choose a time to talk here).

Hello Rebels,

A few weeks ago, I took a three-day personal and professional retreat (more about that another week). I hit the wall with the pandemic, the politics, the homeschooling and needed a break. Controlling, pushing, and striving my way through this moment in history was not effective for me, my family, nor my work. I needed quiet time to reflect and create a smoother path forward into the chaos.

Out of this reflection and creation came a Survival Journal. I want to share a few of the elements with you and invite you to create your own Survival Journal so you have a consistent and solid place to go when you feel uncertain, afraid, and worried. Here are some tips:

1. Don't over engineer it. You don't have to have the perfect notebook or a set of sparkly colored pens (unless those things are fun for you). Just grab whatever you have lying around (like a half used composition notebook abandoned by one of your kids, not that I know anything about that).
2. Consider at 10,000 feet what brings you comfort and reassurance when things feel hard. Make your journal about those things.
3. Be free and open with the content. There is no right way to create a Survival Journal. Add things that are meaningful to you. Mine includes:
   • activities for this winter
   • TV shows to watch
   • powerful thoughts and quotes from my mentors and teachers
   • questions to ponder when I feel stuck
   • short descriptions of when I've seen magic at work in my life
   • reminders of physical practices that keep my nervous system calm
4. Let it grow over time. My journal is living and breathing. I add thoughts and elements frequently.
5. Make it your own. I can see verses from meaningful religious texts, drawings, photographs, pet stories, recipes, humor. When you create your journal, please hit reply and share your ideas with me. I have pages for more and would love your inspiration.

There is lots going on. I hope you find this strategy provides you a safe haven in the storm.

And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Clarity U. Starting October 21, a powerful group will be cleaning out the mental junk in order to clear the path to the future. The goal: for you to be clear so can put work and life on your terms, even during these challenging times. If you've been curious and perhaps not sure if Clarity U is for you, let's talk. Choose a 30-minute spot on my personal calendar. Spots fill fast.

In the words of a participant from last year:

"Working with Clarity U gave me insights and tools that I use daily. This work has been more valuable than a lifetime of therapy. (And a lot more fun.) I wish I had done it 20 years ago. Christina and Anne are insightful and honest and two of the warmest and most encouraging people I have ever had the honor to know." - E.G.

People are scheduling faster than I can add spots to the calendar. We have extended the early bird price through October 13 (next Tuesday). If you don't find a time on my calendar by October 13, go ahead and schedule later. If you've chosen your time before October 13, we'll still give you the early bird price. Confused? Email me.

I look forward to connecting. Choose a time here.

I can't wait to talk.

Christina

What Do You Need Right Now?

Time to read: 40 seconds

My clients are all over the map these days. On coaching calls there have been tears, anger, hope, and joy. Folks are being furloughed, staying afloat at work, settling into a new vision of summer, worrying about job searching, and finding new opportunities. The experience is not the same across industries and locations.

My newsletter has come out every week for four years. I typically know exactly what I want to write each week, and lately, I find it hard to know what to say. Being at a loss for words is not my MO (ask my husband).

So, I'm doing what I recommend clients do when they feel muddled. Get curious.

Will you share what your world is like right now?

• What are you thinking about?
• What are your current struggles?
• Are you working too much? Not enough?
• What are the unique challenges you're facing in these times?
• What would be helpful?

I always love to hear from you, especially now. Your situation is unique and I'd love to hear what's going on out there.

Email me at christina@boydsmithcoaching.com Let the emails rip!

With love,

Christina

Feeling Lost? This Is Why....

Time to read: 2 minutes

You are living in liminal space.

Liminal what?!

Liminal space happens between two things. You know that blue light time in the evening when it's not day and it's not night? That's liminal space. Liminal space is an anthropological concept originally used to describe important cultural rituals that move people from one identity to another (single to married, child to adult, alive to dead). You are in in-between time right now. Not in your old world and not in your new one.

When you're in liminal space, you feel ungrounded, rudderless, even a little lost. Does this feel familiar?

Keep reading for examples, why this matters and what to do about it.

Examples:

• You take a new job and give notice. Those weird three weeks when you are no longer fully in your old job and are not yet in your new job? That's liminal space.
• When a wedding starts, the couple enters as single people and are catapulted into liminal space until they are declared married at the end of the ceremony.
• A pandemic sweeps the globe upending life as you know it, leaving you uncertain about the future and the structures you rely on for security.

Like I said in the first line, every day is liminal space right now. You are between the identity and the life you had in January and whatever is coming next. You don't know when this will end or how. It's unnerving.

It's also powerful. All bets are off and the possibility for creativity is endless.

So, what do you do about liminal space?

1. Name it. Check! You just did that by reading this newsletter. Naming it takes the pressure off.
2. Keep going. Churchill said, "If you're going through hell, keep going." There is no magic formula. The only way out is through. You keep walking up that aisle. You keep wrapping up the old job. You keep walking the dog and making dinner. Keep going until you land, new and ready to go on the other side.
3. Find your protectors. In cultural rituals, people are shepherded through liminal space by friends and elders. Think bridesmaids and mentors. You are not meant to go through this alone. In today's world, everyone is in liminal space so you have to find your protectors and be the protector for others. And yourself.

I'd be honored to be one of your protectors as my clients are protectors for me. Thriving in Uncertain Times is the perfect place to keep going together.

We start on May 28 at 10:00 CT. This program is designed to be easy on the budget and easy on your time. You get 20% off your registration through Memorial Day. If you can't make the calls live, no worries. They will be recorded so you can put on your headphones and listen while you walk your dog.

A six-week coaching experience for Corporate Rebels

REGISTER HERE

20% off if you sign up by Memorial Day.

I look forward to spending more time with you!

Christina

What Should You Do In the Face of the Unknown?

Time to read: 1.15 minutes

This is my pantry. When things are out of control, I do food.

It's been a weird week.

That is the understatement of the century.

You're glued to the news. You wake up to new information each day. Guidelines and recommendations change minute to minute. Kids are home from school. You're working from home. It's confusing and stressful.

I've found it hard to know what to do or how to be.

Daily life has been stripped of all activity which brings us back to basics.

Here are four bedrock basics that provide a firm foundation when the world has gone haywire. I return to them again and again. I hope they give you comfort as this pandemic unfolds.

1. Connect. Most of you are working from home which can be isolating and lonely. Starting Thursday March 19, I'm hosting a daily call at 9:00 CT for 30 minutes so you have a place to touch base, ground, set intentions and connect with others. Sign up once and come whenever you can M-F through at least March 27. It's free. Sign up here.
   
   Please share this opportunity to connect with your friends and colleagues, especially people who live alone.


2. Be compassionate. There is and will be suffering and hardship. Your compassion and friendship matter when others are in pain. Be there for your friends and those you don't even know because that's who you are, and it's the right thing to do.


3. Be of service: In the face of interruption like a worldwide pandemic, gaps become visible. YOU can fill these gaps and find ways to be of service. Look for opportunities to step in.


4. Find ways to leverage your super powers. Find new ways to use your expertise. Offer your social media skills to help colleagues stay connected. Use your project management experience to help your department streamline processes when you're all at a distance. Think about skills that might not seem obvious.

Connection is what I do. So, please come connect with me and others every morning at 9:00 CT. Join here.

In the midst of crisis, interruption and change, you matter! You have the power to make a big difference. Find your spot to serve.

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. Love the Corporate Rebel? Invite your friends to join. They can sign up for this newsletter here.