How're You Doing?

Time to read: Less than 1 minute.

I was talking to a colleague earlier this week, and she observed that there are, like, 16 crises going on at once. There's pandemic news. International news. The verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. Feelings about returning to the office and school. Kids struggling academically. Kids struggling mentally. Then it's not like regular life events stop happening.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could say, "no thanks on the car trouble today. There's a pandemic."

I'm going to keep this short because it's a lot and your brain needs a rest. Here are two thoughts:

1. Have grace for yourself and others. You are carrying a lot. So are they. Be gentle and kind.
2. Take good care of yourself physically. Eat. Sleep. Rest. Walk. In an intense week, go back to the basics.

How are you doing? Feel free to email me. I always love hearing from you.

Love to you.

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

When Will Things Go Back To "Normal?"

Time to read: Less than one minute

The short answer to the question is, it won't. "Normal" as we once knew it is never coming back. So in the face of upheaval, what is a Corporate Rebel to do?

Imagine these scenarios:

You don't like your boss. You complain about her and wake up every morning wishing you had a different boss.

or

You have a teen who doesn't talk to you about his life. You ask questions and dig for information but you never get any.

or

The company you work for has been acquired. The business is not doing well and your work days are chaotic. You hate it.

or

A viral pandemic is sweeping the planet and you are trying to work from home, maybe with little kids underfoot, worrying about your loved ones. You just want life to go back to "normal."

Each of these is an example of resistance. Resistance looks like this: wishing for something different and pushing to change things that never change. The energy of resistance puts tremendous stress on you and leaves you depleated.

So what is a rebel to do?

The answer is simple: Acceptance

Acceptance doesn't mean resignation. Accepting something means seeing the truth. It means understanding that something is what it is. Acceptance means getting honest about reality.

When you accept, you drop the fight. You free your energy. Once you accept things as they are, then you can find the path forward. Then you can find opportunity.

Acceptance in all things is one of my goals for 2020 and thank goodness as I've needed it a lot in the past few weeks.

Do this quick exercise: Consider a situation that makes you stressed... like... I don't know... being stuck at home trying to work while homeschooling your kids? Find one thing you can accept in the situation and truly, honestly accept it. Watch what happens.

Then email me and tell me all about it or post to the Corporate Rebel HQ. I love to hear from you.

I've been brainstorming how best to serve you during this challenging time and I'm working quickly on some free resources to help you be productive and calm while working from home.

Coming Soon! The Corporate Rebel's Unconventional Guide to Working from Home AND a Work from Home Challenge. Stay tuned!

The Corporate Rebel Daily, a free 30-minute check-in at 9:00 CT, has been tremendous. It's a positive start to your day and you are welcome to join anytime. Sign up once, join when you can.

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. Love the Corporate Rebel? Invite your friends to join. They can join us here.

Want Instant Calm? Ask Just One Question

Time to read: Less than one minute

The world as you know it has turned upside down.

I hear from clients that they are worried about keeping their jobs, stressed to see their 401ks dwindle, and sad about the state of the world. All of that while also trying to stay focused and homeschooling children.

Today I have one question to ask yourself when you start to spin. (Thank you to Eckhart Tolle for this question.)

First, pause for a minute.

Then ask: Is there a problem right now?

If there is no immediate problem, let the worry and stress go.

If there is a problem, address it.

I love this question for 2 primary reasons:

1. It brings you immediately into the present moment which is the place to be to find calm and peace.
2. It reminds you that you have everything you need to handle whatever happens next.

As a talented and experienced worrier, I know that my worry is a waste of energy. Most of the time, the things you worry about never come true and when bad things do happen, you will be ready to handle them.

Keep this question on speed dial then email me to tell me how it helps. You can also pop into our Facebook community Corporate Rebel HQ or join The Corporate Rebel Daily, a free 30-minute check-in at 9:00 CT, M-F to help you ground and be productive in your new normal. Sign up once, and join when you can. I'll be there every weekday waiting for you.

On the weekends, I'll be in bed.

With rebel love,

Christina

The Secret to Destressing

Time to Read: Less than one minute. If you read all the way to the bottom, it will take you two minutes.

Greetings Rebels!

When I go to North Carolina to work at my children's summer camp, I have no car. We fly and it doesn't make sense to rent a car for three weeks for a few days off and a trip to the airport.

My first year, I worried about how I would get anywhere on those days off and how my children and I would get to the airport from a little town with no Uber. Somehow everything worked out. People let me join their plans. The camp directors loaned me cars. I got everywhere I needed to go with ease. The worry was a waste of energy.

This summer was my third year at camp, and I no longer worry about the car. At all. Another parent asked me how I possibly manage with no car. I told her, with no sense of irony at all...

The universe always provides a car.

It's true, both literally and metaphorically. The worry is unnecessary. You will always have a car. It may not look the way you expect, and you'll always get where you need to go.

The trick is to do these three things:

1. Trust.
2. Trust.
3. Trust.

As someone who needs constant reminders to trust, I know what a challenge this is.

• Trust requires you to believe that everything will turn out, even when you're stressed.
• Trust requires you to know that you're on the right path even when that path has headed in unexpected directions.
• Trust means you can't tell the good news from the bad news.
• Trust is relishing the journey of the unknown and mysterious.

If you feel like a dose of trust in your journey would help make your day-to-day calmer and more joyful, let's talk!

You can schedule a 30-minute spot here. We'll have a casual chat about what's going on, develop a strategy or two to help, and talk about if support (1:1 or The Corporate Rebel Clarity U coaching group) is a good next step for you.

Why does this matter to you?

• You react instead of actively making decisions which leaves you feeling depleted and second-guessing your choices.
• Life and work feel chaotic and disjointed. You find yourself running from place to place, slamming out emails, and feeling like you're not actually accomplishing anything.
• You fall into the same ineffective patterns that have held you back for years.
• Every year you think, "This is the year things are going to be different." Then they are not different and you keep going with the same old, same old.

What's in it for you? Starting in mid- October, you'll learn how to...

• Shake off negative patterns of thinking and behaving so you can stop holding yourself back. Your life will be calmer and work more fulfilling.
• Gracefully navigate transitions so you feel confident in the unknown and able to handle the changes that work and life throw at you.
• Ground yourself physically and spiritually to allow radical transformation. You will look back and wonder why you didn't address this stuff sooner.
• Wield your new, portable Toolbox of Skills so you're ready to take action, make choices, and be in control of your career and life.
• Get clear about what you want and bravely take action toward making your goals real.

The Corporate Rebel Clarity U coaching group will help you put work and life on your terms. This link will take you to Christina's personal calendar to schedule a casual 30-minute chat.

We start in mid-October. There's no time like now!

You can also hit reply to this email to set up a time in the next few weeks or reach out to me privately with questions or inquiries.

Life is too short for work to suck.

With Rebel Hugs,

Christina

P.S. Are you ready to take action in your life? Let's talk! Click this link to choose a 30-minute spot on Christina's calendar. We'll talk about what's going on and whether Corporate Rebel Clarity U is a good fit.

P.P.S. Wouldn't it be awesome to do this work with your friends? Invite them to explore the possibilities by forwarding this email to them. They can sign up to chat about the group here.

Is anxiety running you? There is a way out.

Estimated read time: just under one minute

You can be free! And keep your job. At the same time.

I hear from many people that their anxiety about work runs high. The economy is bad. They've lost their mojo. They feel stuck, pigeon-holed. They don't know the way out of the rut. Does this sound familiar?

My client, Todd, was run by anxiety. He was short-tempered in meetings, and his team's performance was suffering. He believed that only a buttoned up, carefully controlled version of himself was welcome at the office. That belief was stifling his creativity and happiness, and the stress of stuffing important parts of himself was coming out sideways. The anxiety was killing him and his team.

Working everyday from anxiety is never going to get you what you want. Certainly, it affects things like your sleep and fun, but it also affects your performance and engagement and therefore your opportunities, promotions and at the end of the day, your money. Todd turned his anxiety around, and you can, too.

In coaching, Todd created practices to manage his anxiety and took risks to bring the creative, funky parts of himself to work. He got familiar with his own unique processes and strengths. As a result, Todd's anxiety was gone. He became physically active again. His team got happy and productive. He became a vital, positive contributor in meetings, and his director couldn't believe the fast turnaround.

You can learn to manage your anxiety to take charge of your life and choices again. You can find meaning and bring joy and creativity back to your day.

If you feel ready to lose the anxiety and claim your success, let's hop on the phone. In 30 minutes, we'll create an anxiety-busting, creativity building strategy that will send you back to the office transformed. Email me at christina@boydsmithcoaching.com to schedule a time with me.

I can't wait to connect.

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.

2 Secrets to Boost Your Success in Conflict

Estimated read time: 2 minutes.

Avoid conflict! Get both! (Ignore my messy bed.)

I hear from my clients that conflict makes their stomachs hurt or makes them want to pretend they never saw it in the first place.

Conflict? What conflict? Did you see conflict around here?

Among many weird things about me, one is that I LOVE conflict (so much so that I used to volunteer as a mediator in small claims court).

Are you on the LOVE it or HATE it end of conflict?

Here's some reasons I love conflict: There's creativity in conflict. There's heat. Conflict leads to cleared air, closer relationships, and more trust. Even if conflict causes separation, there's clarity in the dissolution. You're clear as you walk away and not stuck for years making up stories about what happened.

All this only works if conflict gets handled openly and strategically. Avoiding conflict isn't going to lead to more trust even though through your closed eyes and earnest prayers, you wish it would.

Here are two, actually, it ended up being three, easy to implement strategies to help turn conflict into something that works for you:

1. Shift your mindset about conflict. Start to see the creative power in disagreement. See the opportunities for ideas to get bigger and for you to learn about yourself.
2. Prioritize your relationships. When your relationships are on solid ground, they can withstand conflict. Even big conflict.
3. Find your places of alignment. Every fiber of your being in conflict wants to focus on the disagreement and on being right. (Notice the word is alignment, not agreement). Here's a light-hearted example to illustrate the point:

Say that you want to get a cat and your family wants to get a dog. Very quickly, you can end up in your respective corners taking a stand for CAT! DOG! Instead, experiment with finding where you share alignment - like having a family pet, wanting something to snuggle, maybe having a pet that feels easy to your family. From there it's easier to navigate toward a mutually acceptable solution.

Conflict is creative. Really and truly. Give these tips a try and let me know what happens!

I hope this helps.

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.