Challenge #3: Rest and Refresh

Time to read: 45 seconds to read. Doing this challenge will give you time

Welcome to week 3 of your Summer challenge!

Like last week's challenge - EAT, this week is about caring for your human body.

The research is clear. You need SLEEP.

Sleep is often the first thing you sacrifice in order to cram in a few extra emails or tend to the laundry. Perhaps you worry in the night or wake up early. Whatever is getting in the way of your sleep, do something about it.

Getting enough sleep will, quite literally, change your life.

Here are the best tips for getting good sleep:

• Stick to a sleep routine. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
• Turn off screens 2 hours before bedtime.
• Do quiet, relaxing things in the evening. It's not the time to read stressful news or argue with your spouse.
• If you feel like something physical impairs your sleep, like apnea, hormones or other health issues, talk to your doctor.

You are worth investing in your sleep and making it a priority. Getting enough sleep is probably the quickest path to more energy and less stress.

If you're already feeling refreshed, please invite your friends and colleagues to join you. All they have to do is sign up for this newsletter to be part of the fun. They can sign up here.

If you have something you'd like me to address in this challenge, please reach out. Tell me the thing you'd like to shift, and I'll add a challenge tailored for you (and you can bet others need it, too!).

Have fun getting your zzzzz's this weekend!

I Learned An Important Lesson For You

Time to read: 1 min, 25 seconds

When the cat's away, the mouse gets tattoos.

Last week, my entire family was gone. One child is away at college, and my husband and other child were chowing their way through the Pacific Northwest on a boy's spring break trip.

I was home alone.

I had no clients, no other work and only a few obligations. As I settled into house projects and time with friends I realized, it's the first time in 20 years that I have had more than a few hours to myself, free of any obligations to others or any caretaking other than our pets. This was a week to myself in my own life, so not on vacation or at a training or teaching, speaking, or coaching out of town. 20 years!

The week was an incredible reconnection to who I am on my own, without the roles I play or the services I provide to others. I didn't know to miss the aspects of myself that haven't had a chance because I'm so full with everything and everybody.

I love my everything and everybody. I love coaching. I love my family. And it was eye-opening to see all the parts of me who are there, just beneath the surface, ready to play.

I didn't do anything special or extraordinary. I relished my life. House. Friends. Neighborhood. Pets. It was more nourishing than a week or two of vacation.

So what does this have to do with you?

• Your life, as it is now, is filled with fun and joy and things you love. Find the space to see and enjoy the things that are already there.
• More of you is available, right beneath the surface of the roles you play and the people you care about and for. Make room for you.
• Get your people out, even for a day or 2, so you have some space to breathe and connect to YOU.

If you're wondering, I was happy when my people returned. It's good without them. It's also good with them.

Live By Your Preferences

Time to read: Less than a minute

In your life, you have needs: food, shelter, financial resources, companionship. Much of your daily life is driven by those needs.

Then, many of you have obligations, things you feel you must do, even if you don't want to. I've talked in the past about eliminating as many obligations as possible. Filling your days with obligations is a recipe for dissatisfaction and dis-ease.

Here's where things get exciting. What if you could live more of your life according to your preferences? Preferences are just that - things you like, things that draw your attention, things that bring you joy. For example: it is my preference to wear chartreuse.

In fact, I will choose chartreuse for just about everything. (See photo of the plants around my pond.) Will my world stop turning without chartreuse? No. Will my children starve if I don't have chartreuse? No. I just like it better than any other color. It's a preference and filling the world with something I like brings joy to my existence.

If you enjoy spending time alone, engage your preference and spend time alone. If you prefer jazz, listen to jazz. If you prefer restful evenings in front of the TV, watch TV. If you prefer blood-pumping excitement, ride roller coasters.

When you live according to your preferences, you are freer, happier, and more fulfilled.

Summer is great time to experiment with your preferences. Have fun!

Share this newsletter with anyone who needs more fun and joy! Anyone can sign up here.

The 6 Elements Of A Powerful Support System

Time to read: 1 minute, 45 seconds. It's a long one, based on an article I wrote for the Rancho La Puerta newsletter

It’s been a rough two years. As many of us learned the hard way, humans are not meant to be isolated. We are social creatures. We live in communities. We depend on each other for physical and emotional support. During the pandemic, our external support structures were eliminated or reduced – religious organizations, school, workplaces, yoga studios, the list goes on. We got creative. We prioritized our relationships and decided who was worth another hour on Zoom.

The world is opening, and we are seeing each other again. Now is a great time to think about consciously crafting your support system.

I think of support systems in 6 categories. You’ll access each kind of support for different things and look to different people to provide them. Sometimes you'll pay for expertise and other times, you'll get help from friends, yourself, or even strangers.

Here are the 6 Elements of a Powerful Support System:

1. Physical: You need people to help you carry boxes, cut your hair, and renovate a bathroom. You need physical support in the hospital or from your massage therapist. Some physical support will be intimate (a home-health nurse), and some will be casual (the technician who fixes your dishwasher). You can hire it (like movers) or receive it (like the person who holds the door when your arms are full of groceries).
2. Advice: Sometimes you need an expert to tell you what to do - like an accountant for your taxes, an attorney for your estate plan, or a mentor to help you navigate company politics. Other times, you need friends to tell you how to handle a delicate social situation or a colleague to brainstorm a conversation with your VP.
3. Emotional: When you're crying or you want to scream, you need people who will hold space for your feelings. The best emotional support never judges, doesn't give advice or solutions, and makes room for your messy humanness. You can hire emotional support like a therapist or coach or get it for free from family and friends.
4. Deep personal support is best in the form of therapy or a coach. It's the kind of support that gets under your patterns, helps you heal old wounds and points you toward the truth in your choices. Sometimes deep support feels nurturing, other times it is uncomfortable. When done well, it leads to lasting freedom and peace.
5. Spiritual: Spiritual support gives you answers to big questions, like meaning of life kind of stuff. It comes in seen forms like religious organizations, nature, therapists, coaches, and spiritual advisors. It also comes in forms you can't see like God, soul, angels, and spirit guides. A beautiful sunrise on a hike at The Ranch is spiritual support.
6. Self: You are one of your best supports. You create structures and routines to care for your body and mind like sleep, nutrition, and exercise. You provide your own emotional support by having compassion for yourself through all of life's ups and downs. You take responsibility for your choices and care for yourself when things get hard.

Do you notice gaps in your support structure? Yay! Go fill them. Is your support structure strong and balanced? Yay! You're ready to ride life's waves.

One parting thought: You are a support structure for others,

If you are one of the many people who forward these emails to your friends and colleagues, please make sure they know they can sign up for this newsletter here.

Have a great weekend!

Do This Tiny Thing #4

Time to read: 26 seconds

Hiking in the snow

This week's tiny thing is really fun.

Novelty.

Your brain thrives when you do new things. That doesn't mean that everything in your daily life needs to be new. It simply means give your brain new challenges.

Here are some ideas to jog your thinking:

• Play a game.
• Drive a new route home from work.
• Explore an unfamiliar area of town.
• Cook something you've never made.
• Read a book in a genre you don't usually choose.
• Rearrange your furniture.

Novelty exposes you to new ideas. It helps you make connections you might not otherwise make. It keeps your brain stimulated, fresh and creative.

Share your creative ideas in the Corporate Rebel HQ Facebook group. Comment or join here.

Have a great weekend.

Words To Last a Lifetime

Time to read: 26 seconds

Indiana Jones and the Bridge of Faith

One of my clients has been walking through the fire for a couple of months in order to clean up some old stuff and prepare for an exciting career move.

During our session this week, she told me how peaceful, calm, and confident she feels now. Doors are opening, and now she has the clarity and capacity to move forward. She started acknowledging me and thanking me for my help. I love a good compliment as much as anyone, and as she spoke, it became clear, she was not talking about me. She was talking about herself.

The words that poured from her were so profound, I asked if I could share them with you. Clearly, she said yes because here are her words.

"I put my faith in the person I know and the person I trust. I walked off the cliff and knew someone would catch me. I closed my eyes, put my foot out, and the bridge was there."

That is wisdom to last a lifetime.

Please email me and tell me what her quote means to you. I always love to hear from you.

Have a great weekend.

Do This. It Makes Everything Better.

Time to read: 15 seconds

My daughter recently told me that I have no "chill." I prefer to think of myself as energetic and productive. And, she has a point.

Where are you on the scale of chill to energetic?

Regardless of where you are on the scale, I have something for you to try, something highly scientific and skilled that will take weeks to master.

Ready?

Here it is.

Lie down.

That's it. Simply lie down. The couch is a pretty good place although I can also recommend the floor. Rather wonderful things happen including rest, meditation, reading, dog love, and a cat on your stomach. Oh, and you become more productive when you take a break, Who knew?!

I feel like I've discovered something under-rated among the type-As and kept highly secret among those of you with "chill." Your secret is out, and it's marvelous.

Be well. Now you know what to do with your weekend. Have fun!