Let's Hang Out! Announcing the Corporate Rebel Roundable

Time to read: 56 seconds. If you want to join the Corporate Rebel Roundtable now,
click here to join. (It's free!)

I'm excited to announce The Corporate Rebel Roundtable. YOU'RE the first to be invited!

At the end of my newsletters when I say, "I love to hear from you," I'm serious.

I love to hear from you.

I've been brainstorming ways to connect with you more, and I'm excited to invite you to The Corporate Rebel Roundtable.

Picture this:

You. Me. Your Corporate Rebel Colleagues. Gathered in a virtual conference room. The kind with windows and snacks and those chairs that adjust up and down (except we'll all be online).

Each month you will be invited to meet on Zoom for a live, deep 60-minute conversation about work. I'll set the topic and get us started then we'll co-create an experience of sharing, coaching, and learning.

The Corporate Rebel Roundtable is for you if...

• You want to connect with colleagues across the globe.
• You want a place to talk about issues, challenges and celebrations at work.
• You want coaching on particular situations in your workplace. You want to grow as a professional and as an individual.
• You love all things Corporate Rebel.

We start on Friday, March 13 from 11:00 - 12:00 CT. It's FREE, and you need to sign up here so I know how many people to expect. No worries if you miss it live. The calls will be recorded.

Please invite your friends and colleagues. This is an easy way for them to taste The Corporate Rebel fun. Your friends can sign up here.

I can't wait to connect with you live. See you in a couple of weeks!

Christina

Want More Possibility? Take One Minute To Do This

Time to read: One minute including the short exercise

Can you feel it?

Can you feel the subtle shift in energy?

Spring is coming. With spring, comes new possibilities for you!

In my world, it has been hard to get out of my cozy bed. People have been sick for weeks. You're tired of driving to and from work in the dark.

Today, I heard birds chirping. It's still cold, but the sun is shining. Can you feel a shift in the energy from hibernation and stillness to emergence and newness? It's exciting to feel these seeds because from them come new possibilities.

Pause right now and do this little exercise. It will take you less than one minute.

Close your eyes. Breathe. Breathe again.

Into the stillness ask yourself this question, "What is emerging for me?"

You don't have to reach for an answer. Let it simply come to you. Then write it down and get curious as you go about your day. Look for signs. Let that little seed germinate and see what happens.

Then head over to Corporate Rebel HQ to tell us all about what you saw. I can't wait to hear!

Here's a seed that's germinating for me. The thing I love most about the Corporate Rebel is interacting with YOU. I'm creating new ways for us to hang out. Stay tuned. We start in March.

With rebel love,

Christina

A Pitiful Story

Time to read: Less than one minute

Today is our last false emotion. Pity!

Oy. I'm going to tell you a vulnerable story.

I was talking with my coach. (Yes, coaches have coaches). Actually, it was less like talking and more like sobbing. I was admitting something I'm ashamed of. I started to say what a terrible person I am for having this thought when she stopped me. She said, "what would it be like to feel the feelings of shame and remorse without going to self-pity?"

Her challenge hit me between the eyes.

Ugh.

I saw the self-pity immediately and finally got how self-pity works.

First of all, it's so, so, sad, and well... pitiful.

Second, self-pity is convenient off-ramp. By taking the detour down the self-pity highway, you let yourself off the hook of your real feelings. You let yourself off the hook of responsibility.

See a pattern in the past month of newsletters?

Examining false emotions invites you to:

1. Get real. Be honest with yourself about what's actually going on so you can address it effectively.
2. Take responsibility. When you're honest with yourself, you can take ownership of what's actually happening. That may mean taking care of yourself as you feel your true emotions or it may mean being responsible for the ways your guilt, self-pity, blame or overwhelm have affected your family, friends and colleagues.
3. Be free. Taking responsibility is so liberating. You are no longer stuck behind a facade.

As a professional, why should you care about false emotions? Because they waste your time and energy. Because they keep you from being the powerful leader you are in your life and work. Because they get in the way of the impact you want to have.

You've got stuff to do and people to help and a world to change. No more hiding and playing small.

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. Do you even dare send this newsletter to someone with a note that says, "I see your self-pity and thought this would help!" Or, "I know xyz situation has been hard for you. I thought you'd enjoy this quick read." You might change someone's life. They can sign up to join us here.

P.P.S. February is the perfect time to review 2019 and plan for 2020. Reach out if you'd like to explore an intentional plan for 2020.

Blame Others? No, Not You....

Time to read: Less than one minute

More false emotions. Today is blame!

You know this one, especially how it feels when you are blamed.

Blame can be obvious - like when you blame the IT department for the slip in the deadline. Or blame can be more subtle - like blaming traffic when you're late for an appointment.

Regardless of how you slice it, blame creates tension and wastes energy in your workplace and home.

Blame is a false emotion. It is a handy mechanism you use to hide from responsibility. You are the author of your life. You create it all. (Yay ownership!) So, when you find yourself stuck blaming others (your mother, your boss, the government, the neighbor), do these things:

1. Ask yourself. What am I trying not to be responsible for? What am I trying to get away with?
2. Be brave. Responsibility takes courage. It's vulnerable to look deeper and find your ownership.
3. Take responsibility. This is the action step. What do you need to do to be transparent, honest with yourself and perhaps change a few things.

Here is an example:

You are late for an appointment because traffic was insane. You blame traffic for your lateness. Without any self-judgment or a blame pile-on (of yourself), look at the situation. Perhaps you were dragging your feet because you didn't want to go. Or maybe you let your overwhelm prevent you from properly planning the time it would take to get there. Places to consider taking responsibility: Perhaps you said yes to something when you wanted to say no. Perhaps you have let your schedule get away from you. What can you do to take responsibility for those things? What can you change?

(In fact, this example is happening to me right now. I put off writing this newsletter until this morning. I have a tea date with a friend and I'm going to be late. My responsibility? I'm making a choice to do this newsletter at the expense of being on time. I will be honest with her about what happened and apologize. I'll vow to stick with my goal in the future to write my newsletter by Tuesday night. See how this works?)

Next week: self-pity.

Remember: Getting honest with yourself about the shield of false emotions will free your time and energy for better relationships and more productivity! It's worth the effort to build your awareness and take ownership.

You've got this!

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. Know someone who loves to blame? Oh yes. This is a popular one. Forward this newsletter them. They can sign up to join us here.

P.P.S. January and February are the perfect time to review 2019 and plan for 2020. Reach out if you'd like to explore an intentional plan for 2020.