Do This Tiny Thing #5

Time To Read: 26 seconds

The days are short. It's dark at 5:00 where I live. The holidays are coming. The tiny thing #5 is perfect for this time of year.

Mindfulness.

You might also call it focus.

The point is to bring yourself into the present moment. Pause. Rest your brain. Clear your thoughts. Tap into energy and awareness that is bigger than your day-to-day. From that place, you gain surprising insights, clarity, calm and sometimes even clear direction forward.

Add a tiny mindfulness practice into your day without any expectations. Here are some ways to do this:

• Start your day with a pause. Even if it's only 5 minutes.
• Stop a few times during your work day and simply sit quietly.
• Try out a meditation app. Deepak Chopra has a good one. I use 10% Happier. Others like Calm or Headspace.
• When you do things (cook dinner, write an email, talk to your parents on the phone), do only that thing. Give it your full attention.

This tiny thing is like a balm for your brain.

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

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.

Do This Tiny Thing #3

Time to read: 26 seconds

Have fun moving

Today's tiny thing is move your body. I find when you use the "e" word (shhh….exercise), many people get all gummed up with joining a gym or how many years it has been since they did or how out of shape they are. A blanket of self-judgment gets layered on the lack of movement, and you have a recipe for doing nothing.

Lift the judgment, find the fun and simply choose a tiny way to move your body.

Here are some easy ways to get started:

• Take the stairs. This one is so easy it's a cliche. Because it works.
• Go for a walk at lunch.
• Clean your house.
• Get out in your garden.
• Dance around the living room to your favorite song.

When you feel the physical and mental benefits of moving your body, you'll want to do it more. When that happens, keep going!

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

Have a great weekend.

Do One Tiny Thing #2

Time to read: so short. Time to do the thing: 7-9 hours

My favorite!

Welcome to tiny change #2. Sleep.

Sleep is a crowd pleaser. You love it, right? Research shows that we are chronically sleep-deprived as you squeeze one more hour of productivity out of the day or stress keeps you awake at night.

You can easily make one tiny change to your sleep routine to promote longer and more satisfying sleep. You already know how much better you feel after a good night's rest so the ROI on sleep is obvious.

Here are some ideas:

• Go to bed one hour earlier. Or 30-minutes earlier. Or 15 if that's all you can manage.
• Try a sleep meditation. I like the 10% Happier App. Calm is another good one.
• Spray your pillow with lavender oil.
• Try a weighted blanket.
• Experiment with time to wind down in the evening. Put down your phone an hour before bed. Read. Do quiet things.

In terms of bang for your buck, getting enough sleep does wonders for your mood, focus and ability to get things done.

Tell us all about your tiny sleep action in the Corporate Rebel HQ Facebook group. Comment or join here.

You know what you'll be doing this weekend! Have fun.

Do This One Tiny Thing #1

Time to read: 32 seconds. Time to do the tiny thing: 0

Breakfast!

Hey!

Here at the Corporate Rebel, we prioritize ease. My clients's lives are full so their coaching efforts must deliver the biggest bang for their buck. For the next 5 weeks, I'm going to share 5 fundamental strategies to help you get big results from small changes.

I invite you to make one tiny change each week in each of five areas. When you do, your efforts will add up and lead to more calm, energy and clarity.

Here's the first area: Nutrition.

Food = fuel. You already know everything there is to know about nutrition. Now it's time to make one small change in your eating habits to support your energy-level, focus and productivity. (Think about how hard it is to get stuff done when you're hungry.)

Here are some suggestions:

• I used to "forget" to eat lunch. A couple of years ago, I committed to eating lunch every day.
• Drop one cup of coffee.
• If you're not a breakfast eater, try eating a little breakfast.
• Add a salad to your dinner menu.
• Add a piece of fruit to your afternoon snack.
• Think of the next five weeks as a little mini-challenge (with a break for Thanksgiving). Make one small change each week. Easy peasy.

You'll get a big bang for your buck.

If you have a minute, post your action to The Corporate Rebel HQ Facebook group. Comment (or join) here. The simple act of sharing your commitment with others ensures your accountability and success.

Have a great weekend!

Want More Opportunity?

Time to read: 26 seconds

Toggle Back and Forth

Hello!

Here are things I regularly hear from new clients:

• "I've been promoted to a big new job and feel under water."
• "I feel stuck in the same old, same old and am not sure how to move forward."
• "I'm excited about my new role and am not sure what to do."

I see a predictable pattern in careers whether you are a vice-president, business analyst, academic, entrepreneur, or teacher. Your growth as a person and your career opportunities toggle back and forth.

• When you take on a new role, your development has to catch up.
• Once your capacity expands, new opportunities appear.

On an ideal career path, you know when your role has grown past your capacity (and it's time to build more) and when your capacity has grown beyond your role.

I'm sure you've worked with bosses whose growth stalled after a promotion and never grew effectively into leadership. These folks become ineffective and frustrating leaders.

You probably also know people who stayed too long in a role that was too small for their capacity. These folks complain a lot, become "over cooked," and burn out.

Self-awareness is key to avoiding either of these extreme and undesirable outcomes. Take a look at your career today. Are you in a capacity building phase in order to stretch into your role or are you starting to feel itchy to expand your opportunities?

Knowing where you are will help you invest your time and effort wisely to get the outcomes you want. Managing this toggle will keep your career in balance and keep you on a path of momentum and fulfillment.

Make sense?

Have a great week!

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.