Take Action!

Time to read: Action! Action! Action! 46.5 seconds

Today a client (let's call her Jane) told me she was waffling about sending a text to a neighbor to hang out after a frustrating day at work. She wanted the company and feared she was bothering her neighbor or asking for too much. She swallowed the second guessing, sent the text, got an instant "yes!" and enjoyed a glass of wine and her neighbor's companionship. She felt better after a hard day.

What I love about this story is the action orientation. Jane didn't analyze why she was afraid to send the text. She didn't succumb to not sending the text. She simply sent the text and got a result.

Action produces results. Guaranteed.

• You can plan to share a new idea with your boss. Sharing the idea will generate feedback, additional ideas, and energy. Even hearing "no" will generate energy.
• Joining a new club will instantly lead to new relationships and experiences.
• Applying for a job will create an updated resume, interview planning, and momentum even if you don't get the job.

Action leads to more action. On and on it goes.

So, make the call, book the trip, send the email, sign up for the class, say the thing. You'll be glad you did.

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!

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.

Feel Pressured By Ever-Increasing Demands?

Time to Read: 51 seconds to the middle. 1.5 minuets all the way down.

Hey Rebels,

A new client told me that she almost never leaves the office before 9:00 at night because it's the only time the fire drills and constant interruptions quiet down enough for her to work on strategic initiatives. One day she left at 6:00 and noticed with horror that it had been weeks since she had left the office in daylight.

Standing in the sunshine, she realized her strategies were not sustainable physically or mentally and that working "harder, faster and longer" is not yielding the results she wants for her work and life. She decided then and there to make a change.

You may not stay late at the office, but do you check your email as soon as your children are in bed? When was the last time you went to the gym? Or hung out with your friends? Are the hobbies that bring you joy a distant memory? Is Netflix all the energy you can manage in the evening? (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Game of Thrones. And for all you stickler's out there, I know it's on HBO.)

If you've been reading my emails lately, you know where I'm headed.

Life is too short to allow your job to burn through decades of your life.

I told my client that the secret to a calmer, saner, happier work life isn't in finding better strategies to organize your day. You'll find calm and fulfillment by shifting the foundation on which you work - your beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and structures that inform your day and your relationship to your job (and so much more).

If you're curious about how to completely change the way you work in order to be calm, productive, and wildly successful, consider chatting with me about the Corporate Rebel Clarity U coaching group. You can schedule a 30-minute spot here.

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 October you will learn 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'll talk about what's going on in your life, develop a solution or two, and determine whether our group program is the right next step.

You can also email me at christina@boydsmithcoaching.com to set up a time in the next few weeks or reach out to me privately with questions or inquiries.

Seriously, you spend more hours at work than anywhere else. Don't let those hours suck.

With Rebel Love,

Christina

P.S. Are you ready to change the way you work (and as an added bonus, thrive in all aspects of your life)? Let's talk! Click this link to choose a 30-minute spot on my 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 here.

What's the Common Denominator In Your Stress?

Time to Read: 1 minute, 38 seconds (maybe two minutes if you read every detail to the bottom)

Hello Rebels!

In my late 20s, I got a PhD. While writing my dissertation, I ate at strange hours, stayed up late, and became crabby and unreliable to my friends and loved ones. Once I graduated, I ran from becoming a professor. I never wanted to repeat the pattern of behavior that burned me out so thoroughly.

So, I went into business. The corporate world was a great fit. I loved the stimulation and the people problems in my HR and Compliance roles. Then the company got acquired, the industry was being overhauled by the government, and I was involved in creating a significant cultural change in our sales and marketing practices. I was staying up all hours and became crabby with my children and unreliable to my friends. I quit and vowed never to take another corporate job because I was exhausted and burned out. (Hmmm... Are you seeing a pattern yet? At the time, I didn't.)

So, I got retrained as a coach and started my own business. I was my own boss, could set my own hours, and determine my own priorities. Three years into my coaching business, I launched a big project and became crabby and unreliable and once again, burned myself out so thoroughly, I literally had to lay on the couch for a week.

At that point I was like, "wait… a… minute. I'm in my own business. I can do things however I like, and I'm still burning myself out. Damn it. The common denominator is me."

Insert wake up call.

Can you relate?

Do you see a pattern that you repeat again and again even when you are sure that changing the circumstances (job, marriage, location, weight) will fix it? Maybe you don't see the pattern, and you simply find yourself stuck in the same situation over and over.

Personal experience taught me that changing the circumstances fixes it for a few months or a couple of years and then you find yourself watching the same movie and wondering how it happened again.

I've spent the past two years diving deep and developing a sense of self worth that is not founded in my production and external success. I've learned tools and developed a relationship with myself and my purpose that is grounded in trust, joy, and fun. I've learned to work differently. I get just as much done. (In fact, frequently, I get more done.) I just don't go to burn out anymore. It's wonderful.

It's time to share all this learning and these tools with you.

Anne and I are excited to announce an exciting new group coaching program, the Corporate Rebel Clarity U.

This group is for you if...

• 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.

Starting in early 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.

We'd love to chat to see if The Corporate Rebel Clarity U Coaching Group is a good fit to 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'll talk about what's going on in your life, develop a solution or two, and determine whether our group program is the right next step.

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

christina@boydsmithcoaching.com

annelippin@gmail.com

We'd love to work with you. Truly.

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 my calendar. We'll talk about what's going on and whether Corporate Rebel Clarity U is a good fit.

P.P.S. We are hosting the Corporate Rebel Clarity U Coaching Group online so you can participate from anywhere in the world.

P.P.P.S. Invite your friends to join you. Simply forward this email to them. They can sign up to chat here.

A humbling look behind the scenes!

Estimated read time: 2 minutes

The official production studio for the Corporate Rebel Series (note the requisite Nerf blasters and penguin audience)

The Corporate Rebel Series is finally on its way! Alleluia, praise baby Buddha, thank you, universe!

The truth is I feel so vulnerable having this series out there that I can hardly breathe.

Today, I want to pull back the curtain to show you what it's been like on the inside so you can see that:

1. I struggle with the same things you do.
2. You can see what's possible when you face your fear, make a commitment to something big, and keep moving.

Sound like a plan?

First, the Corporate Rebel Series required me to face my fears.

In order to create this series, I had reach out to people I didn't know and ask them to be part of it. (Even for an extrovert like me, this was terrifying.)

I spent 2 weeks hitting send on email after email (139 to be exact). There were people who seemed so big and so important, I couldn't bring myself to contact them. With the encouragement of my friends, I finally did. Many of them said yes! (Amazing people like Ann Betz, Dr. Ron Friedman, and Henry Kimsey-House are part of the series.)

After 39 emails and 5 live conversations, the next hundred got easier.

Second, this project has required me to stretch beyond what I thought I was capable of.

I had to figure out ethernet, learn to edit videos, conquer YouTube, and handle Skype glitches. (I'm no tech wizard.) I had to stay focused so my children continued to get to school and our dog got walked. I even managed one tea date with a friend and talked to my husband on occasion.

Then there was the &%#@$* opt-in video (the one on the sign up page. You can see it here). I've never done anything with video and certainly, nothing that was going to be public. I recorded about 100 takes, took the feedback from my coach, and did 100 more.

And then as soon as the #$&%*$ video was live, one of my best friends called to say it "sucked." After wondering for an hour if I should get a new best friend, my BFF and I re-recorded the video and now it feels like me.

Know what I discovered? I can handle the technology. I can put a video into the world. I can plunk a huge project into an already full life and still keep the wheels mostly on the bus.

Third, working on this series has forced me to let go of any illusion of perfection.

There are a couple of glitchy interviews. A broken link in an email? Yep, have that. Hair sticking out - got it. Dog whining at the door during an interview? Yes, that, too. Sucky opt-in video? Check!

Action over perfection is the mantra that got me through. (Feel free to steal that one.)

Fourth, I had to face rejection.

People declined to participate. I survived.

Fifth, the Corporate Rebel Series has reinforced that the world is a good place, people are generous, and all you have to do is ask.

Putting together this series has been like a giant scavenger hunt. Even the most famous experts, the ones I was afraid to contact, are lovely, normal people. They are thrilled to help and to be part of something that supports our mutual mission to make the world of work better for the people who go there everyday.

I have been surrounded by guardian angels who share their feedback honestly and love me enough to tell me the truth.

Their generosity has been inspiring.

The Corporate Rebel Series has grown legs. With each speaker, an ecosystem has developed of people who care deeply about the work we do and how we can bring heart and sanity to our workplaces. Now, the series is running on its own and the audience is gathering.

A number of people have asked me where this is headed. The truth is, I have no idea. At this point, I'm along for the ride and having a blast.

And I'm ready for a few more tea dates.

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.