I’ve noticed a misleading habit we often have when we initiate a change.

We often start by noticing a problem. So far so good, this is what our brains do – scan the environment for a problem.

The natural follow up reaction is – “what would it look like if this wasn’t a problem?” And here again, that’s ok.

Sometimes it feels like there is a razor edge between peak performance and total overwhelm.

I'm grooving along in the pleasant hum of a full, engaged life. Then I look up (it usually feels all of a sudden) and life has become chaotic and almost out of control - a “how am I going to get to tomorrow in one piece?!?” kind of affair.

Speaking from personal experience, if you've been spending the last 10 to 20 years trying to be good grown up than this suggestion might be a little bit tricky for you.

Have you ever been caught up thinking that you need to:

• Share something helpful or wise?

• Come up with a new, creative idea?

• Provide gems of insight or inspiration?

Turns out asking great questions is important (helpful, insightful, innovative...) than having great answers.

You may already know that in addition to being an Executive Coach, I'm also certified as a mindfulness meditation teacher.

Although I love the impact meditation practice has had on my life, I am the first to admit that meditation is not for everyone.

Am I the only one in total awe that there are just so many interesting topics in the world!?!?!?

I am sharing an excerpt of my summer reading list today because the length of my list mostly doesn't stress me out but I feel typing it all out would really just stress us both out and that's not what I am after.

Have you noticed any changes in yourself or the people around you as we ease our way into summer?

Confusion like this used to seem deadly serious. Now that I see it for what it is, it makes me giggle. 😊

Are you confusing yourself about anything right now?

We typically respond to unpleasant situations with a familiar stream of mental acrobatics.

One common theme is – "how do I fix, change, or control this so it doesn’t happen again?"

Another common theme is – "I don’t have control, so how can I get rid of my bad feeling about it? Can I ignore it? Complain about it? Numb out and forget it?"

It’s a little embarrassing, and sad, to discover the entitlement at first. But ultimately so freeing to be out of the fantasy and back here in reality about the way things really are.

I was recently catching up with two different friends who shared that a big source of work from home fatigue and frustration was that most of the day was spent in meetings.

This was a familiar frustration for me in executive and leadership roles.

Lots of things drain our energy. Unfinished business, pending tasks, and unmade decisions - to name a few.

I’m a firm believer that we can increase our energy and enthusiasm by cleaning up the energy leaks in our lives.