How To Create Your Landing Pads

I talk a lot about being "more than your career," but what does that actually look like? 

1 thing I usually bring up in this conversation is creating your Life Pie.

3-5 sections of your life (ex: work, family, health). Can be what it currently looks like or what you want it to look like.

But what you're actually creating when you have more pie pieces than just work are "Landing Pads."

Landing Pads are other places to get our happiness, support, worth, identity, and more.

My favorite Landing Pads have been

• Journaling

• Close friends

• Working out

• My business

These are no longer just hobbies, habits, or "things" on my calendar.

They're Landing Pads!

So if you're contemplating whether to…

• Start that podcast

• Pickup the journal

• Go to the event to meet new people

• (Insert anything you’ve been meaning to do, but haven’t)

…don't think of these just as hobbies, habits, or "things" to add to your calendar.

These are Landing Pads you're creating for yourself!

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I'm on a mission to help new college grads create "Landing Pads" for themselves!

My Post Grad Guide To Being More Than Your Career is available now.

3 Ways A Morning Routine Impacts Your Career

Let's throw out all the traditional reasons to have a morning routine for just a second.

If you're a 9-5 worker, here are 3 reasons why a morning routine actually matters:

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1) When you get the Sunday scaries about work on Monday…

You have your morning routine of journaling or working out planned so you can wakeup for YOU instead of work

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2) When you have a rushed morning…

You have an Anchor Activity, something you do each morning to pause & checkin, to slow down and decide who you're and who you're going to be.

(A quick & easy Anchor is 5 deep breaths in the car before stepping into work)

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3) The person you show up as at work determines if…

• People are going to trust you in a business aspect (more likely to trust a calm & collected person vs. a rushed & scattered person)

• Want to be around you in a people aspect (the calm person is more approachable than the frantic person)

So how do you build these into your morning routine?

1) When picking what to do in the morning, ask yourself,

• what is something easy you could do for 1-5 minutes to ground yourself (this is your ANCHOR)

• what do you crave

• what would you do in the morning if you were on vacation (yes you can do that now, minus the beach)

• what's something you want to do that you're too tired after work to do

2) To get rid of the rush

• Once you have something planned that is worth waking up for, you're more likely to get out of bed

• Attach your Anchor to something you already do, like brushing your teeth

• Time block your morning so you have checkin points of when you need to move onto getting dressed or making breakfast

3) Use your morning routine to push your career forward

• Journal or walk to get clarity & manifest where you want your career to go

• Do something besides work to take the stress & pressure off of working determining your worth & happiness (I call this "diversifying your happiness")

3 Essential Routine Shifts To Make If You Want To Pursue New Interests & Be More Than Your Work

If you're an ambitious 20-something, you may have reached the point where you want to do more than work, scroll social, and drink with friends.

How do you pursue other interests and expand your identity? 

(Especially when we're stuck in our ways and too tired from work to do anything else)

3 Essential Routine Shifts To Make If You Want To Pursue New Interests & Be More Than Your Work

1) Do something for yourself BEFORE work

There's something about waking up for yourself vs. for work.

Establish some kind of morning routine, like walking or reading, so you choose you before work.

2) Journal about things you're curious about

If you haven't journaled before because you don't know what to say, answer the question, "what am I curious about?"

Start listing those things out.

If you find yourself thinking about 1 more than others, that may be the thing to research more or start pursuing.

Pro tip: do this at the time of day you feel the most creative or expressive (ex: morning vs. night).

3) Change your default activity AFTER work

 If your default or go-to after work is sitting on the couch, maybe change your default to a walk or workout class.

 Decide the night before what you're going to do so you remove decision-making after work, making you more likely to do it.

 Also makes you consider what your other "defaults" are in life. It can be a good reflection point if you’re proud of the life you're living.

3 Ways To Create Work/Life Balance As A Remote Worker

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I remember reaching my breaking point.

I once got so frustrated with work, I didn't want to even bring my phone into my bedroom.

Not charge your phone next to your bed what?

But I needed a break.

Because nowadays, work happens everywhere.

• The gym

• On a walk with the dog

• At dinner with grandma

• While laying in bed

When we give our attention to an email or chat message, we are bringing work into that space.

So if we want work to stay at work and be present for our personal lives, we need to think about WHERE work occurs.

3 ways to create work/life balance as a remote worker:

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1) Identify a Command Center

This is the designated spot where you work, and nowhere else.

This allows you to keep work in 1 spot so you can be present for work and then be present for your life in other spaces.

For most of us, our Command Center is our desks, but work often spills over to the couch or kitchen where our personal lives occur.

Identify a Command Center.

Or look at it in the opposite way, identify "no work zones" in your life.

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2) Signify a starting and ending of work

This allows work to not occur at all hours of the day.

Signify the start by:

• Going to your command center

• Opening the laptop

• Changing clothes or putting shoes on

Signify the end by:

• Leaving your command center

• Putting the laptop in a drawer

• Changing into other clothes

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3) Remove work notifications from your phone's home screen

Don't need to remove the apps from your phone, but turn off the notifications from your home screen.

That way you get to choose IF and WHEN you check email and bring work into that space.

You decide what has your attention vs. someone else deciding for you.

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If you want or need to be accessible at all times, then yes work occurs everywhere.

But not being accessible at all times doesn't make you a bad employee.

It makes you an intentional one.

Just comes down to who you want to be.

A worker or a human who happens to work.

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If you want support and accountability with keeping work at work, let’s chat!

I open up a few 15-min spots on my schedule each week to chat with people about their habits and work/life balance!

Feel free to grab completely free :)

3 Ways To Make Time For Reflection Before Work

In 2018, I thought my 30 minute commute to work every day was going to be the biggest waste of time. 

Looking back, those were some of the most valuable moments of my early 20s.

The biggest thing I discovered:

Time for reflection isn't important, it's ESSENTIAL

It's the a moment to say to myself "here's who I am and who I want to be" so the world doesn't end up deciding for me.

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3 ways making time for reflection ended up impacting my life:

1) I decided I was going to start blogging vs. be the person who falls into scrolling social every day after work.

2) My go-to at a social event was going to be a mocktail vs. everyone else ordering cocktails so I could manage my anxiety better

3) I was going to have business AND a full time job vs. the following the entrepreneurship measure of success of "getting out of your job as fast as possible.”

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I'd like to say I intentionally found the time to reflect, but I kind of fell into it with these long drives.

If you haven't found reflection time, 3 ideas for you:

-The drive to work

-Journaling before work

-Taking a walk before you sit down to work from home

Those 30 minutes could be the difference between you vs. the world deciding who you're and who you're going to be.

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If you want help in making time for reflection, let’s chat about it!

I open up a few 15-min spots on my schedule each week to chat with people about their routines!

Feel free to grab completely free :)

12 Step Checklist To A Calm & Productive Schedule

I made a 12 step checklist to a calm & productive schedule that I keep coming back to.

For the past 4+ years, I’ve studied morning routines & time management diligently and the amount of information can be overwhelming.

So the Time Management Checklist was born:

1. Identify the person you want to be

   Who do you want to be? How do you want to show up. Present, calm, someone with boundaries, responsive, etc.

2. Do the Life Pie exercise

   Split your life into 3-5 pieces (ex: health, family, work). Get really clear on what these are. This not only determines where your time is spent, but where your happiness is coming from.

3. Time block

   Take your pie pieces and time block where they’re happening in your week. Example: family time happens after work, workout time is in the morning. If it doesn’t have a time block, it’s probably not happening.

4. Aligned with what you crave

   Is your schedule aligned with how your body/brain operates? If you brain works best in the morning, maybe that is the time to work on that dream business. If your body has the most energy in the morning, maybe that’s the time to workout. This limits the amount you’re FORCING yourself to do something.

5. Beginner mode

   Is your schedule set to beginner mode? Do you have habits or things on the schedule that feel manageable and sustainable, and won’t lead to burnout? For example: if you normally wake up at 7am, but tell yourself you’re going to start waking up at 5am to workout, you’re going BEAST MODE instead of BEGINNER mode. First try waking up 15 minutes earlier and then work your way up so that 5am becomes a lifestyle change, instead of a short term goal.

6. Wind down time & activities

   It takes longer than we think to get our brains to shut down for bed. Instead of having a bedtime, have a wind down time 1-2 hours before bed to get your brain to slow down. That could include not working, leisurely reading, or journaling. Anything that prepares you to be ready to sleep when bedtime comes around.

7. Sleep buffer

   The goal isn’t to rush in the morning, so why rush out of bed? Here’s your permission to give yourself a sleep buffer or 15 minutes to leisurely wake up. This is also a good benchmark if you’re someone who continually hits snooze.

8. Rest days

   This is scheduling unscheduled time. This is time to reset, relax, or maybe get caught up on something that didn’t get finished this week. Creating more flexibility and rejuvenation in your schedule.

9. Special spots

   This is designating a special spot for each thing you do. Where do you work? Where do you sleep? Say your Special Spot for work is your desk. That means your desk is where you go to focus on work, and maybe not scroll social. Likewise, that means work doesn’t occur in bed. The purpose of this is designating a place you can be fully present for what you’re doing, and your brain can easily switch into the mindset it needs to be in.

10. Phone settings aligned

    Are your phone settings aligned with the person you want to be? Are they aligned with your Special Spots? For example, if you want to be present, maybe you limit the notifications popping up on your home screen. Or maybe work emails only get checked at your desk, and not when you’re at the gym.

11. Routine options

    Give yourself options for routine so you’re more likely to do it. For example: you could have a go-to-the-office morning routine that is a little shorter, and a work-from-home morning routine that is a little longer. It doesn’t need to look exactly the same every day and you can give yourself options.

12. Anchor activity

    Have an Anchor Activity for yourself, or something you do for 2-5 minutes each morning no matter. This could be journaling or taking 5 deep breaths. The purpose is to show up and check-in with yourself. It doesn’t always have to be all or nothing when it comes to your morning routine.

Reminder - you don’t need to integrate all of these at once.

Pick 1 that resonates the most right now and start integrating into your schedule.

I have the full 1-pager checklist if you want to download & save for later!

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Need guidance on which 1 to get started with?

I open a few 15-min spots on my schedule each week to chat with people about their morning routine & schedule (for free)! Feel free to grab one before they’re gone :)

You're More Than Your Career

When I was 22, I wish someone had told me you’re allowed to be more than your career.

It was pounded into my head to do everything to get THE job.

Thankfully, I got it, but then what?

I remember dragging myself out of bed every morning to commute to my first job thinking…

“I think there is more than this”

I wanted to be:

• Healthy

• Seek out new interests

• Live an exciting, well-rounded life

I didn’t really have anyone around me showing me this.

So I had to take action for myself!

• I started with healthy habits like journaling and morning routines.

• I explored interests like strength workouts, yoga teacher training, podcasting, blogging, etc.

I started to feel in control of my life!

The biggest mindset shift that got me there?

Things can co-exist if you want them to!

• Career & side project

• Business & relationship

• Health & career

When I started believing this, I found:

• Doing my side projects made my career better

• Not escaping my job allowed me to grow my business authentically

• I could wake up for me, instead of for work

• Pursuing my interests led to finding people who had the same interests

At 22, I wish someone had told me…

• You’re more than you think

• Things can co-exist if you want them too

• You’re the designer of your life

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I wish I had someone to show me what was possible, so hope to be that for whomever needs it!

If you want someone to talk through pursuing your interests, I have a few spots on my schedule this week available! Feel free to grab completely free :)

3 Ways I’m Finding Calm In A Hard Work Week

To my friends who are in the thick of a hard work week and looking for some relief…

Right there with ya!

This is when I tap into my learnings from the past 4+ years studying how to create a calm morning and schedule!

So here are 3 ways I’m finding CALM in a hard work week:

1) Strategically protecting my energy

2) Remembering I’m more than my career

3) Having an Anchor & prioritizing it

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Here are the details:

1) Strategically protecting my energy

Most of my time and energy is being spent on work, so really not trying to drain myself even more.

A few ways I think about doing this:

• Limiting the number of things going on after work

• Less multi-tasking, focusing on doing 1 thing at a time

• When being a sounding board for co-workers, know your limits & when negativity is affecting your energy

Don’t worry - this doesn’t mean you can’t do it all or are weak; you are just trying to show up your best during a hard time :)

2) Remembering I’m more than my career

Sometimes work needs to be THE thing right now, and that’s ok!

But I like to remind myself I’m more than my work, and my happiness & worth comes from multiple places:

• Family, friends, dogs

• Cozy home

• Exercising

• Hobbies/interests

PRO TIP: highly recommend doing the Life Pie exercise of identifying the 3-5 sections that make of your life, and seeing the many parts that make up you :)

3) Having an Anchor & prioritizing it

An Anchor Activity is something you do for 2-5 minutes in the morning before work no matter what.

Some favorite Anchor Activities my clients and I use:

• Journaling

• 5 deep breaths

• Stretching

• Writing down 3 things you’re thankful for

• Setting the 3 priorities for the day

In the busyness of it all, it’s a chance to say to myself…

“I am here and this is who I am”

…before the rest of the world gets to influence you.

And by prioritizing this day after day, you slowly become the calm, strong person that is ready to take on the day!

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If you feel like you need some relief now and want some help getting healthy habits to stick in your schedule, here to chat about it!

I can direct you on where to start in a quick 15 min phone call! Let me know if you want a spot on the schedule this week :)

5 Ways To Setup Your Calm & Productive Work From Home Life

1 blessing many of us have is the flexibility to work from home.

But if we don’t think about HOW we are using the flexibility, it can actually lead to more stress and less focus throughout the workday.

Here are 5 ways to setup your calm and productive work from home life:

1) Build a Command Center
2) Make your Command Center a “no social zone.”
3) Create a transition between meetings
4) Put the laptop to bed
5) Have a morning routine before the workday starts

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Here are the details:

1) Build a Command Center

Pick 1 special spot in your home where work happens.

I call this your “Command Center.”

This is where you go to focus, become a powerful decision maker, and fully be present in work.

Mine is my desk in my office!

Yes, the couch or bed can be nice sometimes, but these are usually our sacred resting spots, so consider keeping them that way.

2) Make your Command Center a “no social zone.”

Decide what happens and doesn’t happen in your Command Center.

For me, 1 of my biggest distractions is my phone!

Therefore, I try to make my Command Center a “no social zone” where I don’t check social or respond to texts.

Instead, I get up to do these things, making for the perfect break between meetings.

BONUS: I also use this mindset for my desk when I go into the office!

3) Create a transition between meetings

When we have back to back meetings, it can be tough to be present for each and easy to get burnt out.

Try to create a transition between meetings.

That could be:
-Taking 3 deep breaths to ground yourself for the next meeting
-Getting up from your Command Center to take a break
-Getting a drink of water or petting the dog

This can create calm throughout the day and allow you to be a more sound decision maker as you go into the next meeting.

4) Put the laptop to bed

If you want to mark the end of the workday, consider putting your laptop “to bed” or away in a drawer or backpack.

This creates a:
-Stopping point for the workday
-Starting point to be present for the rest of life

Consider how easy or hard you want to make it to “jump back on & answer 1 more email.”

If you want to create calm & boundaries, putting the laptop to bed can be a helpful tool.

Also a good marking for the start of the workday the next morning!

5) Have a morning routine before the workday starts

If we want to live that calm life, it starts in the morning!

Start the day taking care of you so you can be your best self when you show up to your work/Command Center.

After all, who decides how you live your life, you or your work?

⭐ Reminder: you’re worth getting out of bed for!

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If you want to create your ideal morning routine that transitions nicely into your workday, let’s chat!

Feel free to schedule a free 15-min call to chat morning routine or time management coaching.

3 Ways To Become The Person Who Shows Up Calmly To The Meeting

If you think about the past few meetings you’ve had, what type of person were you?

Person 1:

Rushed to the meeting, showing up late because the last one ran over, still thinking about the last meeting, trying to remember what this meeting is about, you see your phone blowing up with notifications that haven’t been answered

Person 2:

Showed up relatively on time, ready to go over the agenda, feeling present, will check phone when meeting is over so you aren’t distracted, feeling good because you aren’t frazzled and ready to make decisions with a clear mind

A lot of us are person 1, but want to become person 2.

How do we go from rushed & frazzled to calm & collected (even when there is a lot going on)?

3 things to think about:

1) Create a transition

Let’s admit…

The efficient person in us likes to schedule meetings back to back.

And while it may look like the back to back meetings fit nicely on our little calendars, it can make us feel rushed and frazzled.

I challenge you to create a transition between the meetings.

• If possible, put a buffer time between meetings

• If that doesn’t seem possible, before you walk into a meeting, take a breath or go to the bathroom

Create some type of transition that allows you to collect yourself.

This can be the difference between you showing up frazzled vs. calm, collected, and viewed as sound decision maker.

2) Silence notifications

When we have back to back meetings, it can be hard enough to be present, let alone what our phone is doing.

I challenge you to ask yourself…

“How can I be as present as possible?”

That likely includes silencing your notifications or not looking at your phone during meetings 

The pings and dings distract us from what is happening right in front of us.

Who knows, you could miss putting your input into a decision because you weren’t completely present for.

Show up in a way you can be proud of!

3) Morning grounding

If we start the day running around frantic, we are kind of setting the tone for the rest of the day.

BUT if we start the day feeling grounded, clear-minded, and confident, that could spill into the rest of the day.

Create some type of morning grounding.

Some ideas could be

• Journaling

• Walking

• Meditation or a few deep breaths

Time to collect your thoughts, decide how you want to show up that day, and have a moment of peace.

We all know we may not get it the rest of the day.

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If you’re feeling like you’re just rushing around all day everyday, you don’t have to live that way!

Let’s chat about morning routine or time management coaching and make the calm, collected version of you come to life!

I Was Running Away From My Day Job

Marten Bjork

I remember graduating from college, starting my corporate job, getting about 3 months in and thinking…

there has to be more than this.

There has to be more than commuting to work, sitting at a desk, and then commuting home.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked my job and I was thankful to have it.

I also knew that as I started my adult life, work couldn’t be the only thing in my life.

That is when I started creating wellness content, exploring yoga, and a bunch of other hobbies for the first time.

It was the 1st time I could see that I could be more than my day job.

It was the 1st time I could see myself becoming a complex, multi-faceted human-being.

It was also the 1st time I started running away from my day job.

Around that time, I started following a lot of creators and entrepreneurs on social media and listening to their podcasts.

For the past 3-4 years I’ve been consuming their content constantly because I felt like they had this similar mindset that there was more to life than the corporate job.

After years of being immersed in this, I noticed that my definition of success had shifted to being to get out of my day job as fast as I can and do something else to make money.

I started running away from my day job. Like a full out sprint.

I wanted to get out of there as fast as the amount of time I perceived it taking for other people.

Of course, I perceived them doing it quickly and easily, so I often have to remind myself that I’m probably only seeing their highlight reel and not necessarily the blood, sweat, and tears that went into building their side business.

I knew I could get to the point of starting a side business, but I realized I haven’t been utilizing a key superpower I have to get there.

That superpower is my day job.

Adam Grant explains in his book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World that some of the most successful entrepreneurs have stayed in their day job during the first couple of years of their side business.

Staying in their day jobs made them more likely to take risks and be creative in their side businesses because they had their day jobs as a financial and emotional safety net.

I had this epiphany that if I want to do hobbies or start side businesses, I don’t need to be running away from my day job. I need to be using it as a superpower.

It is an asset that can help me move forward instead of holding me back.

I pride myself on being a multi-faceted person and I was reminded that it means accepting all sides of yourself, including the day job part of me.

When I shifted the way I looked at myself and my life, things started to change.

I started making bigger strides at work.

I was taking more action on my hobbies and potential side businesses.

I became more present in the things I was doing and people I was with.

Instead of running away, I needed to meet myself where I’m at in order to move forward.

What I Learned From Changing Jobs for the First Time

Christin Hume

I’ve talked to many of my fellow mid to late twenty somethings who have reached about that 4 year mark of working.

No matter if they love or hate their current job, a common conversation that comes up is if or when they should switch jobs.

I just changed jobs for the 1st time and here are some things I learned in the process.

Part 1: Leaving Your Job & Finding a New One

You will know when the right time is to leave.

You hear that most people only stay in their 1st job for about 2 years. As that 2 year, 3 year, 4 year mark approaches, it's hard to not consider the other options out, especially if the job market is hot.

So when is the right time to leave?

I contemplated for a long time switching jobs, and then one week it became blatantly obvious to leave based on things that started changing personally and professionally. It smacked me right in the face.

I think we feel pressure to make a job switch, or at least explore it, but you will know when the right time is. Keep observing and trust yourself.

Keep LinkedIn updated.

I got in the habit of updating my LinkedIn every so often with new projects, responsibilities, and what city I was living in.

I didn’t do this for the purpose of looking for a new job, but it became a game-changer in the process of finding one.

I got reached out to by a recruiter who saw the city I was living in and what I had been working on, and that is how I got my new job.

It isn’t always going to happen that fast, but updating your LinkedIn gives you the opportunity for it to happen.

Do your research.

The application process is very different from the first job we took right out of college. Now we have a few years under our belt and a lot more leverage.

I had no idea what to do with this leverage, especially when it came to salary expectations.

I talked to some close connections, did some research, and realized I may have more leverage than I thought. One site that was eye-opening to me was salary.com.

Don’t count yourself out and do your research.

Ask HOW the work is done.

In the process of interviewing, don’t just ask WHAT work you will be doing, but HOW you will be doing it.

What systems and processes are in place? What are the daily tasks needed to push the needle forward? How do teams interact to get the job done? How open are they to change?

Then asking yourself, is that how I want to be doing things and is this a culture I could see myself in?

You could like the idea of what you’re doing, but understanding HOW the new company does things could help you make an educated decision on if you want to take the job.

This is a big deal.

If you’re looking for a new job, you’re about to change the thing that you probably do for 40 hours a week. It will probably change your routines, maybe where you’re living, and/or the trajectory of your career.

This isn’t to scare you, but I say this because I don’t want you to settle. Don’t settle for a job change that you aren’t excited about. Make sure it checks all or most of the boxes.

Go with your gut; you usually aren’t mad that you did.

Part 2: Starting the New Job

You go from being an expert to a beginner.

I’ll admit, I kind of forgot about this when I changed jobs.

Even if you’re going into a very similar field that you were in, every company is so different and does things in different ways.

This can be a super uncomfortable process so be ready and open to it. I have had to put my student cap back on and be open to learning.

Come from a place of curiosity instead of judgment.

I knew going into a new job that I first needed to learn the business before I jumped in and said “here are all the things that need to be changed.”

It is also easy to assume that whatever you learned in your first job is the “right” and “only” way to do things.

This mindset doesn’t keep us open to a new perspective or really learning the business.

Therefore, I’ve found it important to come from a place of curiosity instead of judgment. 

We can not love the way something is done, but there is a method to the madness that people do.

Heck there may be people I encounter that have been working in the industry longer than I’ve been alive. They know the ins, outs, and upside-downs.

I’ve found asking why something is done, instead of just shutting it down completely, is key to being able to jump in effectively and respectfully to improve processes.

Ask for support.

Once I got into the new job, I knew I needed to seek help to make the growing pains less painful.

The people who know your job really well, as well as the people you feel like to can personally connect with and vent to.

Hopefully support is offered to you in your new position, but if not, seek out who the experts are on the subject or the company, and ask all the questions you can. 

People could be giving you more credit than you feel like they should and think you got it together.

I’m not the best at asking for help, so I have to remind myself often that people won’t know I need support unless I tell them.

Celebrate where you’re at.

In the middle of the growing pains, someone reminded me recently of the resiliency that you’re building.

You’re learning in a different way than you’re used to and that makes you acquire new skills. Each new skill you acquire only makes for more tools in your tool belt for the next challenge you face.

It is important to celebrate this new career milestone and that you have challenged yourself to go to the next level.

Give yourself credit for that.

Is There A Healthy Amount of Not Caring

Brett Jordan

I’m definitely a perfectionist, a go-getter, and sometimes I just care a little too much.

I’m trying to figure out, what is the healthy level of not caring?

When there are a lot of problems at work, at what point do I just have to let it go and try again the next day so I can enjoy my evening?

When I don’t get the positive response I was hoping for from the video I posted or work presentation I made, what is the healthy amount of taking feedback, but also not taking it personally?

When my face doesn’t look as clear as it usually does like it does today, how do I not let this thing I’m self conscious about stop me from feeling confident going places or posting videos like I do?

I think there are 3 questions that can help give myself permission to care a little less.

Am I being considerate of others and following through on the promises I made?

Most of the time you probably are, so you aren’t letting anyone else down.

Have I done all the things that are in my control?

Most of the time you have and that means we gotta let the things out of our control go.

Does this 1 thing that is making me upset determine my overall happiness or keep me from moving forward?

This is the question that helps me let go a little, take care of my mental health, and find gratitude in the things that are bringing happiness to my life.

You Can Be More Than Your Day Job

Antonio Gabola

So what do you do for a living?

It is a common question to ask and feels like a safe question to ask someone when you first meet them.

But this is actually one of my least favorite questions.

It is one of my least favorite questions not because I’m not proud of my day job, but because I want people to know that there is more to me than my day job.

You see, for the past 3 years I’ve played in 2 different worlds.

I work in corporate supply chain as my day job, but outside of work you will find me devoting my time to my wellness blog.

However, I’ve never really felt like I’ve fit into either world completely.

I don’t feel like I fit into the typical corporate world because I have this creative and entrepreneurial mindset that I feel like I have to tone back sometimes.

I don’t feel like I fit into the wellness world because I haven’t gotten to the point (yet) where I have a business or I’m making money from it.

I’ve felt the need to pick 1 or be 1.

But maybe I don’t need to pick 1. Maybe I don’t need to pick 1 lane or the other, but I can create my own.

I’ve been realizing that creating my own lane is what could make me stand out in both lanes.

I can bring my creative and entrepreneurial mindset to the corporate work setting, and I can bring my strategic and operational skills from my day job to the entrepreneurial, wellness space.

I need to own the lane I’ve created for myself.

For me, this has been taking small steps like…

The “about” page on my wellness website says “wellness writer and corporate supply chain analyst.”

Along the same lines, my LinkedIn says “wellness writer” along with my day job title.

I can embrace all sides of me and not be 1 person somewhere and another person somewhere else.

When you create your own lane, it may seem like you’re trying to do everything or be everything.

But it really means you’re just getting really clear on what YOU want to do.

When we decide to create our own lane, we decide what our time looks like.

For me, that looks like early mornings and late nights of blogging, with my corporate day job inbetween. Maybe not typical, but it is what has worked for me.

When we give ourselves the permission to create our own lane, we can start doing the things we actually want to do, and it can lead us to our version of a fulfilling life.

Does Work Affect Your Mental Health or Does Your Mental Health Affect Your Work?

Liz Fosslien

The other day I got into a dilemma.

Someone at work messaged me if I could meet at 4pm tomorrow to discuss a project with some upper-level leadership.

I looked at my calendar and saw I had a virtual therapy session scheduled at that time.

I was torn. I knew I really needed this therapy session due to some personal and work things going on, and appointments aren’t the easiest to come by.

I also knew that we did need to have this meeting soon and I’m not necessarily one to say no to upper-level management. Work, however, does have a protocol to only have meetings between the hours of 9am-4pm, and only have meetings after hours if it is absolutely necessary.

So I asked myself, is this considered “necessary?”

It was a true test of boundaries and work/life balance.

It made me start to consider, is work or mental health more important here? Does work affect our mental health or does our mental health affect our work?

What should we be taking care of first? Maybe it is a “chicken or the egg come first” situation where you could argue both.

There have been times where work has been so frustrating or demanding, and has required early mornings or later hours where it does affect my mental health. And I know I am not alone in that.

When I talk to some of my friends, I am thankful for my situation because they’re working very late nights, weekends, and sometimes on their paid time off. Many of them say a requirement for the next job they get is to have something with more work/life balance.

On the other side of the coin, there have been times where my mental health is not in a good place where I can’t bring myself to be present at work and put in the level of effort and attention that is required for it. I know I am not alone in this too.

Especially with work from home, our personal and professional lives are tied together more than ever. Lack of sleep, family obligations, the covid uncertainty, and overall mental health issues that many people are experiencing can affect our work.

So what should truly come first, work or our mental health?

I think you can be devoted to both and have a balance, but it requires setting some boundaries, which is not always easy. Maybe it also requires caring less about work. Sounds crazy, but stay with me.

In Liz Fosslien and Molly Duffy West’s book, No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, they have a whole chapter on caring less about work.

One excerpt says:

“‘Be less passionate about your job’ doesn’t mean ‘stop caring about work.’ It means care more about yourself. It means carve out time for the people you love, for exercise, and for a guilt-free vacation. It means remind yourself that few people look back at their lives and wish they stayed at the office until 10:00PM.”

I’m someone who has trouble not caring, but much of their book shows you it is possible to be committed to your work, but not sell your soul to it, and still succeed.

Liz Fosslien also has these wonderful and witty illustrations in the book, so if you’re going to read it, I recommend getting the actual book instead of listening to the audio version.

So what did I end up doing with this dilemma I was presented with?

I was transparent with the meeting organizer that I would not be able to attend the meeting because I had a therapy session during that time and appointments are hard to come by. I told her that I will see if I can get it moved to another time and let her know if I would be able to attend the meeting.

I was kind of nervous to say this. I wonder if I would have been as transparent about it if I didn’t have a relationship with the meeting organizer or knew her to be an understanding person. I know at the beginning of my career I would not have shared this.

She came back to say she totally understood and to keep her updated.

A few hours later, I found out from my therapist that something opened up at a different time, so I was able to go to both my therapy session and the meeting that day.

Now things ended up working out for me this time, but I know it is not going to work out like that every time and sometimes I’m going to have to choose between work and mental health.

It makes me think though that whatever action we take now will set the precedent for what others will expect from us in the future.

If we say we will cancel our therapy session to attend the after hours meeting, then others will expect you to do that in the future.

If we respond to emails and chat messages late at night, then others will expect that from you in the future, and maybe even new team members or people that report to you will think that that is the expectation.

If we take care of our mental health so much that it fuels us to go above and beyond in our jobs, then others will expect that from you and build trust in you.

So what comes first for you? Mental health or work? Maybe it depends on what is going on for you personally vs. professionally, or how your company is approaching things.

Let me know in the comments or send me an email how you or your employer is balancing this.

You can get wellness resources like this in your inbox every week! Drop your email here!

3 Ways Journaling Can Help Elevate Your Career

Unsplash | Damian Zaleski

When we think of journaling, we may think of it as a place to process feelings or ideas that we have. It is a very personal process and the words we write aren't usually shared with others.

The thing about journaling is that what we do behind closed doors affects what we do when we open the door to the world. We can use journaling as a tool to help us understand who we want to be and what we want to do.

This can include in our careers. Journaling about our feelings or ideas about our current or future careers can help us show up in the way that we want to.

Here are 3 ways journaling can help elevate your career.

When you have a big meeting or hard conversation coming up, journaling can prepare you to present concise points confidently.

There can be a lot of anxiety leading up to a big meeting or hard conversation. Journaling can be a place to let all the feelings out.

Letting that out can give you a clear head and get you ready to take on whatever may come.

When it comes to preparing for a big meeting or hard conversation, you can journal out the key points you want to get across. This can keep you on track and away from using too many filler words.

You can think about what kind of tone you want to speak in, as well as the tone you want to respond to people in.

Most importantly, journaling this out can give you the confidence that you're capable of delivering the message and the vision of the meeting or conversation going well.

When you’re facing a tough decision or reoccurring problem,  journaling can encourage you to take action or change your perspective on it.

Sometimes we let decisions or problems sit on the backburner for a little, which can be good for processing them. However, if we let them simmer too long, often things will boil over and create a bigger mess either for us emotionally or externally.

If you're facing a tough decision or reoccurring problem, your journal is a safe space to let the feelings out. If you find yourself writing these feelings out day after day about these decisions or problems, it becomes clear that not much action is being taken.

Journaling can help you switch from being problem-focused to solution-focused. If the decision or problem is still bothering you, you can brainstorm how you could take action on it. If things are completely out of your control, you can decide if and how you're going to change your perspective on the situation.

Your journal is a space to diligently work through your decisions and problems and possibly lead you to a more fulfilling and successful career.

When you are deciding the next steps in your career, journaling can help you get clear on what you need to be doing & who you need to be talking to.

Journaling is a great place for a brainstorm session. Whether it is a bunch of jumbled sentences of a bulleted list, your journal is a great place to let out all the ideas, even the ones that may feel crazy.

If you're contemplating the next steps to take in your career, your journal is a great space to brainstorm all your ideas. Maybe you want to grow on the team you're on.  Maybe you want to move to a different department in the company you're at. Maybe you want to take a totally different path. Get all the possibilities out there.

As you brainstorm, you can start seeing what becomes appealing to you. You may also start figuring out what career moves might best fit with your interests, compensation expectations, family-life, etc.

Once you have an idea of what you're aiming for, you can gain some clarity on what you need to be doing and who you need to be talking with to help you get there.

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