When I was a kid I loved action movies and magic. I sprained my ankle jumping off a roof as a member of the Three Musketeers (not sure which one since we all thought we were D'Artagnan.) I read comic books and even wrote a fantastical story of star voyagers to mars. I had an imagination run wild....
Personal Mastery
INSIGHT: Fake It Or Make It
Every time I speak about building confidence I’m asked, “Can I fake it ‘til I figure out how to make it?” I usually ask the crowd their opinion. Vigorous discussion ensues, making my job really easy. Many have experienced the hollow feelings of inauthenticity that faking it brings, and they argue...
How to Prove Yourself Without Working Twice as Hard (for Half the Credit) When You Have Reduced Privilege
It’s both a trope and a truth that working twice as hard will help you get ahead in your career. It’s also, not surprisingly, a key assumption that under-represented leaders assume they must overwork in order to prove themselves in order to advance their careers. Talk to most women, Black people...
Keys to Success: 2 Tricks for Goal-Setting and Personal Change
Leadership, career and success gurus place a huge focus on goals as keys to success. There are tons of articles, books, videos, classes and “systems” on how to set goals, how to organize them and how to “keep” them. Entire franchises have been built on this one productivity skill. And with good...
How to Release Negative Emotions From Your Body and Mind
Think about each time you swallow a lump in your throat, swallow the words that are on the tip of your tongue in anger, or inhale deeply to keep from expressing frustration. Where do you think those negative emotions go? It would be nice if they just disappeared but they don’t. They actually get...
Giving Away Your Personal Power – And Taking It Back
Just like balancing on one foot, once you understand the feeling of InPower, it’s easier to identify when you unconsciously give your power away and can take steps to retrieve it and catch yourself earlier next time. “Taking back your power” is as simple – and as hard – as paying attention to these emotional signals and putting yourself in a genuinely positive state. Sometimes this is easier than others, causing us to learn to let go of beliefs and unconscious reactions that no longer serve us, and other times it’s really quite easy. Always it is a choice. Once we become adept at managing our own InPower balanced state, we can also practice it in the world, helping others around us attain more InPower so that the groups we lead as a whole can access more power. An InPower leader can not only foster group power, but direct it into achieving great things in the world.
This is the second post in the Take Back Your Power series of posts.
6 Tips for Staying Positive When You’re in a Career Transition
Looking for a job when you don't have one is one of the hardest things we do as responsible adults. Career transition is hard work and the biggest challenge is staying positive. Kathryn gives us some great strategies for keeping our chin up and focused until we find that perfect fit. - InPower...
INSIGHT: Intentions Solve Overwhelm
Overwhelmed? Try setting intentions. Set ONE THING as your intention to achieve by the end of the day and be satisfied when you achieve it. Do this every day. Overwhelm results from a lack of distinction. When you’re flying over the forest the gullies, fallen trees and open spaces are clear. It’s...
Stressed? Practice the Art of Saying No
The holidays are upon us and this means - increased stress! We all "know" that when things get busy we need to be gentle with ourselves and that one of our best strategies is to say "No" more often, and preserve more of energy for the highest priorities. We know it but we often don't do it. I want...
How to Find Your Purpose at Work
Work is hard work. How to find purpose in your work is a hard question. Even when you know you are doing important things, showing up to do the hard work can start to feel like a grind. Pointless. Meaningless. Joyless. I don’t want it to be this way. I want every moment of work to be joyful. ...