by Caroline Leach | Jan 30, 2022 | Work/Life
It’s Sunday night. I’m still trying to complete items on my list from last Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. It would probably take a week, with no new inputs, to work through the backlog and feel “caught up.”
Has this ever happened to you?
And what’s wrong with this picture?
What’s wrong is there’s always more that could be done than there is time available.
That’s why it’s so important to do the highest priority work first. Not getting pulled off track with the the reminder emails pinging endlessly in a variety of inboxes. But focusing instead on the activities that will move your life forward. The actions that over time can make your dreams come true.
This gives a whole new perspective on today. I did the most important and highest priority work. And even if I stayed up all night, I wouldn’t complete everything I wanted to do today.
So it’s time to tidy up my desk, start to wind down, and enjoy the rest of the weekend with a good book.
Tomorrow is a new day.
by Caroline Leach | Dec 30, 2021 | Change
The “new year, new you” hype feels a bit overwhelming at the moment, doesn’t it?
As if we’re supposed to flip a switch on New Year’s Day and completely make over our lives in an instant.
It occurred to me today, grateful to be driving around in Southern California rain, that life is pretty good. Despite Omicron. Despite the state of the world.
If we want to make changes in our lives, the best way to make lasting change is to take small steps toward it, every day.
And it’s also important to see each day as a fresh start, and a new year’s day all of its own.
Here’s to making the most of every day. And enjoying every day. Happy New Year!
by Caroline Leach | Nov 27, 2021 | Change, Leadership
Reflection ramps up toward the end of a year. Here we are, almost at the end of a second year of living with the Covid-19 virus. How are you navigating through it all?
Thanksgiving this year felt like a welcome pause, to connect with family and friends and be mindful of the blessings in our lives.
Life threw us another curve that day, with news of a new Covid variant. Called Omicron, the new variant is still elusive enough we don’t know exactly how to proceed. As if we ever did.
Reflecting on Thanksgiving 2020 gave me much-needed perspective. The LA County Health Department was just shutting down outdoor dining for restaurants, as Covid spiked in Los Angeles. It felt like a near-death knell for our family’s fledgling restaurant that opened in the summer of 2020.
A year later, though, much has changed. Vaccines became available soon after last Thanksgiving. Business restrictions eased, and the restaurant is generating momentum. Life returned mostly to normal, albeit wearing masks in public places and managing through supply chain disruptions.
Remembering how quickly a year passes and how much changes resulted in two observations. First, a lot can change in a year. Second, viewed in that context, the present truly is a present. And third, what is possible during the next year?
As the poet Mary Oliver penned: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and previous life?”
Our lives take shape in the minutes, hours, days and years.
What is possible for YOU in the year ahead?
by Caroline Leach | Oct 30, 2021 | Leadership
Momentum counts for a lot. It’s easier to take small steps toward a goal on a consistent basis, rather than starting and stopping. Jerry Seinfeld is an inspiration here. He put a big X on his calendar every day he wrote jokes. As time went on, and the X’s stacked up, there was a greater reason not to break the chain. In other words, there was self-imposed pressure to keep writing jokes day after day.
The same could be said of this blog. I’m coming up on the seven-year anniversary of this blog. (Where did the time go?!?) I launched it on New Year’s Day 2015. It began as an exploration of the future of corporate communications. As my professional life evolved into marketing and then into entrepreneurship, my blog evolved too.
What’s kept me going is not wanted to break the chain. Not wanting a month to go by where I didn’t post. By keeping this blog on the back burner but posting something short every month, I’ve kept going. And I’m ready to ramp it up in 2022. Watch for more on content on leadership, executive communication, and personal branding. Within those topics, what are your most pressing problems? What do you want to know more about?
by Caroline Leach | Sep 30, 2021 | Leadership, Work/Life
“To innovate, you need to lighten your load. Constantly.”
Thanks for that, Danielle LaPorte. Her quote appeared this week in my 2021 planner from the same inspirational luminary.
It felt like it appeared for a reason. As an important reminder. It matches a sticky note I put on my desk lamp a few weeks ago. It says, “NO is the answer.”
As I’ve been running around in an ever-escalating frenzy of deadlines and to-do’s, I stopped for a moment and reflected on my calendar.
After all, our calendars reflect our priorities.
And mine reflected some “scope creep.” By that I mean, commitments had made their way onto my calendar that didn’t match my highest priorities. I’ve been striving to be helpful, and to give back, where I felt I could. But in the process, I was – and am – depleting myself.
That’s no way to live a vibrant life.
So my default response is now “no.” Is this difficult? Yes? But it’s far preferable to have so little time that I can’t meaningfully connect with the important people in my life, or do the work I enjoy, or even get a full night of sleep.
On the other end of the spectrum, I also loved Shonda Rhimes’ book, The Year of Yes. She spent a year saying yes to things that would have otherwise scared her. There’s an important distinction, though, between activities that lead to growth, as in Shonda’s case, and activities that lead to burnout.
So for now, no is the answer. In my next post, I’ll share some ideas for how to say no in a way that honors you and your recipient.
What do you need to say no to?
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