I can't tell you how many conversations a day I have with people where they've missed their "intended impact" in a conversation, on a project, in communicating with their team, or with their partner. Nor could I tell you how many conversations I have with people who are feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, desiring more balance, desiring more, dissatisfied with...something. And, though it's slightly easier to quantify, I can't tell you how many conversations I have with people who want more; who want to do more; want to do it better; want to create greater impact; and who want to influence others more effectively.

I also could not tell you how often people think that in order to do all of this, something OUTSIDE of themselves has to change - something external - and that they're dependent on this "external thing".

What I can tell you is that experiencing these scenarios, desires, and challenges is the most natural human thing in the world. In my experience we all deal with these in one way or another; it's also where great growth and finding out who we are occurs. And I can also tell you there are 4 ways I've discovered that quickly help people "get in front of it" and even recover when necessary. Practiced pro-actively they can change your life and your leadership presence.

ONE: Two of the most foundational and secret remedies to all of the above is in how well you take care of yourself; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and in how well you are internally and externally aligned (integrity anyone?) To me, these two secrets work together.

TWO: Your biggest place of power is not in waiting for something OUTSIDE yourself to change, but rather working your challenge from the inside out; looking at where you may be contributing to your own challenge, and what you might do about it. Powerful.

THREE: How well you they set yourself up for success through your environment and physical practice, will have a huge impact on how well you'll deal with the above challenges, or even better, on how well you'll "get in front of it", so that those challenges are either non-existent or quickly remedied.

FOUR: When you do feel off center, lost, or overwhelmed, the quickest way to get back to center is literally to get quiet, to be present, and to come back to your quiet "center of truth". And to breathe. Who you are, what's important, what you KNOW to be true, and what you want will bring you home. Your breath doesn't lie. Your inner self wants to be heard. Breathe. Listen. And then to move from there.

Overwhelm, fatigue, miscommunication, plain old tough days, and external circumstances out of our control are all going to happen. How we pro-actively engage with the 4 secrets listed here will make a monumental difference in the quality of how quickly we recover and how often we even get there in the first place.