The Positive Energy Workplace

CONTAGIOUS CULTURE, CONTAGIOUS YOU...

Who would have thought we’d be in a CONTAGIOUS PANDEMIC just four months after the release of CONTAGIOUS YOU (the follow on to CONTAGIOUS CULTURE)? Or even deeper in that pandemic -- amongst hundreds of other hard things that challenge our energetic and leadership contagiousness and way of being -- just eight months later. Or after I'd written a book call THE LEADER YOU WILL BE...

I'll write another post about the experience of this year with these books, and the divinity and gifts I can see in all of it (now). And in the meantime, I wanted to offer some extra guidance and support in engaging with this work right now as we navigate pandemics, politics, natural disasters, social injustices, massive tension and ambiguity, mental and physical health trauma, upcoming holidays, and more, and as our leadership, self-care, and positively, usefully, and healthy contagiousness become even more important... 

Navigating this year has been tricky -- I know I'm not alone. The range of emotion I experience, almost daily, is like nothing I've ever felt before -- a mix of personal feelings, empathy for what's going on, feeling the collective energy and emotions on our planet right now, and ambiguity galore -- combined with a lack of control of so many big things -- creating an incredible amount of global anxiety. It's a lot. 

I've started this post four separate times this week. Each time I've started, I've gotten distracted. A stressed text from a loved one. Increasing smoke and decreasing air quality from the fires throughout California. Notice of a medical emergency. A news alert on my phone, (almost always followed by getting sucked into social media)...

Whatever the case (and this seems to happen more and more frequently), my previously energized and focused brain, after any of these (or a combination of the above) -- shuts down. And all that "ready to engage, ready to write, ready to whatever, zoom zoom!!" energy goes... kaput. 

I've got to say, this last month -- not to mention this whole year -- has been a... "doozy." Pandemics, politics, wildfires, hurricanes, more violence, unrest, and racial injustices, people and businesses I love changing forever, people hustling and finding new meaning in ways unknown before, distance learning, sending my son back to school and the multiple levels of tenderness that go with that, not to mention the death of someone near and dear taken far too soon and attending a funeral during a pandemic -- outdoors, amongst the smoke, with loved ones in tear-stained masks, six feet apart... It feels like every week brings a new level of intensity, darkness, and grief, but also lightness, grit, and grace... 

I'm considering starting up a podcast or some kind of weekly "live" on Instagram or LinkedIn (possibly both for the different platforms, email or DM me if you have a preference). We're currently exploring what feels congruent and most useful for people and, in the meantime, I'm playing with the content and pathways that work best for the two groups. My intention, of course, is to make it as simple, useful, and easy as possible for all.  So we've been experimenting...

One thing for sure -- regardless of the platform you're on -- is the challenge, dance, and journey of self-leadership, self-care, self-partnership, culture creation, relationship navigation, and the things that make us all human together.

One of those human things? The feeling of being "stuck."