What's the first thing "green light" makes you think of? Is it that song by Lorde? Is it playing "Red Light, Green Light" as a child? (Or, watching the famous sequence in Squid Game?) If you've worked in the Learning and Development space, is the GreenLight learning management system (now called Rival Learn)? (If so, let's swap stories, haha) Or, is it the online status indicator on Slack, having your productivity measured by how much you stay green and Slacktive instead of by your results, and dealing with presenteeism at your workplace? Have you ever returned from a break to a message like this? "Reader, are you working today? I noticed your light was off." If your status light on Slack or Teams gives you stress, I feel for you as I've been there, too. If you are or have ever been in a workplace that's not designed to encourage your best work, it can be incredibly draining - so much so that we can hardly muster any reserve energy to give ourselves the time or space to find a solution. Because there isn't any time or space and that's why we're burned out! A different green light Perhaps you didn't associate "green light" with any of those other things, even the status light (and if you didn't, that's great!). Maybe you distilled it to what's at the root of all of those things: the green light means "go". On side streets, where there are no traffic lights, there are of course no "go" signs because "go" is the default. You might instead see a lot of stop signs. Is there something you'd like to change in your life, even something small, or a problem you haven't been able to solve? Does the distance between current you and desired state you feel impossibly far? Along the roads of your mind, as you think about what might stand between your life now, and the life you really want, how many stop signs (things you feel hesitant about), or full on roadblocks (blockers you can't seem to solve) can you find along the way? Some of the stop signs and roadblocks, you didn't put there. In the case of roadblocks, some you can't remove. But, can you find a creative way around them, even if it's difficult? Do all the roadblocks make it truly impossible to reach your destination? Or, will they just make for some more interesting detours along the way? Happy traveling, Cee P.S. I know it's been a long time since I've written to you. I'm not sure how regularly I'll be writing again, but as always, I aim to only share things that add value. However, if receiving my newsletter no longer serves you, please feel free to unsubscribe and give your inbox some breathing room - I won't be offended! If you don't remember me or would like to learn more about what I've been up to, the best way to do that is to reply to this email. I'd love to hear from you! My website is intentionally down right now as I am very slowly working on a brand refresh. However, my Kit profile is still up, and you can reread some of my writing there if you're interested. ​ |
Inspiring entrepreneurs and career changers to build work and life around their energy, authenticity and values.
Life is a grand adventure and a chance to write an exciting and memorable story uniquely our own. You might know that in my story, I have been somewhat of an explorer charting my own path. Maybe that's your story, too! Did you know that part of my story includes being a game designer? I've designed all kinds of events and experiences, but games are among my favorite kinds of experiences to create. Playfulness is something that comes naturally to us when we're very young, and then life tends...
Remember, you have permission to do all of these things. Have you granted that permission to yourself? 1. Not have the answers. It's better to be honest, both with yourself and others, and say you don't know. Don't be like ChatGPT and just make something up. It's okay to sit with the discomfort of not knowing. If the answer can be easily found, commit to looking it up and responding later. It's also okay to delay an answer until you've had time to think about it. 2. Not be okay. We are...
Does change feel impossible? When was the last time you imagined a bright future but quickly dashed your own hopes? With curiosity and without judgment, take a moment to explore why. What comes up for you? Conversely, when was the last time you had hope? When was the last time you felt motivated to take action toward a goal, even if you weren't sure the goal was entirely possible? What was different about that from the impossible future you stopped yourself from believing in? When we want to...