Grief is perhaps an unknown territory for you. You might feel both helpless and hopeless without a sense of a “map” for the journey. Confusion is the hallmark of a transition. To rebuild both your inner and outer world is a major project.   - Anne Grant*

Photo by Steve Laswell - Trinity Church Parish House in Boston

My most recent “major project”, to use Anne Grant’s phrase, began on a Friday afternoon August 31, 2007. It was Labor Day weekend so our offices at the radio station were pretty well vacated.

As Station Manager of Spirit 102.3 I had scheduled an appointment with our VP/Market Manager to discuss a few programming matters … or so I thought.

Within the first couple of minutes I knew something was up, I just didn’t know what. Instead of discussing my agenda, the conversation quickly turned to the 2008 Budget. Corporate wanted substantial cuts; my future became the real agenda; my position was being eliminated.

To say I was in shock is no exaggeration and aptly illustrated by my question: “Are you telling me I’m not coming back on Monday?”

Indeed, I would not return on Monday.

I would go down the hall and pack my office and call Rita for a ride home; “my” company car was a company car.

My exit would be without the opportunity to say farewell to my team and people I truly cared about. No punch, no cookies, no farewell party for the “people person”.

Shock and awe does not overstate my emotional response.

Yes, I appreciated the assurance given that it was not a performance issue.

Yes, I appreciated the helpful severance package.

Still, I was treated like a piece of machinery, not a piece of humanity.

Last Wednesday was the Fourth Anniversary of that Friday-afternoon, end of this chapter, broadcast radio Story; that fast-track ended.

While reflecting on this part of my Story, I identified 4 steps in my response to that sudden jolt. Perhaps you can identify with my “shock-n-awe” chapter along your journey … here is what I did:

1. Breathe

When something surprising and upsetting comes, we experience shock; distress, numbness, or fear are indeed normal as the new reality sets in: I’m not coming back on Monday!

Oxygen is a grace gift from our Creator, it not only keeps us alive physically, it helps create space so we can think and helps quiet our heart and mind … a good thing for such times.

Breathe, don’t panic, “It’s just business.”

2. Forgive

Forgiveness is about freedom, our freedom.

Intellectually, I knew it was “just business” but emotionally it felt personal. So this is where a 10 year relationship brings us? This is how we will write the ending chapter of our Story?

Forgiveness is required for the other truth: it is more than “just business”.

How about some respect for the human being? No opportunity given to connect with my colleagues, direct reports, and friends; yes, friends. And, what about my sacrifices for the company?

While we could agree to disagree on the business decision, how I was “handled” was personally painful. Only forgiveness would keep from that self-limiting box and by God’s grace I escaped.

3. Create Space

Given the shock of this event, I was not prepared to make any quick decisions. As reality settled in, September was declared a sabbatical.

Sabbaticals are those designated times away from work usually for research, study, or travel and often with pay; that’s what I needed and was fortunate enough to have.

Within a matter of days, a lot of life was on the my calendar:

• my 53^rd birthday on September 4
• our sixth grandchild, Max, was born on September 5^th and required a few days in the NICU
• my wife Rita’s birthday, September 7
• our 31^st Wedding Anniversary, September 12

Thinking of September as a sabbatical released me to set October 1 as the date I would start working on “What now?” … which is what I did.

Creating space is critical to our ability to experience personal growth and continued success along the journey. It is vital to our ability to find our way and gain perspective after a sudden jolt.

4. Connect with others

I’ll never forget Lucy’s call. She was a consultant for our company and called as soon as she learned of the decision. She simply said “I believe in you.”  Thank you, Lucy and others who called over the days ahead.

(Note to self: when inclined to ignore news of someone’s jolt, move toward the person, it will never be forgotten and your call will make a difference.)

It’s not what we say; it’s that we care enough to call that matters.

These four steps – combined with my faith in God and my commitment to journal – helped me move forward into a life-changing transition bringing me to this spacious place I now enjoy as an executive coach.

What is your “sudden jolt” story?

How do you relate to these 4 steps?

What did you do to get through your “shock and awe” moment?

Please comment below.

*Anne Grant was a Scottish Poet; 1755-1838

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My informal LinkedIn survey indicates the language of “Work-Life Balance” doesn’t work for most people when it comes to “balance” in life.  

My concern, as an executive coach, is about helping leaders achieve greater life-success with less stress.

So, I’ll leave the corporate responsibility to others like Texas Instruments.

TI made Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list (2009).  Working Mother Magazine named them one of its “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” for the 14th consecutive year.

According to their Corporate Report, Texas Instruments work-life programs encompass flexible working options including flex time, compressed work weeks, part time, job sharing and telecommuting, as well as options to reduce stress and ease personal life.  

There’s nothing new here, but Career Builder conducted a nationwide survey to look at the pressure on today’s worker and indicators of work-addiction.

More than half of workers (52%) reported they put in more than 40 hours a week. Fourteen percent (14%) work more than 50 hours. Thirty-one percent (31%) bring home work at least once a week; one-in-ten (10%) bring home work at least every other day.

For a quarter of workers, it’s difficult to leave the office behind once they leave for the day.

• 24 percent of workers reported that when they’re at home or out socially, they’re still thinking about work.
• 19 percent often dream about work.
• 16 percent stated that most of their conversations – at work, home or out socially – always tend to focus on work.

Extended workdays and an unwavering focus on business while at home are taking a toll on family relationships.

• 22 percent of workers reported they don’t have time to pursue personal interests because they say they’re always working.
• 15 percent reported that they would rather be working than at home.
• 12 percent said the amount of time spent on work is causing friction with their family.
• 9 percent are more concerned about approval from their boss than their family.

Workers reported increased stress levels and health complications tied to pressures at work.

• 51 percent of workers reported their workloads have increased over the last six months.
• 27 percent have not taken a personal or sick day in the last few years.  (Emphasis added)

It sounds like many people are growing tired of living “out of balance”; it’s hurting important relationships and the health of our work force.  

Last week I initiated this conversation after a client coaching session and a recent request by a Director of Talent Strategies & Recruitment to address the topic. It remains my intent to offer a new model to help us think about “work-life balance”. 

The Wall Street Journal picked up on this tension in their article: “New Model for Work-Life Balance on Wall Street?”  Nick Leopard, 30 and Andy Blechman, 27 have formed a company called Accordion Partners that hires out experienced investment bankers by the hour.  Why?

Flexibility…appeals to a younger generation that rejects the Wall Street ethos that work means sacrificing a personal life. “Right now, we’re getting a ton of buzz from people that have been at the banks five years and want a change,” Blechman said. (Emphasis added)

Again, my focus is to support individual personal growth not advise corporate policy.  Remember who is responsible for how you live life, define success, and conduct your relationships?

What about “Life Harmony”?

(If you missed the introductory post it may help if you read it now.)

Life Harmony is a new model for “work-life balance”.

Life Harmony is about how you write your story…how your story fits into The Story of your self, your family, your community and co-workers (work).  

Life harmony happens as we interweave our roles, responsibilities, and relationships into a single narrative and…like it.

What guides the making of music?

Music continues to support our exploration of “Life Harmony”.  If you missed seeing the YouTube last week it will take 2 minutes now.  It is a powerful illustration of the new “Life Harmony”.

Now, how does that happen?

The relative duration of a musical note is the “value” given it.  There are whole notes, half-notes, and quarter-notes; there are more…even a hundred-twenty-eight note (that’s short and fast!)

The actual writing of music is known as notation:

It is the written expression of music notes and rhythms on paper using symbols. When music is written down, the pitches and rhythm of the music is notated, along with instructions on how to perform the music. (Emphasis added)

Music is created when the value of the notes is performed; including the sound of a distinct pitch, quality, and duration whether vocal or instrumental. Such an arrangement of notes can lead to a pleasing combination of sounds: harmony.

Creating “Life Harmony” (new “work-life balance”) is also supported by our assigned values.  

What’s that worth?

That’s the question - How much to do I value this…?

When something is important it has great value or worth. Whether “work-life balance” or “Life Harmony” knowing and living our values will help.

When was the last time you reviewed your values? 

How well is your life guided by your values? Where do you see conflict?   

Here is a coaching exercise to help you with this, simply click and print your copy NLEC Value Worksheet. 

Our values help guide ”Life Harmony”.

How is your “work-life balance” affecting important relationships and your health?

How can you tap into your values to create Life Harmony? What’s “one thing”?  

Wednesday I bumped my appointment for reflection to have an early morning meeting.

Photo by Omer Unlu

Thursday I bumped my appointment for reflection to apply a second coat of stain to a table we’re refinishing. Urgent, you know.

After that 90 minutes of my life (never to be recovered) was spent on e-mail; of course that allowed me to jump from one really important blog to another.  

Not only did I miss-direct the use of my time, I lost that personal growth opportunity that comes from consistent reflection on the story; the journey.

Transformation Takes Time

Today, you and I face forces that oppose the transformation of our lives and 3 words come to mind: pace, distractions, and information overload.  
Of course, there are others.

Pace – a client failed to show up for an appointment last week in large part because she has so much going on.  The pace of life has her running hard…I even text message confirmed the night before!

Distractions – that refinishing project snagged my attention from a daily appointment set aside to support my pursuit of continuous growth. 

Information Overload- e-mail keeps piling up and all those hyperlinks lead me like a bird following a trail of grain until the snare captures my time and some of my life.  Yes, productivity is affected.  Yes, I’m responsible. Yes, there is an appeal to my immediate interest…no, not what is  primary.

Transformation is about experiencing a change in ourselves, usually seen in behavior.  Personal growth and development takes time.  The pace of life, those distractions, and the information overload all seek to hinder the process of growth.

Growth is about becoming more mature.  For this to happen we must create space…time and place to tap into resources that support personal growth.

Creating space allows us to discover the truth found in our story. Truth brings freedom.

Information and Immediate Interest

The current level of information available is off the charts.  What does the access to information using the Internet look like?

In the month of June, according toThe Nielsen Company, the average U.S. Internet use, combined home and work includes:

• 56 Sessions/Visits per Person, per month
• 89 Domains Visited per person, per month
• 2,430 Web Page Views per person, per month
• 56 Seconds. . .the average time an American spends looking at a Web page

That last statistic is amazing…56 seconds!

How do you think this is impacting you and the ability to process information?  How is the Internet impacting your practice of reflective thinking and writing required to experience transformation?

Division of Attention

What is happening to our ability to focus? To concentrate?  Once again, how are pace, distractions, and information overload affecting your productivity, your creativity, your performance?

“To be everywhere is to be nowhere.” – Seneca

My concern: all this information is scanned and skimmed without a depth of reflection.  What happens when you jump from one post to another? Chase one article after another riding the “Hyperlink Xxpress”? 

Have you ever spent 30 minutes speed reading blogs and not have any idea or re-call about what you just read?

Information without processing is like a cloud without rain.

Nicholas Carr is the best-selling author of The Big Switch writes about technology’s effect on the mind in his new book, The Shallows – What the Internet is doing to our Brains.   His recent Saturday Essay, “Does the Internet make you Dumber?” appeared in the Wall Street Journal where he notes:

…a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the Net, with its constant distractions and interruptions, is also turning us into scattered and superficial thinkers.

The picture emerging from the research is deeply troubling, at least to anyone who values the depth, rather than just the velocity, of human thought. People who read text studded with links, the studies show, comprehend less than those who read traditional linear text. People who watch busy multimedia presentations remember less than those who take in information in a more sedate and focused manner. People who are continually distracted by emails, alerts and other messages understand less than those who are able to concentrate. And people who juggle many tasks are less creative and less productive than those who do one thing at a time.

The common thread in these disabilities is the division of attention. 

What we seem to be sacrificing in all our surfing and searching is our capacity to engage in the quieter, attentive modes of thought that underpin contemplation, reflection and introspection. The Web never encourages us to slow down. It keeps us in a state of perpetual mental locomotion.

It is revealing, and distressing, to compare the cognitive effects of the Internet with those of an earlier information technology, the printed book. Whereas the Internet scatters our attention, the book focuses it. Unlike the screen, the page promotes contemplativeness.

Reading a long sequence of pages helps us develop a rare kind of mental discipline. The innate bias of the human brain, after all, is to be distracted. Our predisposition is to be aware of as much of what’s going on around us as possible. Our fast-paced, reflexive shifts in focus were once crucial to our survival. They reduced the odds that a predator would take us by surprise or that we’d overlook a nearby source of food.

To read a book is to practice an unnatural process of thought. It requires us to place ourselves at what T. S. Eliot, in his poem “Four Quartets,” called “the still point of the turning world.” We have to forge or strengthen the neural links needed to counter our instinctive distractedness, thereby gaining greater control over our attention and our mind.

It is this control, this mental discipline that we are at risk of losing as we spend ever more time scanning and skimming online. If the slow progression of words across printed pages damped our craving to be inundated by mental stimulation, the Internet indulges it. It returns us to our native state of distractedness, while presenting us with far more distractions than our ancestors ever had to contend with.  (Emphasis added)

As an executive coach I am privileged to support my client’s efforts to create space for reflective thinking and writing.  The result?  Transformation…changed behavior, improved performance, increased results. 

What’s that worth?

If you’ve read my stuff before, you know what I say: 

The best predictor of sustainable success is your ability and willingness to learn and change achieved through consistent reflection on truth found in the story. 

This disciplined approach to life pays big in transformation and improved performance.

What else would hinder transformation of our lives?

Based on the reality of “The Battle for Personal Development” what steps are you taking to create space for reflective thinking?

How are you managing the pace, distraction, and overload potential of our day and technology?

Please comment below; I’d love to hear from you. 

Who might you share today’s post with?

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Last week’s article started this conversation which is really about

Photo by Wyscan

 managing our lives and constant change. 

This story about being “always connected” continues and will continue as we seek to find and maintain balance, effectiveness, and ourselves. 

Last week’s post led me to re-connect with an “old friend”; yes, of course by e-mail, at first, but in the fight for a more personal connection we agreed to schedule an ancient experience – voice to voice. Here is part of what my friend, Allison wrote…

Hi Steve,

Today was my daughter’s first day of kindergarten. My alarm (on my iPhone) went off at 6 A.M. I was tired and didn’t want to get up, hit the snooze and checked my email. I then proceeded to scan approximately a dozen emails that came in my inbox since 10:00 P.M. last night when I checked it last.  I then began reading your article on over-connectedness and started laughing to myself at the irony of reading this while lying in bed!

Now I’m thinking through your question: “What fear drives this need to be connected 24/7?”

Is it my fear of “not being connected“?

Or, to look at it another way, in my mind about one in seven emails will bring a reward of sorts.

Checking your inbox brings you a sense of being connected when you receive a note from a close friend or an email from an old acquaintance you haven’t heard from in a long time. It’s always fun to open your email and get a good referral or business lead isn’t it? Better yet, it’s exciting to get that email that confirms that the business deal you’ve been working on for several months is a done deal!

Maybe I’m just looking for a “good feeling” or affirmation.

Our family just returned from a week’s vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We didn’t take computers but Bob and I both brought our iPhones. We kept our “smart phone connecting” to a minimum, I think?

I appreciate Allison’s thoughts regarding what can drive this drive to be constantly connected: 1) Reward and 2) Affirmation.  What are you looking for?

Dr Pepper e-Mail Management Plan

After reading my post last week I set out to examine and adjust my compulsive commitment to “over-connectedness”.  Here are my first steps:

Step 1: I turned off 2 of the 4 email accounts coming to my iPhone

Step 2: Explored my “Dr Pepper E-mail Management Plan”.  If you’re not familiar with Dr Pepper’s marketing strategy here is the article Roger Grace wrote in the Metropolitan News-Enterprise, a Los Angles daily paper about Dr Pepper…  

It was in the 1920s that Dr. Walter Eddy at Columbia University studied the body’s metabolism. He discovered that a natural drop in energy occurs about 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.  But he also discovered that if the people in his research study had something to eat or drink at 10, 2 and 4, the energy slump could be avoided.

After Dr. Eddy’s research findings were released, Dr Pepper challenged its advertising agency to come up with a theme which would suggest that Dr Pepper should be that 10, 2 and 4 drink which would keep the energy level up. The result was one of the most enduring of Dr Pepper’s advertising themes: Drink a bite to eat at 10, 2 and 4.

The Dr. Pepper Company pushed the notion that ingestion of sugar at 10, 2 and 4 was actually something healthful. And, of course, parents would want their children to engage in healthful practices. 

In these days when there’s a push to rid school cafeterias and vending machines of sugar-based products and those high in carbohydrates (which turn into sugar), it’s hard to imagine an ad like the one  appearing in the Sept. 23, 1930 edition of the Port Arthur (Texas) News. It was headed, “One Healthful form of Necessary Nourishment that kids need no coaxing to drink,” and said:

“Little ‘Human dynamos’ run out of ‘juice’ between meals. That’s why they tease for sweets. Sugar is the quickest energy food and Mother Nature knows it. She prompts the appetite. It’s as natural as hunger can be.”

If your kiddies crave sugar, give them as much as they want…but in a form that can’t be abused. Dr. Pepper contains fruit juice for flavor and health…pure sugar for quick-energy supply…and sparkling water for bulk and thirst. No tax on digestion. No ingredients that can possibly harm. The small proportions of sugar to water is a safety-valve against excess.”

How would this “craving” for email be satisfied with 10/2/ 4? Right, not so well; so I thought about adapting it to 8/10/12/2/4/6/8…of course, that left out first thing in the morning and last thing at night!  Seriously? 

“Craving”, what an interesting word to associate with this subject…a strong desire for something.  What do you crave that email seems to supply? Imagine losing your “smart phone”, how would you respond?  Why?

Yes, I’m still working to define an adequate schedule for checking email.

Step 3: I turned off the “you’ve got mail” alert (on my iPhone)

Yes, I recognize these are but a beginning.

The real question: How much space do you have in your life?

As an executive coach I work with people with a lot on their plate. Intensity shows up. Little or no margin in the schedule; not much time left for personal development.

We talk about “Creating Space”; the disciplined use of time, place, and resources to reflect on the story for truth. 

How do you create space in your daily routine?

Reflection allows you to examine your life, your thinking, your performance.  To give careful thought to your behavior and performance.  Creating space allows you to examine the path you are taking and make adjustments in line with your purpose, passion, and values.

Measure your life, it just does not have room for so much.                                                                                                - Seneca

What would be the benefit to you if you create space in your life?

What happens if we fail to create space?

This “Creating Space” for consistent reflection is the secret to personal growth.

The best predictor of sustainable success is the ability and willingness to learn and change achieved through consistent reflection on the story for truth.

-Steve Laswell

A failure to create space leaves us stuck in life.  Performance suffers, next level success is sacrificed.  Your experience of life lived with purpose and passion while making a difference in the world will be limited.  Your health, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being, your relationships will suffer unless you give yourself this gift of consistent reflection.

Allison closed her email by writing…

I don’t think I’ve really said anything here significant. I’m pondering all of this because I find this phenomenon extremely interesting, as if we’re witnessing something that has never happened before in our lifetime.

Does this sound dramatic? Maybe so, but I see it stealing away our relationships to some degree. It’s the great paradox. Everyone thinks they are “more connected” with computers and smart phones. Texting and Facebook keep us all in touch with more people. Could more be less? Less faces, more aloneness.

Now I will stop. I’m beginning to sound like Steve Laswell.

How are you managing your technological connections? 

What do you think?

For further reading: some other interesting articles if you want dig deeper:

• Wall Street Journal book review of Hamlet’s BlackBerry -“To Tweet or Not to Tweet”
• Scientists are studying this; check out The New York Times, Your Brain and Computers: “Outdoors and Out of Reach, Studying the Brain”   

It was a primitive trip with a sophisticated goal: to understand how heavy use of digital devices and other technology changes how we think and behave, and how a retreat into nature might reverse those effects.

• Regarding multitasking ““First Steps to Digital Detox” posted on The New York Times – Room for Debate blog

New research is showing that such immersion can cause multitaskers to have more fractured thinking and trouble shutting out irrelevant information, and that even when they are offline, those problems persist. A lot of Americans feel stress from juggling too much incoming information, but have to be online for work.

What are some strategies for unplugging from the demand of digital devices? Is there such a thing as too much multitasking?

Again, please comment below; I’d love to hear from you.

Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - NE Region

Intensity happens.

What happens when the heat index is this intense?

• People try to escape from it
• People tend to feel exhausted
• More effort is required to stay engaged
• Systems are pressed to their limit; air conditioning and dehydration come to mind…

The National Weather Service reminds us excessive heat is dangerous,

“The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to create a dangerous situation in which heat illnesses are possible.”

When something or someone is intense, it is an indication of an extreme degree of something…like the temperature, but of course I’m thinking about people. 

Intensity often shows up as a strength overextended, the use of force or authority, that raw emotion on display; unproductive behaviors.

Intensity happens. 

For most of us, “being intense” happens sooner or later; for some it’s right now, not later.  Which best describes you?

When does intensity happen in your work and life?

Intensity, as an unproductive behavior, often shows up when

• Expectations are not met
• Cooperation is not received
• One’s control feels threatened
• Emotion-based fear sits in the driver’s seat

One of my recent clients began their coaching engagement with “off the chart” intensity.  As we examine the story, his on-boarding was poorly managed with unrealistic expectations.  His up line manager’s behavior was driven by personal success and advancement, too.

Combine all the details with his core motive “to be right” and what happens?  Unregulated behavior (intensity) designed to say, “I’ll show you; I’ll prove I can do this job!”  This created success-limiting behavior. 

Misery accompanies “off the chart intensity” (like a hot summer day) and you know what misery likes, right? Yes, company.

Could that be “career-limiting intensity”?

Perhaps you heard about the JetBlue airline attendant, Steven Slater and his intense, on-the-job demonstration.  As the story goes, Slater reached his breaking point with an alleged passenger situation; he grabbed a beer, popped open the emergency exit door, took a ride down the inflatable slide, and ran across the tarmac to his car in employee parking.  Could that be “career-limiting”?

What’s interesting to me is how this story seems to resonate with people in the workplace.  It seems to be the “fantasy story” for a frustrated, under-appreciated, and over loaded work force.

Sara Kagle, an 18 year airlines’ veteran writes in the Wall Street Journal about her experience in the crew room after the misnamed “jump to freedom” incident.

I headed to the airport on Monday having just heard about JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater’s now famous jump to freedom. I expected a reaction, but not the phenomena that has followed. In the crew room, I could hear everyone sharing the news. The story was still unbelievable to me, and to everyone else. One fellow flight attendant didn’t believe me when I told her, another heard it and thought there must be more to the story — and, indeed, investigators are questioning the account.

But, mostly the reaction was the same: “I love this!” “Good for him!” “He’s my Hero!”

So, why do flight attendants feel this way? Do we really think that Steven Slater is a hero?

I’ll let you read her article for her take as this post is about the impact of intensity in your work.

How might you avoid an unfortunate, regrettable experience ignited by the demonstration of intense behavior? 

Three, no Four Simple Steps

Consider these simple actions as a place to begin to help manage your intense moments…

1. Breathe; a slow, cleansing, deep breath
2. Smile; (I know, it is counter intuitive, just try it and see)
3. Repeat, “I’m cool” (something is threatening your identity)
4. Reality Check: What’s true here? What’s my desired outcome?

Simple, not easy, especially during the intense moment. 

Consider this: What is the cost of intensity on your relationships, performance, health, and life?

My client emailed me after a couple of coaching sessions:

I have had a great couple of days.  I feel more confident and stronger than ever.  I also saw my level of intensity for the first time, kind of disappointing.    (Emphasis added)

Enjoy reflecting on these questions, if you wish:

1. How intense are you on a scale of 1 (low) to 6 (extremely)?
2. When are you the most intense?  Listen to your story…
3. How do you view your intensity, as a strength or weakness?
4. How do you think others experience you when you are intense?
5. How do you know that?

As for Mr. Slater

His unproductive behavior is allowing him to be charged with criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, and trespassing.  According to the WSJ, Slater

…has been cast as a working-class hero by some in the media and on the Internet for telling off rude passengers and then quitting in style.  His attorney said Slater…who pleaded not guilty to the charges, appreciates the support but isn’t enjoying the spotlight and only wants to return to aviation.

“This is a man who only cares about his industry, the airline industry,” Mr. Turman said. “He wants to thank JetBlue. It is a wonderful airline. Steven loves working for them and wishes to continue working for them.”

JetBlue has said that Mr. Slater has been suspended.

What is the impact of a “high intensity index” on others around you?  Much like the 105 degree temperatures people will…

• …try to escape from you
• …feel exhausted around you
• …invest more effort to stay engaged working with you
• …be pressed to their limit

Intensity has its price, so remember:

Breath…Smile…Repeat, “I’m cool.”

And, take that reality-check.

What do you think?  How do you combat “too intense” in today’s intense work place?

Please comment below; I’d love to hear from you.

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