Feeling exhausted? You’re not alone.

I’m on the phone all day with people who take responsibility – for leading themselves and leading others. Just like you. In some aspect of your daily life (probably in all aspects), you are holding stuff together. Over the past few years of intense up/down uncertainty and plot twists, you have likely been the glue for your ‘team’ – the stop of the buck, the deep well.

The leaves in Chicago are simply stunning right now and I am really appreciating the restorative power of the trees in the park outside my building. Wanted to send over some short prompts  – which you may have even received from me before – to encourage you to get out and be with these beauties. Go for a Tree Walk.

I’ve been gripped by a lot of ‘doing’ lately –executing, planning, checking boxes, getting it done. For all this ‘doing’ to amount to anything, I know that it needs to be anchored in intention – connected with a bigger idea of what matters and where I’m aiming. If that isn’t known, then when I stop running, there’s no guarantee that I will be at the right destination. I might simply be sweaty.

After a few years of not seeing old friends, the life stories accumulate. The challenges of life that pull on our bodies, hearts, minds had gathered and pooled. All that to say that everyone with whom we reconnected had a tale to tell. Some fear. Some loss. Some strain. And yet the joys and the exuberance were also palpable – and contagious.

You’ve said it. I know you have. Maybe you even said it to me. “It’s important to me to make a difference.” “I want my work to have an impact.” And you may have quietly thought…..“it doesn’t currently,” “I’m not exactly saving the world” or even “I think it does matter but it doesn’t really feel like it…” 

Are you a part of the Great Resignation? 4.4 million people quit their job in September. Maybe you haven’t hopped, but if all the news headlines are correct, well, you sure might be thinking about it. So I want to remind you of something that is easy to forget: the win isn’t getting the job, the win is getting the job that is a match. A mutual match.