Hi there Reader,
Welcome to this edition of Meaningful eMail with the most recent takeaway and updates linked here at the top, and then a full article for your consideration.
Grab what's helpful today, then save others for future reference. You never know when you or someone in your network could use a boost!
Recent Takeaways &
Upcoming Events
|
|
Top Takeaways: Influence
Is this business classic still relevant? Are we more wary of old-school sales tactics?
Read or watch to get my take...aways!
|
|
|
Recently Published: Executive Presence Is Overrated. Here's What Real Leadership Looks Like.
Oh yeah, I went there! And I imagine you have thoughts too, given your time in Corporate America. Let me know what you think's outdated.
Thanks to The Credit Union Connection for the opportunity to shake things up!
|
|
|
Business With Ease Summit Guest Appearance
August 11th
Honored to be part of this free virtual summit - full of honest, encouraging conversations - designed to help you (or someone your know) build a business in a way that works for you.
Reply back to this email and I'll send you the details when they get released!
|
Let's Explore
A tiny taste of hope
Y’all it is HOT right now.
I mean fry-an-egg-on-the-asphalt hot.
It’s so hot, even the standard southern summer afternoon thunderstorms are hiding from it.
Early in the mornings, I go around to encourage all of my tired, drooping flowers. The echinacea is still holding on, giving the buzzing bees a place to forage, but its leaves are dragging the ground. The agapanthus was audacious this spring - their royal purple blooms bursting on top of sturdy stalks. Now, the buds are hidden underground. The leaves are fading - thirsty for a soft, cool, refreshing rain.
These watering visits help the ferns and flowers make it through the day - a tiny taste of what’s to come - rain, cooler weather, the chance to bloom in full again. To thrive.
My mind - and heart - sense some parallels to what I was feeling a few years ago:
- Feeling hidden after a big beautiful season of thriving
- Drooping enthusiasm where I once had sprouted energy so easily
- The daily search for a tiny taste of hope
This is what mid-career can feel like.
We remember seasons when we were in full bloom—bright ideas, clear wins, big energy. And then? It’s like that season has passed, and no one told us what's next.
Maybe you’ve felt it too:
- That extended loss of excitement
(Is this burnout? boredom? something deeper?)
- The sense that your impact is fading
(Am I passed my prime?)
- The quiet fear that you’ve been overlooked
(Am I still relevant?)
It’s more common than we’re led to believe. But like summer’s heat, this season doesn’t last forever.
The Gardener’s Tip
Just like every plant has different needs - shade/sun, water, mulch - so do we. Let's find ways to give ourselves a tiny taste of hope - something that gets us through a tough season.
What might your fertilizer be? Maybe it’s:
- A personal creative project
- A deep conversation
- A clearer boundary at work
- A moment of stillness & solitude
Whatever it is, give yourself a daily dose of nourishment. Seek support where you can. And above all know that this is a season. Your time to thrive again is on the horizon.
PS: Please know you, yes YOU, are always welcome to call, email, text, DM me when you might need a tiny taste of hope. No previous or future contact is required or expected.
