Six Resilience Skills to Make It Through Dicey Spots

When was the last time you discovered that you didn’t measure up to someone else’s expectations? The message may have come from a boss, co-worker, colleague, client, family member, or friend. Do you remember the feeling? It might have been a visceral, sinking feeling in your gut or some other physical sensation that comes when your confidence takes a plunge.

I went through this tough experience with a coaching client recently. Initially, he was knocked off-track and didn’t know what to do to regain his confidence. Like a car hitting an icy patch of road, he was swerving uncontrollably. Eventually, he was able to gain control of his internal steering wheel again. Now that he’s beyond the rough patch, he can look back at the resiliency skills he developed along the way. We used the following six strategies to bring him relief, as well as personal growth. 

Let yourself feel whatever you’re feeling. 

If you think that by not acknowledging negative feelings, you’ll make them disappear, you would be wrong. The opposite is true. The way to allow those unpleasant feelings to dissipate is by allowing yourself to fully experience them. This is not fun. I get it. However, according to Harvard brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, 90 seconds is all it takes to identify an emotion and allow it to dissipate while you simply notice it.

To help yourself in this process, you can write, talk with a friend, or close your eyes, go inside your body, and pay close attention to what you’re feeling emotionally and physically. Remind yourself that the feeling will pass.

Give yourself a good dose of self-compassion.

Processing feelings when you’re in this emotionally triggered state of mind is not easy; however, sticking with it will be worth it in the end. 

Dr. Kristin Neff, self-compassion researcher, shares this as part of her self-compassion definition: Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings—after all, who ever said you were supposed to be perfect?

Don’t take it personally.

Author Don Miguel Ruiz shares in The Four Agreements: If I see you on the street and I say, “Hey, you are so stupid,” without knowing you, it’s not about you; it’s about me. If you take it personally, then perhaps you believe you are stupid. Maybe you think to yourself, “How does he know? Is he clairvoyant, or can everybody see how stupid I am?”

That scenario may sound ridiculous as you read it, but have you heard a similar dialogue inside your head? 

Thinking about the scenario in third person is one method for moving away from taking it personally. For example, instead of saying, I messed up the presentation, you could say Jane didn’t bring her A-game to that presentation. This gives you a more objective, observer’s viewpoint that is not as emotionally tangled up in the situation. 

Notice the story you’re repeatedly telling yourself.

If you’re stuck in a never-ending story loop, try asking yourself these questions: What evidence do I have? Is it true? What are some other possibilities?

Look for the kernel of truth.

Scour the situation that’s thrown you off-track and look for a small bit of it that’s true or that you sincerely want to learn from. Use this insight to decide what you want to improve and how you will do it.

Choose a growth-mindset.

You have the power to choose the perspective you want to take on the situation and decide what you want to do moving forward. These wise words from Wayne Dyer come to mind: Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change. That seemingly simple shift is powerful! 

You get to choose your mindset. A fixed mindset means you believe your qualities (i.e., intelligence and talent) are fixed. A growth mindset means you believe that those qualities are just the starting point.

Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going. Carol Dweck

These strategies don’t have an exact order. Use any or all of them when (not if!) you hit a dicey patch in the road. Growing your resilience skills isn’t enjoyable and yet, future you says, Thank you, because the next time you need them, it will be a wee bit easier to get your confidence back. Do you have a hot tip that I didn’t share? I’d love to hear it! Jalene@JaleneCase.com

You Don’t Have to Write All Your Goals

In my 20s, a dental hygienist said to me, “You don’t have to floss all your teeth.” I said, “Great!” Then she landed the one-two punch with, “You only have to floss the ones you want to keep.” Her trick worked. I’ve been a devout flosser ever since. The same is true for goals: You don’t have to write all your goals, only the ones you want to achieve.

Like flossing your teeth, you know setting goals is important to do on a regular basis; however, do you understand why writing them is crucial? Let’s learn from the experts. 

The results of Harvard Business Study found that:

• 83% of respondents had no goals

• 14% of respondents had plans but didn’t write them down and still, they were 10 times more likely to succeed

• 3% of respondents had written down their goals and were 30 times more likely to succeed compared with those who had no goals

Are you convinced that goals are valuable for you? I am. And still, finding what works for me has been, and continues to be, an evolution. I know that goals lead me to a satisfying life I love. Conversely, I know that chasing shiny objects leads me to frustration. What do you know about the role goals play in your life? 

I’ve struggled with goal writing because I make it too complicated by following someone else’s complex system, too overwhelming with more goals than a mere mortal can accomplish, and too time-consuming to stay on-track. 

Now I believe you must design your own goal system. Using someone else’s process is an awesome way to start, but you can’t stop there. You need to make it work with your lifestyle, work, values, thinking style, physical environment, technology preferences, creative and professional style, etc. The key is to give your goal system that special zing that motivates you! 

A study by the Dominican University of California revealed a basic goal system structure. Participants were divided into five groups. They found the group with the highest success rate of 76% did this: 

• wrote their goals

• wrote their action commitments

• shared with a friend

• sent updates to a friend

When you’re ready to get serious about building your goal system, use this guide to begin.

Write what you want.

This first step is about envisioning the big picture of what you want more of or less of in your life. You can use time frames to imagine what you want in 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years. You can find more details in this blog post.

Write your goals.

Decide what you will do in order to get what you want from step one. Each goal needs to be S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). These questions keep me on track. 

• Can this be checked off? If not, I need to be more specific.

• Can I really do this within the time-frame I set? I have a tendency to be unrealistic in my completion dates. Separate your goals into the same time periods as your “wants” above e.g., 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years

• Is this really important to me? Sometimes I think it is and then after continually not doing it, I admit to myself that it’s not important or figure out why I’m not doing it, which is usually related to being scared or not having enough knowledge. Without writing the goal, I wouldn’t know this.

You might want to add to this process by creating a vision board (cut out images that represent your goals and glue them onto paper) or hand-writing your goals (like note-taking, this conveys to your brain that this is important). 

Build your container.

Don’t skip this part! This is what will make writing and accomplishing goals satisfying, and dare I say, enjoyable.

• Where will you keep your goals so that you can review them on a regular basis? Ideas: hang them near your work space, put them in a digital spot that you consistently see, tuck them in your planner, purse or cell phone holder.

• How often will you read your goals?

• How often will you update your goals?

• Who will you tell about your goals?

• What might make this fun, efficient, fascinating, or exciting for you?

You can build your own goal system to receive what you truly want. Start by envisioning what you want, then decide what you will do to get it, and finally, build a container to support your goal system so it can support you. 

Creating your own goal system may not change your life, but then again, it just might. I’d love to hear about the structure of your goal system! Send me a note to Jalene@JaleneCase.com.

Note: This is part three in a series of nine blog posts exploring a blueprint for self leadership. You can read the previous post here.

5 Tips to Habits that Fit Your Life Now

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Positive habits result in a sweet sense of satisfaction. Are your habits doing that for you? If not, it might be time to strengthen the routines you want to keep and toss the ones that no longer serve you.

This is personal for me. My habits have changed dramatically to fit a 35-year corporate career, two years of traveling by motorcycle in Latin America, and three years of running a business. Each of those areas required very different routines. I bet your helpful habits have changed over the years, too.

I continually get better at seeing how my habits work for me and against me. Recently I asked myself, “How do I fortify the habits that are helping me so I can more easily reach my desired outcomes?” That question lit my curiosity.

As my awareness of habits has increased, I’ve come to believe that whether we’re aware of them or not, they’re a powerful force in our lives. Now, I want to see and use them. I want my habits to bring me feelings of accomplishment, satisfaction, and joy!

If you’re curious about your habits, here are some places to begin honing them.

Start with stopping.

What habits are no longer serving you? They might be left over from another time in your life. Maybe you started doing them unconsciously and, although you know they’re not helping, you’re having trouble unhooking from them.

One of the habits that I’ve stopped is related to taking breaks. My habit was to never take a break at work. Almost all the time, I would eat lunch at my desk, while working on the computer, and not take morning or afternoon breaks.

Thanks to my coach, I stopped that habit. She helped me see that taking breaks actually increased my productivity. Now, I take morning and afternoon breaks, usually with a healthy snack, plus a lunch hour which typically involves eating while listening to a podcast and then listening to a guided meditation.

This habit took time to change. Initially I felt like a loafer! Slowly I noticed a shift. My belief changed from “no breaks means I’m a hard worker” to “breaks mean I’m a smart, productive worker taking care of myself so I don’t burnout.”

How are beliefs connected with habits?

I believed that not taking breaks proved I was working hard. I thought working more hours meant I would be more successful. Now I believe that when I take better care of myself, I do better work which leads to more meaningful success.

Which comes first, the habit change or the belief change? That’s like asking, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” It could go either way. In my example of breaks, first I changed the habit and then my new belief hatched.

Choose what you want first.

Snazzy new habits will lose steam fast if they’re not truly hooked-up with your desires. So, “What do you want?” That’s a simple question and yet so tough to answer sometimes. 

The reason I focused on taking breaks as a habit was because I wanted to build a business in which I could take care of myself rather than burning out like I’d done in the past.

I suggest starting simple. What’s one thing you want? Play with creating one habit related to it. Here’s a trick for making habits stick. Build a habit chain by connecting a new habit to a current one. For example, while drinking coffee in the morning (current habit) write in your journal (new habit) or, when you first sit down at your desk (current), take time to plan your day (new). A habit chain will make new habits easier to start and stick to.

What do you want to learn more about before creating a new habit?

I’ve found that sometimes I don’t know what habit will help me. In that case, learning a new perspective, approach, or process is what guides me toward a new habit.

For example, in the taking a break scenario, my coach introduced the new perspective that breaks lead to increased productivity. Right now, I’m trying out a time-blocking approach I learned from the book Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. I’m also experimenting with a process for connecting with potential new clients. All of those areas will be stronger with good habits.

K.I.S.S. = Keep It Simple Sweetie

When I’m at my best, I keep things simple rather than complex. Imagine one area of your life that you truly want to make better. Use the tips above to choose one habit that you’re pretty sure will move you closer to what you want. Try it for an appropriate time period. If it works, continue doing it. If it doesn’t work, try a different habit.

You get to be in charge of the habits that you stop and start doing. By noticing them, you can choose to let go of those getting in your way and fortify the ones that will move you toward what you desire. What’s one simple habit that you’ll commit to taking for a test run? I’d love to cheer you on! Send me an email to Jalene@JaleneCase.com.

What’s in Your Self-Resource Toolbox?

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“We have exceeded our surge capacity,” is a phrase I heard recently from Jennifer Louden. I thought, “Yes! That’s what it feels like! My inner surge protector is fried.” At the same time, I realized that I’ve been learning, along with my clients, friends, and family, how to survive the recent deluge of disasters. I bet you have, too.

Changes, especially uncontrollable changes, can leave you craving a way to get beyond the tornado of emotions so you can stand on firm ground again. How can you help yourself move forward? Self-resourcing. By gathering support resources, you can be there for yourself, and as a result, be there for the people you care about most.

Before diving into resource ideas, let’s start with a definition. I define self-resource as being a collection of support sources that can be used to help you be who you want to be, and do what you want to do, especially during challenging times.

Here are some ideas to get started. Try them or use them as springboards to create your own unique collection of self-resourcing tools.

Physically

• Pay attention to what your body is telling you. The physical pain you feel can be an emotional trauma that has manifested in your body. For example, lower back pain might really be related to a traumatic event in your life. (Like a pandemic!) Identifying the origination of the pain can change how you help your body heal.

•  Give yourself permission to move your body in a way that’s pleasurable. Dance with no one watching, stretch those stiff muscles, take a walk. Don’t get trapped by thinking that you’re not doing it right or for long enough. Get curious about what your body is calling for now.

Intellectually

• Write down the unconscious thoughts running around in your head to bring them into your conscious mind. Then, give yourself permission to set some of them aside. By mindfully compartmentalizing your fearful thoughts, you will be able to direct your full attention more effectively toward what’s most important at the time.

• Learn something new or improve in an area that will help you in multiple areas. For example, a coaching client decided that developing her emotional intelligence skills will support her in growing into a big promotion that she received. Depending on your bandwidth to learn right now, this can be on a large scale or tiny. No judgement here. Tiny growth is powerful!

Emotionally

Why bother noticing how you’re feeling? By naming what you’re feeling, the emotion can move through you. When you deny your feelings, they get stuck inside and escape in unexpected ways such as outbursts at people you care for. I appreciate this description from The New York Times, “… naming our emotions tends to diffuse their charge and lessen the burden they create. The psychologist Dan Siegel refers to this practice as ‘name it to tame it’.” (The Importance of Naming Your Emotions, by Tony Schwartz)

Having trouble identifying what you’re feeling? Here’s a way to practice. Set an alarm on your phone to go off three times a day. Each time, answer this question in your mind, “How am I feeling?” There’s no right or wrong answer. In my experience, I notice not only my awareness increasing but my emotional vocabulary growing. Instead of simply saying good or bad, I say focused or distracted. This exercise will improve your self-awareness which is the first step in growing emotional intelligence.

Spiritually

By spiritual, I mean that place inside that feels sacred to you. How can you give yourself more time in that space, even if it’s 10 seconds here and there? The quickest way for me to get that peaceful place is to close my eyes and take one deep breath in, during which I pay attention to my body’s sensations. I usually feel tingles in my chest and a sense of settling. That’s it. That’s enough.

If you have a spiritual practice that you’ve set aside, how might you pick up even a piece of it to resource yourself?

Bonus: Powerful Questions

I love the possibilities that good questions create. Here are some of my favorites that I’ve worked with lately. Which one(s) will increase your resourcefulness?

As you answer these questions, consider, “Will this choice enlarge or diminish me?” (Inspired by the work of James Hollis.)

• What am I willing to accept?

• What do I have to look forward to?

• What choices do I need to make?

Draw a line vertically down the center of a piece of paper. On one side write, “What feels fixed or unchangeable?” On the other side write, “What can I do to help or make myself better?” (Inspired by Jennifer Louden in The Writer’s Oasis.)

Take a moment to list five things you will do to resource yourself. Remember, resourcing yourself directly translates to serving the people who matter most to you. I’d love to hear what’s in your self-resource tool box! Send me an email to Jalene@JaleneCase.com.

Move from Blocking to Supporting Yourself

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“I’m my own worst enemy!” Have you ever said this or heard a friend or colleague say it? It can feel frustrating and demotivating to know precisely what we want to accomplish yet take actions that move us in the opposite direction. How can you get out of your own way and support yourself in getting more of what you want?

After working in organizations for more than three decades, I started my own business a few years ago. It surprised me that the gnarliest challenges came from inside me, not from the external skills I was learning. Internal voices that overly criticized and structures that didn’t work blocked me from reaching my goals, dreams, and life purpose. Yes. It’s a big deal! Growing skills to support ourselves is essential if we want to create purposeful, meaningful, lives we love.

While I needed to learn many external, hard skills, I found that those were relatively easy. It was the internal, soft skills that were the trickiest yet had the most far-reaching, positive impact. The exercises that I share below have the potential to change more than you might imagine. Experiment. Pay attention to what’s happening on the outside as a result of the work you’re doing inside.

Subtract What Blocks You

Saboteur Voice

This self-sabotaging voice is also called inner critic or negative self-talk. It’s trying to keep us safe by holding us back so a lion doesn’t eat us. As we venture beyond our comfort zone, it springs into action. It usually sounds mean and loud. Its sentences might start with words such as “you can’t, you should, you must, you’re not enough,” or “you don’t deserve.”

How can you get rid of the Saboteur? Unfortunately, you can’t remove it 100%. However, you can block it from taking control. The most powerful tool you have is to simply notice it and name it. That’s it.

To begin noticing what your inner critic says, bring to mind something new and difficult that you did recently. Then, take a minute and jot down what the Saboteur was saying to you internally during that experience. For example, “Who do you think you are? You can’t do that!” Remember, simply notice.

Identifying your Saboteur’s language means you’ll recognize it sooner so you can boot it out of the driver’s seat and into the back seat where it belongs.

Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs are hidden in our subconscious minds and constrain us in some way. Because we unconsciously believe them, we don’t do or say things that they inhibit. For example, “I don’t deserve to earn a six-figure income.” That type of limiting belief constrains your actions.

Working with a professional coach is an excellent way to unearth these limiting beliefs. For now, here’s a hack for you. Rather than identifying your limiting beliefs, do the reverse. Write as many answers as you can using this prompt: “I want to believe …”

Keep your list of what you want to believe in a place you see it often to consciously choose your beliefs.

Digging down into these areas is usually not pleasant. I know from experience. I also know that the reward is worth it.

Add What Supports You

Sage Voice

Your Sage Voice is here to give you some love! This voice sounds kind and quiet, which means it takes intention to hear it. It says things like, “You got this! You’re learning so give yourself a break. It’s going to be okay.”

The best way to connect with your Sage is to stop for a moment. Even pausing for ten seconds makes a difference. My favorite ways are to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths, stand outside for a few minutes doing nothing but sensing my surroundings, listen to a guided meditation, or take a walk.

Create a Container

Designing a container for yourself can bring freedom and fun. Really! My definition of a container is a system or framework that supports you. This will look different for all of us. Start by designing what you think will work for you now and then continue refining it as you learn and grow. The first step is the toughest!

For example, in order for me to feel free to work and have fun along the way, I need processes and people.

For my processes, I have structures in place for goals, daily tasks, writing blogs, recording videos, morning rituals, and monthly e-letters. Those systems bring me calm focus and a sense of accomplishment.

Here’s what I mean by needing people to support me. I thrive with a coach, an accountability partner, groups with a shared vision such as The Complete Leader program, and regularly doing yoga classes and running with a friend.

Your container will vary based on your needs. Imagine this as an infrastructure that supports you in doing what’s most important to you. What will help you be at your best?

By noticing your self-talk, choosing what you want to believe, and creating your container, you will be your biggest ally. I’d love to hear what your support system looks like! Send me an email to Jalene@JaleneCase.com.

Opposites That Feed Each Other

Tips to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Be More Productive

Bring to mind your last off-the-grid, disconnected-style vacation. If you can’t think of one, you’re not alone. Even though we know (somewhere deep down!) that taking a complete break from work will increase our work productivity, we often resist.

I recently returned from a one-week vacation during which I fasted from email and social media. The urge to check-check-check was mighty. It reminded me of a chicken’s endless drive to peck-peck-peck its food. The problem was that my habit of continually checking was not nourishing me! Instead, I was doing a great job of sustaining a constant level of alertness mixed with anxiety, which was depleting my energy.

My coach wisely challenged me to leave my phone at home. I involuntarily gasped and wondered to myself, Could I do that? After negotiating, I agreed to take my phone so I could use the travel apps, and hide the email and social media apps so I wouldn’t check them for a week.

The Set-Up

Like any fasting program, it’s important to plan in advance for not checking email and social media. Here’s what I did:

• Stopped 100% of the notifications on all my phone apps

• Moved email and social media apps so they weren’t visible on my phone’s home screen (I hid them from myself!)

• Notified clients with whom I had projects-in-the-works so they wouldn’t panic

• Set an Out of Office message saying I was on an off-the-grid vacation and would return email starting on a specific date (I felt that saying I was on “vacation” wasn’t enough because we still expect people will respond even though they’re on vacation!)

At the end of my email/social media fast, I felt simultaneously wildly expansive in my business visions and grounded in my willingness to make tough decisions. Then I wondered, If the opposite of work can nourish our work, what other opposites feed each other?

OPPOSITES THAT FEED EACH OTHER

Courageous Yoga

Practicing yoga has taught me more about being courageous than I ever expected. Attempting to move my body into new poses, nuanced by energetic intentions, breathing, and sometimes flat-out guts has strengthened my ability to try new things at work.

Here’s what that looks like: I remember the first time the instructor asked us to do a handstand against the wall. I placed my hands on the yoga mat about a foot away from the wall, feet about hip distance wide, feet on the floor. My body was in a triangle shape. Then I tried to fling (my word, not the instructors!) my legs up so that my feet touched the wall. It was unexpectedly hard! I was scared. It took several tries until — wham! — I hit the wall.

There’s a direct correlation between stepping outside my body’s comfort zone in yoga and improving my skill of being innovative with clients. It’s all about getting more familiar and bolder outside my comfort zone.

What might you do to grow your courage for stepping outside your comfort zone?

Taking Breaks vs. Working Longer

I’m guilty of never taking breaks and even eating while working at my computer. When I started taking morning and afternoon breaks plus a whole lunch hour, I was surprised. I felt refreshed and produced better quality work!

To help yourself, set a reminder alarm or check out the The Pomodoro Technique in which the work day is broken down into intervals of working for 25 minutes then taking a break.

How can you take a baby step toward giving yourself breaks during the workday? Notice the results.

Letting Go vs. Over-Focus

The best ideas come racing in at times when we least expect them! I heard a poet’s story of catching poems as they came to her. She knew that she had to jot them down quickly or they’d be gone, on to the next poet willing to write them.

We could be in the shower, on a hike, or chatting with a friend and—zing!—in comes a great idea for a new product, service, or solution.

We could be working extremely hard on a project, focusing intensely, working for long hours with no viable results. Then suddenly, while we’re taking a break and NOT thinking about it, the perfect idea instantly materializes out of thin air.

Find your capture technique. I place the shiny new idea in my phone or on any piece of paper and then, transfer it to a “shiny ideas” folder in my organization system called Things.

How might you let go of the tight hold you have on a project and do something entirely different for a while?

When a bright idea comes, how will you capture it?

Unicorn Visions & Dog Strategies

I saved the wildest idea for last! This whacky exercise kicked my visions and strategies up a few notches!

Backstory: I read mostly nonfiction books so I asked my fiction-reading husband for a vacation book recommendation. He pulled a fantasy book from his collection called, The Last Unicorn. The unicorn theme followed me throughout our vacation! You know, like when you buy a new red car, all you see is red cars?

Surprisingly, the city of Ashland, Oregon that we visited has a high ratio of unicorn stuff to buy so I spotted them everywhere. Then when I got home, I felt an urge to let this wild, unicorn energy into my planning.

Here’s what I did:

• I drew a vertical line down the center of a flip chart page.

• On one side I wrote my Unicorn Visions. I went so big it bordered on ridiculous.

• On the other side, I wrote a corresponding Dog Strategy that was a down-to-earth action step for each Unicorn Vision.

I can be a bit too practical at times. This rather silly process stretched me into a much larger vision for my business. Plus, it was fun!

How might you shift your visioning and strategizing process to go bigger, bolder, and have fun?

WRAPPING IT UP

Fasting seems to be a trend these days. I say we add Email/Social Media Fast to the movement! Summertime is here in the Northern Hemisphere. Vacation time is upon us. Let go of your tight grasp on technology and open to what’s possible when opposites attract.

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I help people lead themselves first so they can go all-in on doing what matters most.

Reach out to me and let’s talk about how I might support you and/or your business in getting what’s most important done.

Coaching • Teams • Workshops • Speaking • Groups

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Rejuvenating July

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I’m deeply appreciating the value of taking superb care of myself. I know that when I give myself what I need to feel energized, I’m more happy and satisfied in my life. The result is that I feel connected with my heart’s voice, my mind’s focus, and my body’s energy.

With that in mind, I’m starting a new ritual of taking time to rejuvenate twice a year, in July and December. During that time I will not be writing my blog or posting on social media. Instead, I will be taking a deep dive into projects that are calling to me.

This July I will be:

• Creating a bold, expansive, deep experience for clients who want to reimagine who they want to be. The idea originated during my travels in Patagonia and I can’t wait to share it with you!

• Reinventing this blog.

• Honing my business purpose and goals.

• Enjoying summer in the Northwestern US!

What will you do to rejuvenate your heart, mind, and body?

See you in August!

Jalene

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Enjoy summer and I'll see you again in August! I'm still working and would love to hear from you :)

I believe that creating lives we love (at home and at work!) starts with our hearts.

That belief is woven throughout my work as an Executive & Personal Coach and in facilitating Professional and Personal Development. Reach out to me to talk about how my offerings might serve you and/or your organization.

Let's connect! LinkedIn • Facebook • Twitter • JaleneCase.com • (541) 272-2337

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What's Next?

Fear is the villain and practice is the shero.

I’ve been doing a lot of things for the first time in the last year as part of running my business. Last week I did two things that scared the heck out of me and yet, I felt this pull like a wave to the shore that compelled me to do them. Here’s the thing — I wish I felt less afraid during the process!

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A metaphor representing fear and practice came to me. Fear is like the villain in a movie. It’s sinister, lurking in the dark, watching for the right moment to attack me. Its most debilitating weapons are self-doubt and jolts of near panic in my stomach.

Practice is the shero. She reminds me that every single time I practice the new thing I want to get better at doing, fear weakens. This insight gave me an idea.

The two things I did last week that scared me were related to public speaking. It’s not just about improving as a public speaker. It’s deeper than that. I want to connect with people in a way that inspires them to reflect on who they're being and what they're doing to create lives they love.

Here’s how I’m going to practice. In a private, secret Facebook group me and a few other people with similar goals are going to practice giving Facebook Live talks. I think of it as my voice gym. My commitment is to do a 1-3 minute FB Live talk about what I’m noticing every day for 30-days starting in July.

I know that whatever we’re practicing, we’re improving. Join me! Choose something important to you to practice during the month of July and send me an email (jalene@jalenecase.com) to let me know how it’s going.

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What do you want to get better at doing?

How will you practice it?

In the spirit of knowing ourselves,

Jalene

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I believe that creating lives we love (at home and at work!) starts with our hearts.

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That belief is woven throughout my work as an Executive & Personal Coach and in facilitating Professional and Personal Development. Reach out to me to talk about how my offerings might serve you and/or your organization.

Let's connect!

LinkedIn • Facebook • Twitter

JaleneCase.com • (541) 272-2337

What's Next?

Dreaming ROI

I’m great at doing, doing, doing. I love to make a list, with little empty boxes next to each item. Then, with immense pleasure, check-off each item with an energetic flourish of a checkmark. I get to say to myself, “Done!” However, I’m learning that while this may be admirable, it’s not the best approach to getting what matters most to me done. This is how the insight came to me.

Initially, my coach invited me to write using this prompt, “What is the value of dreaming?” What I’ve learned as a result has blown my mind. I believe that the ROI (Return on Investment) for dreaming is off the charts!

The first time I gave myself a luscious hour to dream, I just couldn’t do it. I was shocked. How could dreaming be so hard to do? I wanted to throw in the towel. But I just couldn’t quit. I thought, “Wait. What if I just loosened up and had some fun with this?”

It happened to be late on a Friday afternoon. “Why not go for it?” I cranked up the music in my workspace, cracked open a cold beer, and looked at a blank white board. This was beginning to feel fun.

I started moving to the music, grabbing my multi-colored markers, and before I knew it, my whiteboard was filled with the makings of an idea that was originally born more than a year ago during our travels in Patagonia.

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That was my first experience with intentionally setting aside time for dreaming. I’ve had more since then. Now I’m convinced that giving ourselves time for dreaming is equally as important as time for planning. They feed each other. One can’t truly grow without the other.

When our mind (planner extraordinaire!) and heart (big dream central!) work in tandem, our visions and desires for the future become reality.

Will you give yourself time to dream?

When? For how long?

I'd love to hear about your dreaming time!

In the spirit of knowing ourselves,

Jalene

P.S. The Women's Symposium I'm presenting at this weekend is the perfect place for you to give yourself some valuable time for dreaming big. Scroll down for details.

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Join me this Weekend in Lincoln City, Oregon for the 2018 Women's Symposium!

Learn more about the

speakers and presentations.

I hope to see you there! :)

Let's connect! LinkedIn • Facebook • Twitter • JaleneCase.com • (541) 272-2337

Failing & Hiding

Hi!

I've been writing a blog post every week since the first of the year and this week, I failed. Yup. I didn't do it. Rather than beat myself up, I forgive myself with love and compassion. I've been stretching into some new areas lately and I imperfectly juggled the balls I have in the air (like blogging!).

The stuff I've been doing for the first time include singing lessons (to strengthen my speaking voice), prepping to speak at a Women's Symposium, and facilitating a team using some psychometric tools designed to help them learn about their behaviors and motivators. I'll have lots of insights to share soon!

In the meantime, I thought you'd enjoy reading this blog post from a person who continually inspires me -- Jennifer Louden. Her blog post is titled, "When are you going to come out of hiding?"

I am definitely coming out of hiding these days! How 'bout you?

In the spirit of knowing ourselves,

Jalene

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