Design Yourself

Boredom: Friend or foe? For many of us, boredom is a luxury in our fast-paced lives. While some avoid it at all costs, boredom sparks enormous creativity and productivity. If we surrender to doing nothing, there are many opportunities to be bored in the mundane moments of life. What is your relationship with boredom? What distracts you from being present right where you are? Come explore in this Design Yourself episode how to let yourself be bored.

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To book your 1:1 Vision Reading:

https://pointroadstudios.com/product/vision-reading/

For show notes visit:

https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/let-yourself-be-bored/

To connect on Linked In:

@Sharon Lipovsky

@Point Road Studios

To connect on Instagram:

@pointroadstudios

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1. What is your relationship with boredom?
2. Could you embrace the mindset of bored and brilliant?
3. What are habits that are preventing you from boredom? Netflix, early morning scrolling, the impulse to text back/stay on top of emails, etc.
4. What boredom experiments could you design?
5. What's one commitment you make today to explore this topic further?

• Manoush Zomorodi's book Bored and Brilliant

Demands on our time, attention, and other resources are real. For many of us, our default way of processing stress is to dig in and take action. This action orientation leads to a swirl of activity, which exacerbates the situation. How do we center ourselves in the middle of the storm? In this episode of Design Yourself, we discuss how to get out of the whirlwind.

We cover:

• Reasons for the whirlwind
• What to do to calm the storm
• How to make the calm a sustainable way of being

Stay Connected

To book your 1:1 Vision Reading:

https://pointroadstudios.com/product/vision-reading/

For show notes visit:

https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/getting-out-of-the-whirlwind/

To connect on Linked In:

@Sharon Lipovsky

@Point Road Studios

To connect on Instagram:

@pointroadstudios

Rate, Review & Subscribe to the podcast on Apple & Spotify

• Overwhelm
• Workplaces stress
• Not being able to find or connect to your purpose
• Not believing that you can get out of the whirlwind

• Shore up your foundation (e.g. breathe, take breaks, sleep, nurture yourself)
• Get clear on what you want
• Draft a believable path to move you from here to there

• Start with a roadmap
• Build the navigation system
• Develop a practice of "going beyond" (e.g. checking in on the current state, desired state, and the alignment of your movement on the path)

• Data shared on workplace stress can be found here
• For more on the swirl of Sharon's summer and to explore how to savor this season, listen to this Design Yourself episode from the archives on Bottling Up Summer

Frustrations are a normal part of life, but living in a state of frustration is exhausting. What is at the core of our dissatisfaction? How can we start to shift from this space into something new? That is what we discuss in this Design Yourself episode on transforming complaints.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why honoring our complaints is a necessary starting point
• Four moves a complainer can make to transform from complaint to request
• Why trust is critical is coaching someone else to transform their complaint
• Ways to build trust and rapport when you are on the receiving end of a complaint

Stay Connected

To book your 1:1 Vision Reading:

https://pointroadstudios.com/product/vision-reading/

For show notes visit:

https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/transforming-complaints/

To connect on Linked In:

@Sharon Lipovsky

@Point Road Studios

To connect on Instagram:

@pointroadstudios

Rate, Review & Subscribe to the podcast on Apple & Spotify

1. Mindset Shift: Behind every complaint is an unasked request.
2. Get Clear on What You Want: What might resolve the complaint? Be specific.
3. Start with yourself: Success begets success. What is one thing you can do to start seeing positive momentum? What can you do?
4. Engage with others: What can others do? Communicate a request with specificity.

• Establish a foundation of trust. When you do not trust someone, you will not change their mind.
• Listen to Understand. Be curious. Ask powerful questions.
• Summarize What You Heard. Playback what is clear to you now. Stick to neutral, observable facts. Do not step into the role of problem solver or advisor.
• Be Clear About the Path Forward. Co-create what comes next. If needed, draft a medium/long-term view of what a sketch of what your best thinking is on what will need to occur over time. Be specific about near-term actions.

Things don't always go according to plan. And sometimes it's almost comical just how far off the rail our plans go. What can we learn from these experiences? How can we get back to our goals in a productive way that honors the realities of what we are experiencing? That's what we discuss in today's episode on What To Do When Everything Goes Wrong.

Stay Connected

To book your 1:1 Vision Reading:

https://pointroadstudios.com/product/vision-reading/

For show notes visit:

https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/what-to-do-when-everything-goes-wrong/

To connect on Linked In:

@Sharon Lipovsky

@Point Road Studios

To connect on Instagram:

@pointroadstudios

Rate, Review & Subscribe to the podcast on Apple & Spotify

• • Connect to the Story of Growth - not Victimhood
  • Remind Yourself of the Wins
  • Leave space for Going Sideways
  • Remember that Fast is Not the Goal
  • Cultivate the Emotion, Regardless of Outcome

• Design Yourself episode highlighting the Vision Journey

We are all on a path, and obstacles showing up is inevitable. How we respond is not. How do you determine how to move around barriers? Where do you look for guidance? What if you had the confidence to trust your inner wisdom? In today's Design Yourself episode, we explore together how to be your inner compass.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The components of our inner compass (vision, values, guiding principles, guard rails)
• How to define these components
• Key strategies for operating with our compass

Stay Connected

To book your 1:1 Vision Reading:

https://pointroadstudios.com/product/vision-reading/

For show notes visit:

https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/be-your-own-inner-compass/

To connect on Linked In:

@Sharon Lipovsky

@Point Road Studios

To connect on Instagram:

@pointroadstudios

Rate, Review & Subscribe to the podcast on Apple & Spotify

The components of our inner compass

• Vision, values, guiding principles, guard rails

How to define these parts

• Vision - Where are you headed? For the sake of what?
• Values - What matters to you? Can you distill it into four words?
• Guiding Principles - What are the operating principles that allow you to move with and towards your vision in alignment with your values? (e.g., We are the leaders we've been waiting for. Leadership is a mindset, not a role. It is a priority to be as healthy on the inside as we appear on the outside, i.e., no beautiful, rotten apples.)
• Guard Rails - What creative constraints serve your roadmap?

Key strategies for operating with our compass

• Notice without judgment when you are looking outside or within for answers.
• Challenge old narratives that are comfortable but don't work for you.
• Consult your inner compass and see what resource or combo of resources will guide you.

Someone asks you if you'd like to join a particular gathering or experience. Quick - how do you respond? Do you think it through? Do you respond in the moment? We all have patterns around how we process decisions and that's what we get into in today's episode on Yes Habits.

In this episode, we explore:

• Two types of yeses

1. Methodical Yes

2. Spontaneous Yes

• How our Yes Habits align with different visioning types

1. Linear Visioning

2. Magical Visioning

• Reflection questions to get you thinking about your Yes Habits

Stay Connected

To book your 1:1 Vision Reading:

https://pointroadstudios.com/product/vision-reading/

To connect on Linked In:

@Sharon Lipovsky

@Point Road Studios

To connect on Instagram:

@pointroadstudios

Rate, Review & Subscribe to the podcast on Apple & Spotify

Methodical Yes – Taking the time to think through the hows and ifs of a commitment before saying yes.

Spontaneous Yes – Allowing yourself to respond in the moment with a yes, often based on a feeling of values and vision alignment – even if you aren't sure how it all connects for you.

Linear Visioning – A process of laying out a clear pathway of steps for how to bring a vision to life.

Magical Visioning – An intuitive process for moving towards a vision based on what you sense is needed now.

• What do you notice about your yes habits? Are you more of a methodical or a spontaneous Yeser?
• Do your circumstances tend to influence how you say yes? (Personal versus professional? The risk assessment? The person posing the opportunity?)
• Is there a safe, low-risk place where you could stretch yourself to try it a different way?
• Anything else that you want to remember about yes habits?

Who you are today is the guide to who you will be tomorrow. What wishes do you have for your future self? What wisdom do you want to be sure to carry with you? In the episode of Design Yourself, we explore questions to inspire Future You.

Stay Connected

To book your 1:1 Vision Reading:

https://pointroadstudios.com/product/vision-reading/

For show notes visit:

https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/future-you/

To connect on Linked In:

@Sharon Lipovsky

@Point Road Studios

To connect on Instagram:

@pointroadstudios

Rate, Review & Subscribe to the podcast on Apple & Spotify

1. What is something you can do right now as a gift to Future You?
2. What does Future You want you to know right now?
3. If you were to sum Future You up in 3 words, what would they be?
4. What advice do you want to give Future You?
5. What has shifted for Future You? How did they make that happen?

You Already Have All The Answers by Amanda Deibert

Humans can adapt, but so can systems. What happens when we spend the majority of our time caught focusing on what we have to do…and we don't focus on what is problematic about the way we do things? In this week's episode, we challenge the notion you always hold the answer and instead remind listeners that it's not your fault.

Stay Connected

To book your 1:1 Vision Reading:

https://pointroadstudios.com/product/vision-reading/

For show notes visit:

https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/its-not-your-fault/

To connect on Linked In:

@Sharon Lipovsky

@Point Road Studios

To connect on Instagram:

@pointroadstudios

Rate, Review & Subscribe to the podcast on Apple & Spotify

• Real Self-Care by Pooja Lakshmin
• Yale University's testing policy announcement and the policy itself

Human beings are interconnected, and we really can accomplish more together. But when it comes to visioning, how do we know what's ours versus someone else? How can we connect what someone else sees as possible to what we really want? That's what we get into in today's Design Yourself episode on Vision Alignment: Tapped for a New Opportunity.

Stay Connected

To book your 1:1 Vision Reading:

https://pointroadstudios.com/product/vision-reading/

For show notes visit:

https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/tapped-for-a-new-opportunity

To connect on Linked In:

@Sharon Lipovsky

@Point Road Studios

To connect on Instagram:

@pointroadstudios

Rate, Review & Subscribe to the podcast on Apple & Spotify

• The "light" and "shadow" of someone sharing what they see as possible for you.
• The importance of assessing the relationship you have with the person offering you a new opportunity.
• 3 steps to evaluate the new opportunity:

1. Listen to understand.
2. Return to center. What do I want?
3. Build the path forward.
   • Build trust and mutual support in the relationship.
   • Stay clear on your "what," i.e. what is the next step that you want in your career?
   • Then get clear on "how" to evaluate the role and your ability to learn and grow in alignment with your career objectives and business need.

Productivity is a dead-end pursuit. Our to-dos will always fill whatever space we give it. How can we let go of the habits driving us to do more, better, faster? How can we make time for what matters most?

In this episode of Design Yourself we explore:

• Our relationship with time;
• Examples of how time influenced the daily routines of artists Sylvia Plath and Erik Satie;
• Sharon's musings on how urgency and scarcity impact our relationship to how much time we have and how much time we need;
• Reflection questions to create awareness and alignment on how we each move with and in time.

"Productivity is a trap. Becoming more efficient just makes you more rushed, and trying to clear the decks simply makes them fill up again faster. Nobody in the history of humanity has ever achieved "work-life balance," whatever that might be, and you certainly won't get there by copying the "six things successful people do before 7:00 a.m." The day will never arrive when you finally have everything under control—when the flood of emails has been contained; when your to-do lists have stopped getting longer; when you're meeting all your obligations at work and in your home life; when nobody's angry with you for missing a deadline or dropping the ball; and when the fully optimized person you've become can turn, at long last, to the things life is really supposed to be about. Let's start by admitting defeat: none of this is ever going to happen. But you know what? That's excellent news."

-Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks

Stay Connected

To book your 1:1 Vision Reading:

https://pointroadstudios.com/product/vision-reading/

For show notes visit:

https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/how-to-make-time/

To connect on Linked In:

@Sharon Lipovsky

@Point Road Studios

To connect on Instagram:

@pointroadstudios

Rate, Review & Subscribe to the podcast on Apple & Spotify

• What is your flavor of distraction?
• What if it's not time that's hold you back? What else could it be?
• What are you wishing for? How might you make that happen in the next month?
• What else might work to try?
• What if you let time be?

• Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How to Use It by Oliver Burkeman
• And a good summary and review in The Guardian by Tim Adams
• Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey