Soul Boss

It can be tough to take the lead. It’s nerve-wracking to say what others may not want to hear or to stand up for yourself. But the dilemma isn’t whether turning points will happen. The real issue is what you’ll do when you’re at a crossroads. Will you fall back and hope for someone else to take the lead, or will you speak out, speak up, and fight the good fight? Click to learn how to use the soft skill of healthy self-esteem to do what is right and just. Stir up some good trouble!

In the past, when we thought of someone courageous, we thought of the rugged individualist, who faced and solved problems on their own. But that model is a myth. Barreling ahead on your own without all the information isn’t courageous—it’s reckless. Click to listen to how a famous President found the courage to transform an embarrassing defeat into a life lesson.

This year, everyone has probably used “Fine” more than usual simply to avoid a heavy, hard conversation about how things are really going. You may have even felt a little embarrassed about feeling weighed down by anxiety. But that doesn’t mean that you have to keep your game face on. You can find the sweet spot by combining compassion with honesty—take time to understand your feelings, then drop your guard once you’re in safe company.

Click to listen to how Lily Collins eases her anxiety by getting past “Fine.”

Marissa Maciel was almost at her breaking point when she called her father. She was so stressed trying to juggle responsibilities during the pandemic that she broke down in tears, wondering how long she could keep going. Forget work/life balance—she was just looking for a moment of peace.

Like Marissa, do you feel like you’re constantly falling short? Click to hear how to use the soft skill of discernment to make smart choices about your priorities. Reclaim your life by refreshing outdated expectations!

I watched a YouTube clip where someone complained about giving the pained laugh when they didn’t really like someone’s joke—you know the one— the half-hearted he-he-he. Who was speaking? Oprah! I thought, Oprah’s made trade-offs, too?!

The reality is that everyone makes trade-offs to get along with others—that’s just part of life. The trouble starts when you feel like you have to hide parts of yourself to be accepted. Over time, you may even lose your essence in that relationship. Shame then creeps up in two ways: You put yourself down for trading your authenticity away, then get upset because you don’t know how to turns the situation around!

Click to hear how Trevor Noah faced and fixed the inauthenticity trap.

Have you ever had situations that left you unsettled, with feelings running the gamut from being a little embarrassed to outright shame? Shame itself isn’t the biggest problem—the trouble is reliving the pain. When you give weight to a constant stream of negative thoughts like “I can’t believe I didn’t get that right. I always mess up. Life will always be like this,” shame becomes the boss of you, but you can change that.

One type of shame is, “I got myself into this mess!” and it can be one of the hardest to get over. Listen to how Matt Herrick battled and won this fight. Shake off shame and step into your future!

Goals start because we have joy, and we’re excited about what’s ahead. But when you have one adversity after another—kind of like this year has been—you may feel like giving up! Finishing strong takes more than putting your shoulder to the wheel and pushing through—it helps if there’s a little fun along the way. So, backtrack to Why you started and anchor that feeling.

Click for this week’s case study and the “Finish Strong” series recap.

Does the finish line seem a million miles away? Replace a "have to" mindset with "get to" and turbo charge your results with gratitude!

Are you juggling so many projects that finishing seems elusive? You either don’t finish a project, don’t finish on time, or don’t finish with the quality you want. The answer to that problem is to use batch time, but for maximum results, batch time requires a plan. Click to hear four practical examples of how you can back up your big What with a few clear-cut How tactics. Create quality results and make batch time work for you!

Labor Day has come and gone, so it’s official: Recess is over and it’s time to get back to work! If your in-box is anything like mine, you may be juggling deadlines as fast as you can, and tempers could be flaring. The answer is to draw on the soft skill of smart choices. Click to hear about three important mails that always backfire. Learn how to hit pause before you hit send!