WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

YES, YOU HAVE PERMISSION.

You have permission to speak up, you have permission to be you, you have permission to do great work, you have permission to pause, and you have permission to choose what’s a good next step for you. 

What do all these have in common? 

They are all about us being human. Just simply human. Better yet, whole humans because we are inclusive of who we are, what we care about, and what we need to support ourselves in our daily work and lives. 

And yet, so many think that we are a problem to fix. We are not a problem to fix; we are an advantage to harness because we can think, engage and act with care and on purpose. The challenge we have is to cut through all the noise that’s telling us what we are not, what we can’t do, and how we should please others around us, and the big one… feeling like we don’t have permission. Now I’m not talking about speaking up and acting out, creating conflict with those around you, but rather noticing the conflict, you have inside. The one that tells you what you shouldn’t or can’t do. The conflict that have you focused on what’s not possible because you don’t have permission that is keeping you from reclaiming agency in your daily life and work.

THE OBSTACLE TO PERMISSION IS FUD

The most expensive time we have is the time we waste in self-doubt. FUD is part of this “time-pothole.” FUD, fear, uncertainty, and doubt, is all around us, not just inside of us. It’s part of our culture to create FUD as a way to drive people forward. Many organizations have been and still are driven by fear of not achieving results, and unfortunately, many leaders still think that we get more out of people when they are scared of losing their jobs. It’s part of our social construct, and the one we need to change by rethinking self-care at work because working in survival mode isn’t working, nor is it how we do our best work. However, FUD is everywhere, which is why we need to face it. It’s everything from advertising that’s creating FOMO, media, and politics, which is getting us sucked in by being fear driven. Of course, the facts can be and often are scary; however, the facts need to inform us into action, not paralyze us. 

We talk so much about time-management skills when the most waste of time that happens every day is the time we spend in doubt. 

Having permission to take charge of the FUD, instead of getting stuck in the pothole of it, is essential to reclaiming agency in our lives and over our work. I consistently hear from people who have read my book that they realize how FUD has been holding them back and costing them time. (I love when you have that insight for yourself!). 

The funny thing about “permission to pause” is that it’s essential to face the FUD and think with more clarity, speak up and engage with more courage, and make choices and decisions with more confidence, which essentially is how we do our best work. We are not paid to work faster; we are paid to work better and solve problems better by thinking better. 

So let this be a reminder that to cut through the overwhelm and the messy reality of thoughts, telling us what’s not possible, a simple Power-Pause, that small moment, that gap in time, where you can come back home to the power inside you, where you can pause, listen and ask better questions, is the key to using your human advantage; your power to CARE with intention and make decisions that align with what matters. 

Don’t ever ask permission for that again, ok?!

It matters because you matter, and what burns us out is not that we work too much; it’s that we don’t feel we have agency over our work and lives.

PAUSE ON THIS

When are times you dismiss yourself and your better knowing to go along with what someone else thinks is the best way forward?

• If you recognize that a person (who might be your leader) is not pausing to think things through before reacting, what would you need to feel comfortable to suggest a pause before responding? 

• If you think there might be a different way to consider and solve a problem, how do you normally work through that? Do you speak up, walk away to ponder on it on your own, or do you dismiss yourself and leave it alone? 

• What would you need to give yourself permission to be your best self, the whole human that you already are?