KRISTINA'S WEEKLY EMAIL OF THOUGHT-PROVOKING ESSAYS & VIDEOS TO KEEP YOU CONNECTED TO YOURSELF ON THIS JOURNEY CALLED LIFE |
Greetings!
Sometimes the weather affects our mood and other times it reflects our mood. It’s been unusually gloomy in New York this week, and that seems to be how many people are feeling these days as the overall fatigue, stress and uncertainly of our current crisis continue to weigh upon us (now over seven months in with no significant relief in the near future), and the contentious battle for who gets to run our country, at least for the next four years, is nearing the finish line.
From my perspective, these are the times when, like Beyonce, you make lemonade. When life serves you lemons or just feels a bit sour, sometimes you need start, or surrender to, a squeeze - and perhaps even squeeze a little more - after which you can add some sweetener to feel refreshed and uplifted. In other words, instead of suffering under or trying to avoid the squeeze, EMBRACE it by seeing what it's trying to get out of you: What illumination, release, and insights can come of the pressure, malaise, anxiety or fear? What are you being asked to understand, change or reveal to yourself and/or to others? This takes some mental and emotional elbow grease through self-reflection, and/or, like Beyonce, a little heavy-duty butt-shaking to some rockin' funky tunes in order to move the energy through and out and/or to bring up the many aha's that come before, during or after.
That last bit is especially effective if you're feeling blah or frustrated or maybe even anger or rage. The energy has got to get out. Those of you who attended my Self Care in the Midst of Sea Change Talk (encore presentation coming mid-November!), know that dance/movement just one of the tools I mention. The bottom line is that we have to confront and make the best of this time and use it as the productive, albeit challenging, opportunity it provides. The more of use who do this, the better off we will come out on the other side, as I talk about in today's PGG as well as here, here, or here.
Therefore, in the days ahead, become a detective and keep excavating to get to the root of your sour stuckness (or hire me as your Sherlock Holmes ;). A major clue is always in how you feel about or treat yourself, as everything follows from there. The absence of self-worth imho is the real pandemic our society, so what can you do to connect more with the innermost part of yourself and really acknowledge, accept and love who you are?
Another powerful tool is gratitude, so if you don’t already have a practice of acknowledging things to be grateful for every day now would be a good time to start. And expressing your appreciation to others can make all the difference in someone's life, especially right now, as we all need our spirits lifted as much as possible. You can watch my thoughts about this particular point on IGTV or YouTube, and see this Instagram post or this one for some examples :)
Lastly, if you look forward to and benefit from these weekly missives and PGG essays and want to show your gratitude, any donations for my efforts are welcome and appreciated here: Paypal.me/kristinaleonardi. And as always, please feel free to contact me with any comments about anything.
Big hug,
Kristina
|
Follow me on social media for article links, motivational videos & inspirational posts!
|
"I love your PGG newsletters - one of the only ones I actually read in its entirety. They are excellently written, and spot on. Thanks for being so inspirational and reflective!" ~ Tom D.
|
|
Just Desserts
Originally published on March 20, 2012
Justice is what love looks like in public. Tenderness is what love feels like in private. ~ Cornel West
Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Ian MacLaren
I’m a pretty even-keeled gal, and have become somewhat adept at managing/mitigating stress in my life, which I share with others through my work. Part of that strategy includes limiting/filtering my daily dose of news and media so as not to get overwhelmed by the gloom and doom that is the majority of what is broadcast.
But lately I’ve been feeling like the character in that famous scene from the 1976 movie Network: “I”m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!” Just pick a topic, whether our broken political system, the war on women’s bodies, the global economic mess and decline of the middle class, or vigilantes and blatant attacks both here and abroad — including massacres and ethnic cleansing, both overt and subtle, of particular races, religions, sexual orientations and nations. There are so many things under siege in our culture, in society and around the world that it’s easy to get lulled into the feeling we can’t do anything. But we can take matters into our hands — in a responsible way.
Besides using our voice, signature and/or pocketbook to make a difference, we can check our egos at the door and let balanced emotions, not uncontrolled rage or fear, guide our actions. There is plenty of wonkiness/intellectual and pseudo-intellectual approaches to go around and also, unfortunately, pure hatred and insanity as well to fuel many an action, so the question that we all need to answer is: How can we inject more love, understanding and compassion in order to effect the change we want?
A good place to begin is to think about how we can create more justice and peace in our own lives, starting with our relationships. Are you unfairly punishing, harshly judging or incorrectly perceiving people closest to you, whether family, friends or those you work with? Are the thoughts and actions towards yourself and others around you positive and constructive, or negative and destructive?
It’s a good time to clean out our mental and emotional closets as well as our spiritual and physical ones, to let go of what no longer serves us, or holds us back from expressing the highest and best version of who we are and can be. By making more of a commitment to create your own just and peaceful world, only then can we expect it of the world around us. ’Cause guess what? That world is made of us!
Do what you can to activate love and compassion within yourself, scan reactions and prejudices, don’t throw stones, and stand up for those who can’t. Most of all, go easy on you! We’re often our own worst critics and judges, and we end up imprisoning ourselves and those around us because of it. Most people are doing the best as they can. As so eloquently stated in a TED Talk by Bryan Stevenson, remember that “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done” and “Our humanity depends on everyone’s humanity.”
Not quite sure where you need to balance the scales of justice in your life? Give me a buzz and I can be a softer, gentler version of Judge Judy, helping you to separate fact from fiction in your court of personal opinion so you can spring yourself from whatever slammer you’ve put yourself in!
* * * * * * * * *
If you like what I write, you'll love what I have to say in person!
If you look forward to and benefit from these weekly essays and want to show your gratitude, any donations for my efforts are welcomed and appreciated here: Paypal.me/kristinaleonardi
Looking for some quality content while social distancing?
Remember, you can always see PGGs from any month or year going back to 2010 on my website at www.kristinaleonardi.com and visit my social media pages for more inspiration throughout the week! Want to share my PGG? Use my Medium page for friendliest posting version.
|
|
If you're looking for some compassionate candor and a dose of tough love, Kristina is the coach for you.... I came into this really lacking clarity and walked away with a sense of relief. Can't recommend her enough. ~ Kevin R.
Now is a great time to use this time to take stock of and get on track with your career and life with clarity, balance and direction.
|
|
|
|
Kristina’s coaching expertise is phenomenal — all-encompassing, inclusive of the mind, body & spirit, nonjudgmental, insightful and deeply involved in providing solutions and tools to be a better version of yourself. ~ Audrey N.
|
|
WORK WITH KRISTINA
"Kristina patiently helped me to discover and embrace my true north. I was stuck in a past identity that blocked me from the person I wanted to become."
STAY TUNED FOR NEXT DATE
VIRTUAL GROUP COACHING
STAY TUNED FOR NEXT TALK MID-NOVEMBER
SELF-CARE IN THE MIDST OF SEA CHANGE:
Navigating times of transition for healing and personal growth
Using the Great Pause for Personal & Professional Development
Staying Motivated Throughout the Job Search Process
Authentic Branding: Letting the Real You Shine in Any Situation
Who Are You & What Are You Supposed to Be Doing with Your Life?
Stepping Stones for Success
Kristina's Books:
Read Kristina's Career & Personal Growth Articles:
"Since I last spoke with you, I've had some pretty dramatic changes - New Job, a Big Move, Healthy Dating Relationship. It's been pretty awesome. Emotionally, I've done a 180, and my life is certainly a reflection of that. My last session with you spurred a lot of wonderful life changes." ~ Palanda B.
"I can honestly say that speaking to you was one of the most important events in my life. It is almost unbelievable how a 2-hour conversation can have that effect." ~ Bozhanka V.
Thank you again for opening my eyes to a new future! ~ K. Handa
|
|
PGG VIDEO PICK OF THE WEEK |
|
Click on the link for this week's video where I remind you to
Looking for more PGG inspiration and tips?
|
|
kristina leonardi - Medium
Looking for more good reads? Check out and follow me on Medium, where you can easily like and share the PGG's that really click. Share the love <3
Read more
medium.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you're receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in and have signed up directly for or agreed to be added to this list for mailings and updates related to the work of Kristina Leonardi, PGG/Personal Growth Gab and/or TWM/The Women's Mosaic. Your privacy is paramount, and your email will only be used for communicating with you about topics, essays, events and announcements related to these entities. Please note you can change your profile preferences or simply unsubscribe at anytime using the "Update Profile" or "SafeUnsubscribe" links at the bottom of every email. Thanks for being part of this community and feel free to contact kleonardi@mindspring.com should you have any questions, comments or concerns.
You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
