I had to ask for help with a heavy bag the other day.  Arthritis in my hands sometimes makes it painful to pick up heavy things.

Then yesterday at my F45 gym workout, I needed to ask for help with modifying at least 3 different moves.

I don’t really like to ask for help - most of us don’t.  We somehow think it’s a sign of weakness, or we don't want to imposition others.

I remember years ago when I was a teenager. One night at 11:30pm, the phone rang. I picked it up because, hey, I was a teenager and still up! My parents were long ago in bed.

It was my dad's best friend, asking that dad come and pick him up at the airport because he was stuck and there was a taxi strike or something going on.

I said to him, "well, he's asleep so he can't come to the phone or pick you up." Jack said, "it's ok, Lisa, your dad won't mind. He knows I'd do it for him."

Sure enough, I knocked on the bedroom door and told dad his friend was on the phone. He was on his way to the...

I took this photo of a rainbow on a road trip with my family awhile back.

It was (clearly!) pouring rain out, and the driving was stressful.

We could barely see out the windshield at times.

My mind was racing, worrying about being late, about getting in an accident - when suddenly this rainbow appeared, right in front of us!

It felt like a sign at the time - a sign to breathe and become present.

After all, disaster hadn't actually struck. The fear was just making for a really bad ride.

So I chose to step out of that worry and semi-panic, and focus on the rainbow, on the possibilities we would experience at our destination.

When was the last time you chose to reframe a situation?

It's common to feel anxious, worrying about the past or the future.

What would it mean for you to simply take a moment, breathe and check in with yourself? To look around for a rainbow? To reframe the situation so that it's no longer a problem you need to solve, but an opportunity for learning?

I’m...

I'm personally feeling pretty tired today. Feeling like I need to go slooooooooowly.

For me, that's a very tough feeling - wanting to rest but telling myself I can't or don't have the time. My inner critic would have me believe that time is scarce and I am never doing enough.

The good news is that I recognize the inner critic's nagging voice more frequently than I used to. When I do notice it, I like to stop and ask myself this question:

How can I reframe this message? Flip it? See another perspective?

And today's answer was this: I have been working very hard, at a sustained pace, for a few months now. The mental energy I've been exerting has been enormous. And today, my body is telling me it needs more down time to counter-balance all that activity. More time to refuel and recuperate.

So! I will listen to my fave guided meditation for 15 minutes FIRST.

From there, I will pour myself an ice cold glass of water and maybe make some tea.

And finally, I will sit down and be focused on...

“Grrrrrr, he’s SO stubborn!”   

Have you ever had a similar thought while working through a key project with an important stakeholder who refuses to budge on her position around a critical element?   Or maybe when trying to make a household decision with your better half?

Have you ever dreaded trying to negotiate with this person?  Given up on trying to make them see reason, and just chosen good ol’ fashioned resentment instead?

I have.   There are some tough cookies out there.   I remember one client when I was still in the corporate world, and there seemed to be NO way to make him happy and get his approval without major blood, sweat and tears.  I used to DREAD dealing with him.  

Looking back, I wasted a lot of energy on this stakeholder relationship.  I got myself quite wound up in knots at times.  And the process of winning his buy-in remained difficult and loooong for quite some time. ...