My 7 Favorite Mid-Summer Motivators!

Christi Hegstad July 21st, 2021

Maybe it’s a post-vacation lull.

The heat.

The fact that everyone seems to be out of the office.

Or maybe it’s for no reason whatsoever – but you’re feeling a massive lack of get-up-and-go these days.

If this doesn’t sound like you, skip this article and leave your best tips below!

But if it does and you’re craving a bit of a boost, here are 7 of my favorite mid-summer motivators:

1. Connect with inspiring people.

Schedule a meeting with your mastermind group, set up a session with your coach, or call a colleague who’s always doing something cool.

2. Return to something you used to love.

Crossword puzzles in the evening? Crafting macrame plant holders? Reading a book you loved as a child? Revisit something that previously lit you up.

3. Try something new.

On the flip side, try something brand-new – and give yourself permission to do it poorly, too. Release any expectations and just have fun experimenting.

4. Disconnect.

Hide your phone and laptop for a length of time that feels challenging to you. Repeat every few days.

5. Immerse yourself in study.

This may sound counterintuitive, but deepening your learning in something you’re passionate about can serve as a great energizer.

6. Take a break.

If a week off isn’t in the cards, try a morning off and head to your favorite walking trail, or spend an afternoon at your local botanical gardens.

7. Remember your ‘why.’

I’ve said it a million times, but remembering why you started – reconnecting with your purpose – is the greatest motivator I know!

And in case anyone needs the reminder, we aren’t designed to be motivated and productive 24/7. A temporary lack of motivation can be a good cue to simply relax for a while! But if you’re looking for a boost, I sincerely hope one of these ideas speaks to you.

Which one will you try, or what idea does it prompt for you? Share on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook!!

Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC, is the Practical + Purposeful Coach for Achievers! Join our email community for weekly coaching tips, free resources, book recommendations, and more!

How To Engage In Meaningful Work

Christi Hegstad November 3rd, 2019

“It’s not enough just to get things done.

You have to help people do more of the work

that has impact and meaning.”

Michael Bungay Stanier

How meaningful is your work? How purposeful are your daily actions?

I once worked with a client who began by calling himself a ‘desk jockey,’ saying he only entered data and pushed papers and handled unhappy phone calls. “Not much meaning in that,” he shared.

By the end of our work together, however, he was no longer calling himself a desk jockey – but rather someone whose work saves lives.

No, he did not switch careers, organizations, or even most of his tasks.

What he did switch was the meaning and purpose he brought to, and sought from, the work. He connected to the bigger picture, saw the ripple effect he set in motion, and realized he – like every one of us – makes a difference.

This week, connect your work to the bigger picture.

You can go about this in a couple of ways:

First, consider – in detail – the potential ripple effect of what you do. Maybe you help an unhappy customer find a resolution, and maybe she then returns to work in a more positive and solution-oriented mood as a result, and maybe she helps a coworker solve a problem, and maybe that coworker goes home and speaks more gently to his family … on and on and on.

Never underestimate the power of your ripple effect!

The second way: Simply decide that your work is meaningful. Then set about finding the evidence and creating the ways to prove that decision true.

The ASPIRE Success Club will be delving into topics like this next year, and enrollment is now open – but only for a few weeks! Click here to join us!

Enrollment in the 2020 ASPIRE Success Club IS NOW OPEN! Click here for the details and enroll today!

Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is the Certified Executive + Personal Coach for difference-making achievers! Clarify your vision, free up time, and confidently reach bold, compelling goals that matter! Contact us today for coaching, speaking, and Mastermind opportunities, or click here and fill in the blue box to join our email community.

What Matters Most In Your Workday?

Christi Hegstad October 6th, 2019

How much of your typical workday focuses on what matters most?

To accurately answer this, you need to know what matters most.

As Laura Vanderkam wrote,

“You can have a great system for organizing email or scheduling daily conference calls on various projects, but I’m guessing at your retirement dinner, people won’t talk about your pristine in-box or packed schedule.”

What will they talk about at your retirement dinner?

What do you want them to talk about?

This week, list your top work priorities for the remainder of the year.

If you often spend your day lost in email or largely in ‘reactive mode’, the first step toward change is to determine your priorities. What results do you want to achieve? Where do you most want to invest your precious time? What will allow you to make your difference?

Categories to consider, for starters:

* Projects to complete

* Leaders to develop

* Strategic planning to engage

* Relationships to strengthen

* Mindset / personal skills to build

* Classes or certifications to finish

* Partnerships to create

Once you’ve determined your current priorities, you can start making shifts to bring the ideal to fruition – let me know if you’d like help with that!

Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is the Certified Executive + Personal Coach for difference-making achievers! Clarify your vision, free up time, and confidently reach bold, compelling goals that matter! Contact us today for coaching, speaking, and Mastermind opportunities, or click here and fill in the blue box to join our email community.

Growing A Business + Raising A Family

Christi Hegstad May 10th, 2019

In a few weeks, we will celebrate my middle child graduating from high school. He was two years old when I started my business.

Like every parent at a graduation ceremony, I marvel at how much he has changed and grown in that blink-of-an-eye span of time! I also sometimes wonder, what was I thinking starting a business back then? 🙂

When MAP Inc. began, I had a preschooler, a toddler, and a baby on the way. My days were filled to the brim with story times and business plans, dance parties and client sessions, outdoor adventures and networking. Add a bunch of laughter and tears and exhilaration and exhaustion, and you’ve got a good picture of those early years!

One of the questions I am asked most often, whether in interviews or by young professionals and budding entrepreneurs, is how I’ve grown a business while raising a family. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but here are a few of my reflections:

1. Both flow more smoothly when you honor your values.

If you’ve ever coached with me, we have talked about values. They imbue everything we do – all our roles, all our interactions, all aspects of our lives.

I strive to honor my core values at home and in my work. I live out my value of growth, for example, by encouraging my children and my clients to set inspiring goals and to try new things; I challenge myself to do the same. When we know our core values and intentionally honor them, work and life flow much more smoothly.

2. Weekly planning rules the day.

On a tactical level, my Weekly Review + Planning practice has been an indispensable part of making it all work.

When the kids were little, this involved mapping out some ‘fun-tivities’ each week (library, art, meeting friends at the park); as they grow, it often means scheduling meets and academic events on the calendar before all else. I may not address every priority every single day, but if I don’t address them in the span of a week, I know something must change.

3. Learn to acknowledge some dissonance.

Sometimes I have put business opportunities on hold to focus on family; other times I have had to leave for a work commitment right when something has happened at home. Accepting this has at times proven quite challenging.

We all live multi-faceted lives with priorities that may include family, career, health, spirituality, and so on. While we strive to keep first things first, we also need to recognize that tension between those priorities will arise; periodically, this can be o.k. if we learn to navigate it with a purposeful mindset. If it’s a constant source of overwhelm, however, changes and support may be in order.

4. Keep showing up. Even when you get it wrong.

I have made more mistakes, both with the business and with the family, than I can count. But every day, I show up, attempt to start fresh (my morning practice is a HUGE player in this), and decide with intention who and how I wish to be in the world.

We all mess up. Learn from the mistakes, refocus your mindset, course-correct, and keep on keepin’ on.

5. Love fuels all.

When I became a parent, I bombarded my mom with questions, to which she eventually gave me some of the best advice I have ever received: Christi, whatever you do, if done in love, will be the right thing.

Friends, I have applied this in parenting, in business, in life. Whenever I don’t know what to do, which occurs more often than you might think, I consider her words. They haven’t failed me yet.

I am inspired by the delightful young adults my children have become, and I am pleased with this business that started 16+ years ago with little more than a burning desire to make a positive difference in the world. And thank goodness I have a passion for learning because I am still learning and experimenting every day! 🙂

If you are in a season of transition, I hope you take time to reflect on the joyful moments, lessons learned, and what you’d like to create going forward. As long as we are on this wild, beautiful, messy, ever-changing ride of life, let’s keep making the most of it – personally, professionally, and at all points in between!

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Positive Psychology At Work: Invest In Mastery (Idea #5)

Christi Hegstad April 23rd, 2018

In my latest Do What You Love! newsletter, I shared a powerful model within the field of positive psychology, as well as several practical ways to begin bringing greater positivity into the workplace. I am sharing some of those ideas as a series here on the blog as well. To ensure you receive the insights and inspiration in future newsletters, subscribe today!

Idea #5: Invest in mastery.

Help your team work at its highest potential by investing in coaching, conference attendance, certifications, and professional development. Investing in excellent, high-quality development will lead to results beyond your expectations, plus it will let your employees know you consider them not just employees but full, rich individuals with the power to grow and accomplish great things.

What other ideas does this article prompt for you? Share them below or on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook!

Positive Psychology At Work: Team Vision Board (Idea #4)

Christi Hegstad April 22nd, 2018

In my latest Do What You Love! newsletter, I shared a powerful model within the field of positive psychology, as well as several practical ways to begin bringing greater positivity into the workplace. I am sharing some of those ideas here on the blog as well over the next few days. To ensure you receive the insights and inspiration in future newsletters, subscribe today!

4. Create a team vision board.

My weekly Clarity Kickstart messages often share tips for creating meaningful work and helping people see how they are part of the bigger picture. Consider encouraging team members to take your department goals and find/create visual representations of them (photos, images, etc.). Put them on a board and keep them present as a visual reminder of your collective goals.

What other ideas does this article prompt for you? Share them below or on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook!

Positive Psychology At Work: Build Team Appreciation (Idea #3)

Christi Hegstad April 21st, 2018

In my latest Do What You Love! newsletter, I shared a powerful model within the field of positive psychology, as well as several practical ways to begin bringing greater positivity into the workplace. I am sharing some of those ideas here as a series on the blog as well. To ensure you receive the insights and inspiration in future newsletters, subscribe today!

Idea #3: Start a fun, low-risk, team-building activity.

Instead of a suggestion box, one organization I worked with had a “Kudos Box.” Whenever you saw someone going above and beyond, you’d drop a note in the box about them, then they would be recognized at the next staff meeting and given a Kudos bar. Small relationship-building activities lead to big effects!

What other ideas does this article prompt for you? Share them below or on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook!

Positive Psychology At Work: Prompt Deep Work (Idea #2)

Christi Hegstad April 20th, 2018

In my latest Do What You Love! newsletter, I shared a powerful model within the field of positive psychology, as well as several practical ways to begin bringing greater positivity into the workplace. I am sharing some of those ideas here on the blog as well over the next few days. To ensure you receive the insights and inspiration in future newsletters, subscribe today!

Idea #2: Prompt deep work.

Interruptions and distractions run rampant in today’s workplace and not only do they impact productivity, they actually affect the neural pathways in our brains, making focus more difficult. Engage your employees in work that aligns with their strengths and passions whenever possible, then allow space (ie, a quiet conference room or a 3-hour time block at the local library) for them to get into flow. Read Cal Newport’s excellent book, Deep Work, for more.

What other ideas does this article prompt for you? Share them below or on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook!

Helping Others Find Purpose At Work

Christi Hegstad April 9th, 2018

“Burnout results not from hard work – people are capable of working very hard – but from a sense of futility, the fear that all the hard work isn’t making a difference.“

Rabbi Harold Kushner

Coaching Tip of the Week:

Do you agree with Rabbi Kushner’s statement?

I fully agree and have seen the proof time and time again.

Hard work without a sense of purpose or connection to the bigger picture typically leads to exhaustion, frustration, and burnout. Someone fueled by passion and purpose, however, can dedicate incredible energy and heart, and still walk away feeling strong and positive!

This week, help others see the value in their work.

Have you ever noticed how it’s sooooo much easier to solve someone else’s problem than your own? Leverage that experience this week.

Pay attention if you notice someone feeling a bit disheartened or burned out by their work. Help them connect the dots to how their role helps customers, the community, family, self, and the world at large.

Trust me: Not only will you boost their morale and help reinvigorate their professional passion, you’ll do the same for yourself in the process!

Share your thoughts below or on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter! And if you’d like coaching to gain clarity on your goals and action plans, let’s talk.

Meaningful Achiever Profile: Charlie Kiesling

Christi Hegstad March 30th, 2018

Throughout MAP Inc.’s 15th year in business, I am excited to profile some of the Meaningful Achievers with whom I have been blessed to work! Check Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (all @ChristiHegstad) for more.

If you have met Charlie Kiesling, you know she is like a burst of sunshine when she enters a room! Whether leading in her role as HR Director with AccessSystems, enjoying her family, or serving her community (in this photo Charlie, center, is accepting the prestigious Governor’s Volunteer award for her extensive community impact), Charlie seems to bring a level of energy and positivity to every activity she pursues.

I have been fortunate to know, be inspired by, and work with Charlie in a variety of ways over many years. She is a longtime member of the ASPIRE Success Club, for example, and participated in my most recent Mastermind group as well. I asked Charlie a few questions about working with meaning, living with purpose, and what has contributed to her success:

What are some of your recent accomplishments?

“I put together a strong business plan along with 3 Bold Goals addressing both my personal and professional life. I am proud that I have stayed focused on those goals, worked with the team to accomplish critical business-driving actions, and am enjoying my ‘52 To 52’ – 52 new experiences leading up to my 52nd birthday!”

What has contributed to these accomplishments?

“My involvement in Mastermind as well as our monthly accountability journal, my accountability partner, and staying true to my core values. Plus I get a natural high from a sense of meaningful achievement, which also drives me forward.”

What are some of your biggest recent learnings?

“Expecting the unexpected and being able to roll with it! Learning to quiet my inner critic. Having the courage to stretch and trust my own strength.”

How has knowing your purpose impacted you?

“This has been profound for me. With Christi’s encouragement, I looked back and realized I have made major life decisions based on my core values without even realizing it. Now, I intentionally call on my values and purpose when making decisions and as a result, feel less apprehension when heading outside my comfort zone.”

What’s one lesson you’d like to share with others?

“Just one?! 🙂 Believe in yourself and your potential – instead of fake-it-til-you-make-it, FAITH it til you make it. Also, give yourself grace as you grow, expand, and step into your full potential.”

If you viewed this on Instagram, you’ll notice I used sunburst emojis as bullet points – a good representation of Charlie’s persona. I am grateful to know, work with, and be inspired by incredible clients like Charlie who so beautifully bring meaning to work and purpose to life!

Tag Archives: meaningful work

1. Both flow more smoothly when you honor your values.

2. Weekly planning rules the day.

3. Learn to acknowledge some dissonance.

4. Keep showing up. Even when you get it wrong.

5. Love fuels all.