Give yourself the gift of reflection and planning
Beyond Neutral
As the holiday season approaches, Paula Reid challenges listeners to step back from the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations to focus on themselves. In this special episode of Beyond Neutral, Paula introduces a simple yet impactful three-step process for ending the year with gratitude and setting the stage for personal success in the new year. Key Takeaways Celebrate Your Wins (2:45) Reflect on your accomplishments from the past year. What personal strengths or capacities helped you achieve these wins? Paula encourages listeners to take a moment to celebrate and express gratitude for...
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A Big Question To Ask Yourself & Season Two Finale!
Beyond Neutral
In this Season 2 wrap-up, Paula takes a moment to reflect on some of her favorite and most popular episodes, such as "Ep. 16: Unpacking Agency," "Ep. 19: Three Step Process to Stop Ruminating" and "Ep. 26: Do An Expectations Audit." As Paula prepares for her summer activities, a time she usually spends reflecting, reading, and planning for the future, she had a thought-provoking conversation with a friend that led to a deeper question. The question she poses to herself and her listeners is: What do you want your contribution to be? Consider this question in any given moment—how...
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Understanding Stress Signals and Self-Soothing Strategies
Beyond Neutral
Throughout season two, Paula explored various techniques for recognizing and managing emotions, from navigating feedback to weathering emotional storms. Today, she zeros in on a crucial element of mastering emotional regulation: understanding your personal stress responses and self-soothing methods. In this episode, Paula dives into how recognizing these personal tendencies is a pivotal first step towards improving your emotional reactions. She reveals her own inclination to spring into action and explains how gaining this self-awareness has empowered her to pause and maintain composure under...
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4 Ways to Cultivate Abundance
Beyond Neutral
Paula wants us to know that the abundance mindset is not about pie-eyed optimism. It is about how we approach a problem, and if we immediately go to a scarcity mindset, this can condition our thinking. We all have a tendency to jump into certain patterns of thinking, even if we consider ourselves very positive people. In this episode, Paula shares a personal story about packing her daughter's car for a move and how her daughter's reminder to adopt an abundance mindset was the catalyst to start focusing on her own patterns of thinking. Despite her optimistic nature, Paula caught herself...
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Challenging Your Inner Narratives for True Transformation
Beyond Neutral
Have you been telling yourself a certain story about who you are and what you're capable of? We all have an inner narrative that can hinder our ability to transform. This inner voice is not necessarily ever going to go away, but breaking free from its assumptions is possible. In a recent discussion, Paula and Mike Rataczak reflected on their latest episode, "#33: Trusting Your Instincts Through Transformations," and shared a powerful message. Mike urges listeners not to avoid confronting their inner voice, which can be both loud and limiting. Paula offers her insights on tackling...
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Trusting Your Instincts Through Transformations
Beyond Neutral
Join Paula and special guest Mike Rataczak in this wisdom-packed episode as they discuss Mike's journey of making a significant career shift. After dedicating over 30 years to Human Resources, Mike made the bold decision to return to school for design and pursue a career as an interior designer. Listen in to learn Mike's decision-making process and the challenges he encountered while embarking on this new path. This episode offers valuable insights into the experience of navigating major life changes, while also providing encouragement and wisdom for those who may be reflecting on their...
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The 3 Essential Steps to Receiving Feedback with Grace
Beyond Neutral
In this episode, Paula embarks on a profound exploration of receiving feedback with intention and grace, highlighting three crucial steps: ✓ Practicing neutrality: By approaching feedback with a neutral energy, we sidestep defensiveness and internalization, paving the way for genuine understanding. ✓ Expressing gratitude: Acknowledging the feedback as a gift of insight is a powerful demonstration of vulnerability that enhances our connections. ✓ Engaging in reflection: Giving ourselves permission to deeply ponder the feedback, emphasizing the importance of self-compassion in...
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The Art of an Apology
Beyond Neutral
Do you owe someone an apology? Have you ever thought about the difference between a meaningful and an ineffective apology? Apologizing can be challenging, as some of us perceive admitting wrongdoing as a sign of weakness. However, Paula emphasizes that acknowledging our mistakes is actually a display of strength. Apologies play a crucial role in maintaining healthy relationships. If you wish to move past a blunder, offering a sincere apology is essential. Paula outlines four key factors for a successful apology, sharing valuable insights on mastering this skill. She underscores...
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The Humble Leader Embracing Growth and Vulnerability
Beyond Neutral
Can you recall a moment when you crossed paths with someone in a powerful position who had genuine humility? I bet it left a lasting mark on you. There's something about humble individuals that stays with us—they possess an incredible superpower. Today, Paula is talking about humility in leadership and life. She's shedding light on the idea that when we arrogantly believe we have all the answers, there's no space for personal growth and learning. Paula is urging us to understand that without humility, we not only shy away from admitting our mistakes but, even more detrimentally, we...
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Navigating Internal Promotions
Beyond Neutral
Do you aspire to advance within your current company? Have you thought about how being an internal candidate might affect how others perceive you compared to an external candidate? Paula wants us to consider all the pieces to an internal promotion. There are many advantages, such as a deeper understanding of the organization, but it also presents challenges. One challenge is the need to reassess your relationships within the company, which some people may overlook. Paula explains that we have to be prepared to broaden our perspective and strengthen certain...
info_outlineIn this episode, Paula delves into the topic of anxiety. It's undeniable that anxiety and fear often go hand in hand, manifesting either situationally or as persistent, chronic anxiety. The truth is that anxiety is a prevalent aspect of our society, affecting nearly everyone.
Paula recounts a personal experience from a challenging period in her life. During high school, her son suffered a significant concussion that kept him home from school for three months, leading to heightened anxiety. Unbeknownst to her at the time, she coped by immersing herself in cooking every night. This tactile activity became her way of breaking the pattern of anxiety, providing her with a sense of purpose and a means to channel her stress.
She emphasizes that, like all emotions, anxiety carries a message. By attentively listening to this message, we can navigate our way through it. Often, it involves the need for clarity and the development of a plan. Paula prompts reflection on what requires clarity in one's life, what might be disregarded or avoided, and what persistent thoughts demand attention and action.
Paula offers practical approaches to address anxiety:
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Acknowledge Your Anxiety: Recognize and admit when you are feeling anxious.
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Seek Clarity: Gain as much understanding as possible about the root causes of your anxiety.
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Engage in Tactile Activities: Involve yourself in hands-on activities as a way of coping with anxiety.
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Develop a Plan: Create a plan to address and manage anxiety, especially during anticipated high-stress periods.
Paula's insights underscore the importance of proactive and tangible strategies in dealing with anxiety, encouraging individuals to confront and work through their challenges.
Show Notes Link: www.reidnco.com/podcast
Time Stamps:
[00:02:31] Okay. And so,because of that, we may not always. realize that's what's going on with us. if we're really not in tune to what's happening, a lot of us walk around, there's some statistic, they said 20 percent of Americans, or some research that I have done has indicated that 20 percent of Americans have anxiety, experiencing anxiety every day. I actually think that's probably an incredibly low number, because I think that on some level way more people in this country experience anxiety on a fairly ongoing level. And a lot of times, it's just there. It's just, you don't, you may not even be aware of it, but it's absolutely there.
[00:07:18] Okay. So that's. Number 1, if you're able to identify it as a situational trigger, and if you're able to even sit back and realize, it may not just be 1 meeting that you're going into that's causing it, but you may start to realize as you start to notice where it's coming from that there's a pattern to those things that are causing you anxiety. And once you see a pattern, you're able to anticipate ahead of an event, how you're going to feel or how you might want to respond or how you want to respond differently. So once you can see a pattern, you can plan for that and that there's the clarity, right?
[00:14:58] If you're really having a tough time, it's to, take the blessing that anxiety is trying to offer you, right? Take the gift that it's trying to give you, and with that, you will find your way out of it. Okay. And if you need help, understanding this, or you want to talk about it more, always happy to discuss it with you, but emotions, they're there for a reason.