My weekly emails are for you if you want a transformational SHOT OF POSITIVITY that makes you think, gets you laughing, and sparks a positive change. Start each week inspired.
Compelling or cringe?
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Reader, are you feeling bombarded? I've never been big on New Year's resolutions, but in the past few years, I've found this tradition especially cringe. Part of this response is having enough decades on the earth to know that I have never once followed through on my previous New Year's resolutions in a sustained way. The other part is the proliferation of marketing messages exploiting this tradition to reinforce messages of scarcity and insufficiency. Who needs more of that sh!t in your head? Losing my Dad so suddenly in September was a blessing and a curse. In the moment I had peace letting him go and focus as I prepared to honor him as we celebrated his life. The time after has proved a greater challenge. During this time of grieving, I've given myself permission to step back, which also created space to assess. My husband is retiring in the spring. My younger daughter is heading to college in the fall. My older daughter is pursuing her post-college life in a new city. My life is entering a new season that I didn't understand until I stepped into this moment. I thought this would feel like a season of harvesting and yet it feels like a season of planting. I find myself on the folcrum of mourning and anticipating, seeking to balance the emotional rollercoaster. I'm not ready to lean in, make bold plans, or conquer. 2024 was my best and toughest year all in one and the turning of the calendar to 2025 isn't a magical reset button. So my word for 2025 is CHANGE. My #ShowUpPositive message has never been more true for me. I am the master of what is next because I am choosing to embrace this reality that mourning and anticipating are the natural response to change and making room for both is the path to wellbeing. My plans for 2025 are to
My dad grew up poor. His family had a farm that provided 90% of their food. He farmed all through my childhood. Farmers know that soil doesn't endlessly produce. It requires fallow period and restorative cover crops to refresh the vital nutrients that maximize yield. This year isn't about high yield for me because doing more of the same no longer excites me. Instead of a new book I'm launching a video podcast with conversations about breaking free from these internal stories holding us back and I'd love to speak about having you as my guest. You'll still find me Monday-Friday offering tips to inspire on Insta and LI and greeting you each Monday here in your inbox. I have a lot of ideas and few solid plans for 2025. So I am just starting. I am embracing the imperfect and messy and telling my inner Polly Perfect to hush. So if you are like me, know that you are in good company. Choose progress over perfection and be the change. You are enough and you got this. And if I can cheer you on, I'd love to do so. Drop me a line or connect with me. 🥰New Keynotes for the New Year 🥰Reader, have an event in mind for one of these talks?As a special thank you, please allow me to gift you a 90 minutes coaching or strategic consultation session for each speaking event introduction you make. |
Rita Ernst, Positivity Influencer
My weekly emails are for you if you want a transformational SHOT OF POSITIVITY that makes you think, gets you laughing, and sparks a positive change. Start each week inspired.
Reader, have you ever felt like life decided to use you as a punching bag? I got passed over for an executive promotion. My guest this week, Russ Hedge, has battled recurrent, aggressive melanoma for the past two years. Everyone has a story where the rug keeps getting yanked right out from under your feet. In the latest episode of The Story I'm Telling Myself, I'm joined by inspiration specialist Russ Hedge—a man who spent years caregiving for his parents through Alzheimer’s and cancer, only...
Promoting a star performer should feel like a win, but too often, it quietly unravels a team. Marcus is an absolute powerhouse. He solves complex system outages before anyone else can pinpoint the glitch. So promoting him to Team Lead seems like the natural reward. Two weeks later, the project Marcus' group is leading hits a major bump. Marcus defaults back to his technical know-how. He yanks back the work and doubles down on checking every minor detail, sometimes working 14-hour days....
Hey Reader, the world does a really damn good job of teaching us how to hustle, but a terrible job of teaching us how to align. From the time you were a child, you were placed in an invisible comparison trap. You were compared to your siblings, your neighbors, or your classmates. You internalized this cultural expectation and it became this default thought and behavior pattern: you must constantly earn your place, your visibility, and your accolades. And guess what? That childhood hunger for...