
How do you define yourself? You know, what's your title? What does your business card say?
Sometimes, titles make me loopy. (You know, like "marketing director" or "teacher") I rebel against giving mine. And I want to change my title all the time. Do you, too?
So, anyway, today I was sending my graphic artist some directions for a new set of business cards. My old ones say that I have an MBA and an MA. Now that I've finished a PhD, I am surely going to promote my expertise, thank you very much. Ah, those three letters. They represent a ton of time, energy, knowledge, and money. At least to me!
So, much as I loathe titles (I tend to feel boxed in, and feel limited), I started to write titles for myself. Coach? Am I a coach? Well, in my new life, I'm going to be doing more public speaking. So am I a speaker? I love to write. Am I an author? A writer?
I wrote the C in coach, but then I wrote "CEO," instead of "coach." I noticed an impulse to write "Consciously Embodying Optimism."
A new kind of CEO — CEO as adjective: Consciously Embodying Optimism.
I think it's a rebellious act to be an optimist in the face of an economic downturn, social disparities on our planet, and global climate change. Look, if I relied solely on my MBA training, I'd have a much more pessimistic outlook. I'd go and hide under a rock, and wait for things to get better.
Fortunately, I studied something else in addition to business. Since 2001, I've been a student of somatic psychology, otherwise known as "mind-body psychology." Earning my PhD in that discipline has showed me that our bodies and minds are phenomenally flexible and adaptable.
I know and trust, in my bones, that everything moves through cycles.
Breath moves in and out. Waves in the ocean move in and out. Flowers open and close. And stock markets go up and down. Fortunes are made and lost and made again.
So, I believe that we can weather storms. We need to trust in ourselves. And we need to be consciously embody optimism.
Consciously, as in "awake" and "aware."
And embody. I can embody that optimism.

Why can I truly embody optimism? (And why can you, too?)
I can truly embody optimism because:
I can kick off my shoes and feel my feet on the ground to feel more grounded.
I can breathe in and feel inspired. Ah, inspiration.
And I can breathe out and let go of unsupportive ideas. Ah, expiration.
I can lift my gaze and see a bigger perspective.
I can get up from my computer and take a walk and shift the scenery, so I open myself to new possibilities.
I can put a hand on my belly and check in with my gut instinct.
I can rest a hand over my heart and sense what it is trying to tell me.
I can choose to notice that when I think good thoughts that are supportive of a positive future, I feel good. I feel expanded or warm and content or just at ease.
I can also choose to notice that when I think negative thoughts that reflect a negative future, I feel bad. I feel contracted or cold or ill-at-ease.
So, I can feel optimism in my body. And pessimism too.
I choose optimism. And I choose consciously.
So, I embody optimism.
What does it mean to "embody," you wisely ask?
To be embodied means, in my definition, means to attend to the inner wisdom — which we feel in our movement, our breath, our posture, our gestures, our sensations — and then respond by moving in a direction that's in alignment with our true selves.
When we're truly embodied, we're awake and aware of the instincts and impulses that the body is constantly sending us. When I help clients with making changes that positively impact their career performance, I teach them tools and techniques to help them enhance their embodiment. If you want to know what I'm up to, check out the new evolution of Work from Within.
So, what about you? Are you CEO? Are you Consciously Embodying Optimism?
If you are — share with us HOW you're doing that? What behaviors or choices or tools or thoughts do you use to stay optimistic?
And if you're NOT CEO? Then what?
Help us explore this topic together. I'm excited to respond to you. I can feel the excitement (and a little nervousness, to be honest) as I post this, and await your reply.
CEO,
Susan
Dr. Susan Bernstein
Coach, Speaker & Author
www.WorkFromWithin.com
Work From Within, LLC
Follow Me!