At our last Biz Chicks gathering last Monday night, Wendy, a personal chef, said that what has made a huge impact on her quality of life was a decision she made back in her mid-twenties. I’ll first note that she is happy with her life and is in control of her lifestyle. She works about 20 hours a week, loves what she does, and is a full time mom to 2 young boys.

Back to ‘The Decision.” She realized that she’d rather be in no relationship than in a bad relationship. And the extension of this, she’d rather have no work than work she didn’t love. What a powerful place to be. She rejected allowing her energy to be drained by work (or relationship) that doesn’t encourage her to thrive.

Often times, a situation isn’t as black & white as “Yes, this is for me,” or “No, it’s not.” In this case, being aware of what lifts you up and gives you energy as well as what drains your energy and makes you feel like bleck, can be a very subtle and powerful navigation tool. The biggest challenge in using this tool, I’ve found, is respecting the subtle nudge encouraging me away from something that “doesn’t seem too bad,” or that “has enough good to stay.” Or so I tell myself at the time…