Power Session #5: Content vs. Context

When the story you tell yourself about a situation no longer serves you, go back to the facts.

This is your weekly power session—a quick and tactical coaching session inspired by real client conversations that you can access whenever, wherever you need it.

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The Situation

You just hit send on that email. Maybe it’s a new plan you’re sending to the board for approval or you’re asking the CEO for more resources for an important strategic initiative. You spent a good amount of thought and prep on this so you’re confident in the final version and feeling relieved that it’s finally out. Now you wait.

As you turn your attention to other priorities, you notice the hours ticking by. It’s a fleeting thought but you start to wonder if your recipient has read the email yet. You do a quick estimate assuming that you’ll get a response by morning if not tonight and then you go back to what you were doing.

The morning comes. You read through your emails, but there is nothing related in your inbox. They usually response to your emails by now. To fill your uncertainty, you start to craft a story in your mind. Maybe they’re traveling.

The whole work day comes and goes and you still haven’t heard anything. Now you’re worried and the story you’re telling yourself starts to turn inward. Did I miss something? Do they think my ideas are bad? Maybe, they don’t think I’m the right person for the job. They’re going to say no or need me to go in a totally different direction.

The uncertainty is unbearable and your anxiety and and self-doubt only increase from here. So you keep hitting refresh on your inbox resisting the urge to send a follow up email. Now you’re spiraling. Your story you’re telling yourself about the lack of response to your email is only fueling your anxiety, but the reality is that you have no idea if your story is true or not. In actuality, all you have are the facts — the fact is that you sent an email 1.5 days ago and you haven’t received a response.