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Calm

 I’m not good at calm.


Are you?


I’m good at capable.

I’m good at productive.

I’m good at holding it together long enough to get through the meeting.


Calm? That one takes effort. Because calm isn’t my default. My default is fast. Fast thoughts. Fast responses. Fast feelings.


Someone sends a spicy email? My nervous system drafts three replies before my brain catches up.


So no  I’m not naturally calm. But I read somewhere that corporate life is realizing your job is 30% execution and 70% emotional navigation.


No one trained me for that!


Reading the room.

Managing tone.

Not escalating when someone else does.

Not letting someone else’s urgency become your panic.


That’s hard people!


Here’s what I am learning:


Calm isn’t a personality trait.

Calm isn’t quiet.

Calm is controlled chaos.

Calm isn’t perfection.

Calm is not letting someone else’s mess rent space in your head.


It’s the pause before I hit send.

It’s the breath before I defend myself.

It’s the decision not to match someone else’s volume or energy.

It’s building the muscle that says not today, anxiety. You’re not running this meeting.


Calm isn’t who you are.

It’s what you practice when it would be easier not to. 

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