Read time: 4 minutes • A quiet moment for you

Hi Reader,

Welcome to my weekly newsletter, designed to help you Rise on Purpose.

Last week, I wrote about where your energy goes. If you missed it, you can read that, and all previous articles, here.

And because a few good words can change the direction of your whole day, I wrote a FREE PDF guide: 7 Things to Tell Yourself Every Day. If you'd like to receive it, hit reply and I'll send it straight to your inbox.

Everything is Permanently Temporary

For a long time, I treated certain work moments like they were defining who I was. A win meant I’d finally secured my place. A setback meant I was starting to unravel.

I’ve had both: the promotion with the quiet relief of being seen, and the harder moments where stability disappeared overnight and I had to rebuild my life from scratch (like that time I faced Hurricane Irma in 2017 and life in paradise came crashing down, literally. A story for another day).

In the moment, each one felt like a final chapter. Looking back, they were just pages.

That’s why I love this quote so much: everything is permanently temporary.

Not to dismiss what’s happening, but to stop it from becoming your identity.

And it’s not just career moments that do this to us. It can be a single comment in a meeting. A cancelled project. A new leader who doesn’t quite “get” you yet. The quiet ache of watching someone else get the opportunity you wanted. These things land, and our minds do what minds do: they build a headline. This means I’m behind. This means I’m not valued. This means it’s over for me here.

But most of the time, it isn’t over. It’s just unresolved. It’s unfinished. It’s still moving.

This week’s tool: Add "right now" to the story

When your mind offers a sweeping conclusion, add two words: right now.

• “I’m stuck” → “I feel stuck right now.”
• “I’ve blown it” → “This feels messy right now.”
• “I’ve made it” → “This is going well right now.”
• “They’ve forgotten me” → “It feels unclear right now.”

Then ask one simple question: What’s the next best step, not the whole plan?

That could be one email, a short conversation with someone you trust, one hour of focused work, or downing tools for the day and taking a rest.

Why this works

When we’re under pressure, the brain reaches for certainty. It turns a moment into a label because labels feel like control.

Adding “right now” softens that reflex. It creates distance between what’s happening and who you are. Psychologists call this a form of cognitive reappraisal, a small reframing that reduces emotional intensity and helps you access more flexible thinking.

It doesn’t pretend everything is fine. It simply keeps you moving without making today’s moment a lifetime sentence.

Nothing in your career is the final chapter.
Not the win. Not the loss.

Keep rising,
Lauren

P.S. What’s a sentence your mind has been repeating lately, and how would it sound with “right now” added to the end?

A Note from a Reader

After last week’s email, James, a project manager in London, got in touch:

"I realised most of my energy at work wasn’t going into the projects that matter. It was going into worrying about how quickly I replied to messages."

That line stayed with me.

Sometimes the biggest energy drain isn’t the work itself, it’s the pressure we place on how we’re seen doing it.

Before you go:
→ I share daily thoughts on resilience and mindset on LinkedIn & Instagram​
→ If you’d like to explore panels, events or partnerships, work with me​

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