After spending some time looking at ourselves and our values, priorities, wants, and needs, Leah is shifting the focus to relating to others, relationships, and how all those things we’ve been looking at in ourselves translate and play out within our relationships.

We are wired for relationships, and there are a few key components to building and maintaining those relationships. Leah discusses the importance of curiosity, believing the best, and gratitude within relationships.

She also explains a frame of looking at our relationships like accounts, not that they’re transactional, but so we’re mindful of what we put in and receive. She expands on “deposits” and “withdrawals” and what that looks like within our relationships.

Over the next few episodes, we will continue to discuss relating to others and how the information from the last several episodes translates into our relationships.

In this episode, Leah moves on to discuss one of the influential aspects of frameworks, which is boundaries. She explains more in detail about what they are, why they’re important, and how to create and maintain them.

Boundaries are the limits that keep you and your relationships safe. In life, we have boundaries all around us in different physical forms like fences and walls and even the lines on roads. These examples all keep us safe and show us limits.

Interpersonally, boundaries provide safety for us and our relationships. They protect our time, space, and energy and are about us, not the other person. Some may see boundaries as constricting, but they’re really a safety mechanism and a basic function. When used correctly, they’re not to control others or manipulate them, but to provide safety within our relationships. They also help us know what our responsibilities are and for others to know what theirs are. They are helpful and crucial for healthy relationships.

In practice, boundaries may look like not eating certain things because they don’t make you feel good, or not drinking alcohol or rules around what you let others borrow of yours.

When creating boundaries, ask yourself what the things are that help to fulfill your wants and needs and that maintain your personal space, time, values, and needs.

Having boundaries helps our frameworks and knowing them ahead of time allows us to have those frameworks before we’re presented with a question or opportunity. They’re also important for being able to fit in those things that are important to us and the things we need to get done.

When enforcing boundaries, it’s important to use stand-up words like “I won’t” so that you can give strong, empowered answers instead of a partial yes or no. It’s kind to give a clear answer and to have those boundaries since it helps give the other person clarity on where you stand and what to expect from you.

Music credits: Holizna - Poor, but Happy

Edited and produced by Beruna Studios - berunastudios.com

In this episode, Leah discusses decision making, decision fatigue, and frameworks to lessen the toll of decisions.

In life, there are many opportunities and decisions that arise, and it can help to have “unshakeable unbreakables” or frameworks based on personal rules, values, and priorities. These frameworks can help protect you from decision fatigue, over giving and depleting your energy, and keep you oriented towards the things you want in life.

With some decisions, having personal rules makes the decision for you before you face a question, which can help take the pressure off in the moment. Taking your priorities and values to make a framework can look like personal rules, time blocking, and personal purpose statements. Time blocking helps to balance life and work, allowing for focus on specific commitments in their dedicated time block.

With personal purpose statements or personal constitutions, you can compare opportunities to what your purpose is and see how it aligns with your values and priorities and how they fit into what you want in your life. In Leah’s Burnout Buster Blueprint, she works with others to create their personal constitutions. Having your own personal purpose statement or constitution helps take the pressure off when opportunities and decisions arise, protecting you from decision fatigue and pressured yeses. You can compare opportunities to this framework and ask questions like “will this help with what I want in life or will it pull me away from where I want to go” or “does this align with my priorities?”

Having these frameworks already set in place can reduce pressure and decision fatigue while bringing relief, peace, and confidence, allowing for empowered nos and resounding yeses.