When you don't protect your energy, you end up feeling exhausted and depleted. Whether you're trying to get a project/big dream out into the world, heal conflict in a relationship, or convince people of the necessity of social change, it's vitally important to protect your energy.

In a different episode of the Your Courageous Life podcast, I talked about "how to be tougher." In that episode, I shared that being "tougher" isn't about harshness. In this episode, I'm talking about how to be softer, and especially this--being softer doesn't mean being weaker, though for someone like me (who is far more experienced with cultivating toughness) it might mean that I get walked on a few times as I learn the nuances of discernment.

In this episode, I talk about how to be tougher ...except it's not what you think. I do think that people need to be tougher, but in a very particular and specific way, one that enhances who they are rather than breaking them down. Learning how to be tougher involves integrity and accountability (and, in the next podcast episode that I share, don't worry--I'll be talking about how to be...softer).

To choose your teachers with care means noticing what they say about limits, when they're talking about the things in life you're trying to change.