Sometimes, the right question finds you at the right time. As I was reading through some of my journal notes, I found myself learning and re-learning some magnificent lessons. When you’re up early and you have this divine space and time where no one needs you, the day hasn’t begun for the world, and there is nothing but you and the…
Don’t open your mouth in a state of anxiety. Seems simple, right? Well, not for some of us. When I’ve done this, it’s only misfired 100% of the time. How about you? Learning to hit a pause button in my mind before my mouth automatically takes off is a practice I’m working on. I need to be better. This year has offered abundant opportunities for…
Goals. They’ve seemed more challenging to envision this year, haven’t they? When uncertainty prevails, we default to paralysis. We wait, hoping for certainty, familiarity and what we “knew” to be true. Funny thing is, it wasn’t true, it was predictable. Truth be told, predictability will fail you. When any of us gets too comfortable, we settle. Settling leads to mediocrity. What if we reframe…
45%. I’m close to halfway and haven’t missed a day, and that is a celebration for me – I’m feeling confident about reaching 1,000 daily blog posts. For those of you playing along, I check in every 50 posts to take a macro look and document what I’m learning in this process. I took Seth Godin’s challenge from this blog post: https://seths.blog/2018/10/the-first-1000-are-the-most-difficult/. 2020 has provided many opportunities to write, observe, comment and ponder for…
When you pay attention, everything you need is right in front of you. As I went to cast my vote last week, we were standing in line on a chilly Minnesota day wishing we’d arrived even earlier to avoid the line outside in the cold wind. As we chatted with the people around us, a woman next to me suggested we didn’t need to…
Curiosity will get you further than certainty most of the time. Am I suggesting you abandon all reason and those things you’re certain of, no. I am suggesting the only way we create connection, community and possibility is through our relatedness. Shared knowledge, we can do what I can’t and the sum of the whole is greater than any of its parts. When we…
From lawyer and activist Vernon Jordan on the collaborative nature of life: “You are where you are today because you stand on somebody’s shoulders. And wherever you are heading, you cannot get there by yourself. If you stand on the shoulders of others, you have a reciprocal responsibility to live your life so that others may stand on your shoulders. It’s the quid pro…
Are you concerned about how to stay “connected” over the winter? Many people are. In fact, it’s a source of discussions with most of my clients. Leaders are looking for meaningful ways to support employees and each other when distanced. The concern is a lack of connection. Few will dispute that 2020 has offered more opportunities to grow, redesign, learn, redirect and…
Consistency. It’s elusive to many of us. When learning, it’s the deal maker. When seeking mastery, it separates those who excel from those who don’t. In any situation where you seek to deliver excellence, from cooking to performing, doing your work to playing sports, learning an instrument or a new language, art, leadership or any other venture – it requires consistency. Without it, you will find reasons…
It’s interesting how the same circumstances appear differently at different times. Living in Minnesota affords one of the most wonderful arrays of changing weather you could ask for. We’ve just entered into the splendor of Fall and the transition into Winter is testing us in tiny bits. At this time of year, I over dress. I find being outside on a 36-degree day near a…