Books are an interesting thing. Some people love them. Others don’t. Some read physical books. Others use an eReader. And others “read” audiobooks. Some love long books. Others want a quick read. Some love fiction. Others gravitate to non-fiction. Within each, there...
When layoffs occur, so does workplace survivor syndrome. This is the set of negative emotions that employees experience after a company downsize. The emotions can include anger, guilt, fear, and anxiety just to name a few. Feelings can be pointed at the company. Lack...
Suzy Welch adapted the idea to the four horsemen from the apocalypse to living our values. Before you find out what they are, you can take her quiz here to learn what’s holding you back. From there, you can learn more them. The Four Horsemen: Economic security,...
I saw an article in Mediapost that talked about the trend toward “cozy”. We all know that at this time of year, especially in the northern US, the weather is getting cooler. As it does, we lean toward “cozy”. Warmer clothes. Darker days. And snuggling in for the cold...
A quick search of “how many thoughts do we have per day?” provides a wide range. Some reports say the number is 6,000 while others say 60,000. So, somewhere in that 10x swing is likely the level. Either way, we consistently have a lot of thoughts going through our...
We all know that our sleep is core to our health. This is the time the body and brain recover, process memories, and prepare us for the next day. There are many articles on the importance of sleep. And the struggles we have falling asleep. Many are even tracking sleep...
We’re all acting out scripts. Not stage plays. Social ones. The ones we picked up from childhood. From our first jobs. To meetings, marketing plans, and morning coffee lines. “How are you?” “Busy.” “Just trying to get through the week.” Scripts help us move quickly....
I recently came across a summary of Harry Cohen’s book Be the Sun, Not the Salt. He uses the phrase to describe the power of being a positive force. What he calls a “sun person”. Rather than letting negativity drain others. The concept is based on the heliotropic...
I saw a reference to a hope chest, and it stopped me. I’ve written about the hope formula and described hope as our window to the future. This made me consider how we might modernize the idea of a hope chest. Taking an old tradition and giving it a twist in our modern...
We may have heard of cognitive overload, but do we really know what it is? Or, for that matter, what to do about it? Cognitive overload happens when our working memory is overwhelmed. We have too much information. Too many tasks. We struggle to process information,...
People are building personal “boards of directors” with AI. An agent that provides feedback on thoughts and ideas from different perspectives. There are countless approaches to how the board can be created. Personas of experts in different fields (living or not)....
Life doesn’t always play out in one long story. It’s more like a TV series. Some changes are just a new episode. A different challenge at work. A fresh project. A shift in our daily routine. The cast is the same. The setting is familiar. It’s still the same season of...
So much of modern life is designed to reward extrinsic motivation. Grades at school. Performance reviews at work. Likes and shares on social media. External motivators can push us to achieve goals, meet deadlines, or learn new skills. But when they dominate, we risk...
We have the capacity to infuse or drain energy. When we walk into a room. Join a team. Tackle a project. We can lift others up… or pull them down. Sometimes it’s intentional. Sometimes we don’t even realize it’s happening. My Perspective This isn’t just about if we...
In my last post, I wrote about life scripts. The hidden rules and beliefs that quietly guide our choices. Scripts like “Always say yes” or “Rest is lazy.” When we flip those scripts, we reclaim agency. Yet, even with that, we encounter another layer. Scripts rarely...
We all live by scripts. Not the kind read by actors. The ones we each carry inside. Scripts are the rules and beliefs we picked up along the way. From family. From school. From work. From culture. They become the hidden codes that drive our choices. Sometimes we know...
Agency Life. Defined as: The demanding and fast-paced work-life reality of long hours. Tight deadlines. And constant client revisions. Often leading to burnout. I lived it. I also saw it when I was on the corporate side. In fact, I think it can happen with any...
Yesterday, we talked about the three cycles of confidence building. One moment where we can leverage these cycles is when experiencing job loss. Even when part of a big company reduction, we can doubt our worth. What are we good at? Why would another company want to...
Confidence. Sometimes we have it, sometimes we don’t. As we gain more experience, our confidence grows. Events along our career path can impact our confidence…both negatively and positively. There are three cycles that we can consider as we look to build confidence....
Wow. 1000 days of writing. I can’t believe it’s been nearly 3 years. Each morning...every morning... I’ve written a blog post. 1000 days x 30 minutes (some more some less) a day = 500 hours. Initially, I set out to help busy professionals deal with daily challenges....
I’ve always been the one who can’t watch a scary movie. They give me nightmares. I’m not a fan of the dark. Darkness and shadows scare me. I imagine what might be lurking. Yet, last week, I had a realization. I also love the beauty in darkness and what is hidden in...