This past week, I allowed other people’s behaviors to irritate me to the point of grumpiness. Even though I know better, I still allowed those people under my skin. I’ve been trying to move to more tolerance for their behaviors—because I can’t change those other people. And, I’m trying to change my reactions, so I […]
How Do You Move Past Grumpiness to (at Minimum) Tolerance? Read More »
I’ve been taking a ton of fiction writing classes, some in-person and most online. Two weeks ago, I was at a thriller fantasy class (yes, a mashup of two genres). I successfully wrote three stories. Not one of them was a thriller. Not one. (At one point, I said, “Genre, shmenre” in the class.) I
How Can We Make the Chaos of Learning Feel Better? Read More »
Because I was traveling last week, I had a long list of plans for this week, mostly involving writing. Sure, I need to maintain my workouts and other personal deliverables, but I had big, big plans. Several things derailed my plans: My return flight to Boston arrived at 3:30 on Saturday morning, not 8 pm
How Do You Manage When All Your Beautiful Plans Go Poof? Read More »
Many of my consulting colleagues are encountering the same problem: everything they did to attract clients no longer works. They speak, write, do all the social media, and nothing is working. They don’t have enough clients. This condition is different from what occurred during the pandemic. At that time, they could continue what they offered
When Do We Choose to Pivot to Something New or Reinvent Ourselves? Read More »
Too often, we frame resilience as a way to bounce back from a circumstance, such as an event, hardship, or adversity. But we don’t need bad things to happen to us to need resilience. In fact, most of the time, bad things don’t happen. But something changes, and we notice. That’s when we need to
How Can You Reframe Resilience As Bouncing Forward to the Next Decision? Read More »
I continue to see more senior leaders who want everyone to return to the office because they think people were more productive then. However, these same companies have a ton of data that they are actually more productive when people work from their desired location. The data doesn’t deter these leaders from wanting what they
How Many Other Ways Can You Get What You Want? Read More »
I bet you’ve heard this career and retirement advice, “Follow your passion!” (Complete with the exclamation mark!) It’s great advice—but only under certain conditions: You’ve experimented or experienced enough to have and therefore choose a passion. You know what living with this passion as your work would feel like. You are sure you will never
It’s commencement season. Commencement speakers offer (hopefully) valuable insights. Parents watch with pride as their students walk across the stage to pick up their diplomas. And now, everyone’s life will change. In the case of high school graduations, many kids move away, and parents shoulder tuition payments. The family unit changes, too. My parents used
With the Benefit of Hindsight, How Do You Feel About Your Commencements Now? Read More »
Fred, A sixty-ish colleague, said, “My son is so overloaded at work. But he refuses to work overtime. He says it compromises his ideals. Is overtime something Millenials don’t do?” I asked, “When do you think it’s okay to work overtime?” Fred said, “Whenever the company needs me to work overtime.” “How many days do
When and for How Long Do You Choose to Compromise? Read More »
A dear friend received bad health news. He can learn to manage his health challenges, but he will never return to his previous great health. Now that he has a diagnosis, he’s getting both the medication and various therapies to support his journey to becoming okay. However, some members of his family think that “being
What Meaning Do You Make When You Hear “Things Will Be Okay?” Read More »