This is Johanna Rothman’s February 2025 Create an Adaptable Life Newsletter. The unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this email. A reader asked when I choose to manage risks with contingency planning. I had to think about the question because I’m often aware of various risks. In my life and projects, I often make […]
When Do You Choose to Move From Risk Awareness to Contingency Planning? Read More »
Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, the US appears to be in chaos. I’m not even going to try to list everything, because that list would be out of date even before I publish this post. Let’s agree on this: Life is full of change. Sometimes, it’s change we want. Sometimes, it’s
How Do You Manage When “Everything” Is In Chaos? Read More »
I’m writing this on Christmas day in 2024, which coincides with the first night of Hanukkah. Kwanzaa is tomorrow. The solstice was a few days ago. I feel as if the calendar gave us all a big present: “We’re all on this little rock together.” I hope that all your gift acquisition and receiving experiences
What Present(s) Do Both Your Heart and Mind Desire? Read More »
We’ve all had terrible disappointments in our lives, personal, professional, and societal. Somehow, most of us find ways to live with the personal disappointments. I’m not going to discuss those because I’m not a therapist. Professionally, I’ve experienced several project-based disappointments. We either didn’t deliver what the customer wanted or we didn’t deliver it when
How to Acknowledge Our Disappointment and Decide How to Restart Read More »
Rejection is a fact of life. We don’t get the jobs we want. Or the date with someone who seems attractive. Plenty of magazine editors reject my short stories, even when the editor says, “I liked it. It just doesn’t fit.” Those rejections feel personal—and they are in matters of the heart. But more often,
How Do Rejections Affect Your Ability to Be Resilient and Adapt? Read More »
I’m slightly obsessed with making the most of my days. I have grand ambitions and goals that each require enough time to fulfill. Mine include books to write, places to go, and interesting people to work with. While I have no family “goals,” I want to spend enough time with them that they enjoy me—and
How Can We Know When the Direct Path will Take Longer and Be Less Effective? Read More »
This is the September 2024 Create an Adaptable Life Newsletter, from Johanna Rothman. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this email. When I went to college, I referred to my female friends as “women.” My mother laughed at that, saying we were still girls. I asked her, “When do male people become men?
How Do the Names We Call Each Other Matter? Read More »
Mark and I just returned from a week-long trip to Switzerland and Germany to explore some of my family’s origins. We had a great—and exhausting—time. I learned a ton, not just about my family’s past, but about designing for the entire experience, and how my perseverance interacts with my learning. Design for the Entire Experience
How Can You Integrate What You Learned from Traveling to a New Place? Read More »
This is the August 2024 Create an Adaptable Life Newsletter, from Johanna Rothman. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this email. I’ve heard about a “level playing field” for many years. First, it was in school, where supposedly “everyone” had the same opportunities. If everyone has the same start, supposedly it’s up to
When Does a Level Playing Field Make Sense & When Should We Create It? Read More »
International Happiness Day occurred this week. While I’m normally a fairly happy person, I cannot express how much I hate this holiday. I hate, hate, hate this holiday. Happiness puts too much pressure on people to be happy. When we’re happy, supposedly, we smile until our faces hurt. Or we’re jubilant and joyous all the
How Can We Create Alternatives to Happiness as Our “Best” Goal? Read More »