As I’ve processed the deaths of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry (fixed the bad reference) this week, I realized that I used the examples of their creativity and output as inspiration for my career. Not because I could ever “compete” with them and their careers, but to use their careers as inspiration for my own. […]
How Can You Tell the Difference Between Inspiration and Competition? Read More »
I’ve been using Edgar Schein’s definition of corporate culture for years. (Ever since Esther explained it to me.) Schein rolled around artifacts and several other ideas, but Esther clarified them for me. Culture is: What people can discuss How people treat each other And in organizations, what the organization rewards. All this means we can
What Are You Willing to Do to Create the Culture You Want? Read More »
This is Johanna Rothman’s August 2026 Create an Adaptable Life Newsletter. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this newsletter. I hear a lot about work/life balance. I don’t buy that. While we spend time at work, we only get one life. And my theory of life is to live it with as much
What Would You Keep, Change, or Remove to Make Your Best Possible Life? Read More »
This is Johanna Rothman’s July 2026 Create an Adaptable Life Newsletter. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this newsletter. (Looking for the video? Go to the bottom of the newsletter for the video link.) We’ve all had strange days, when we just could not get anything done. When we have days like that,
How Do We Choose Between a Straight Reset and Starting Anew? Read More »
David Dame, in a LinkedIn post, said, “We are all going to be disabled one day. Some of us just beat you to it.” While he is correct, that is not the full story. I said, quoting his post, “I do not think of myself as ‘disabled.’ Instead, I think of myself as having ‘insufficient
How Do We Differentiate Between Being Disabled and Our Insufficient Abilities? Read More »
This is Johanna Rothman’s June 2026 Create an Adaptable Life Newsletter. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this newsletter. We have no end of problems to solve or manage these days. Some problems are “today” problems, where we have an immediate need to solve that problem. In the Eisenhower Matrix above, that’s the
How Can We Assess Risks to Solve Both Today’s and Tomorrow’s Problems? Read More »
Most of us have some form of inner critic. That critic tells us we are Wrong. Or Stupid. Or Bad. (This includes Imposter Syndrome.) My inner critic often shows up when I’m writing. You should see the blog post I’m not publishing because I’m writing and publishing this one. (If I can figure out how
How Can We Acknowledge and then Manage Our Inner Critic? Read More »
This is Johanna Rothman’s May 2026 Create an Adaptable Life Newsletter. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this newsletter. I’m in the midst of a gigantic life roll. That’s the name for when life picks you up, rolls you in a carpet, and throws you off a cliff, bumping down rocks all the
How Can We Use “What’s Next” and “Now What” to Offer New Options? Read More »
Once I learned to read independently, I read everything in sight. Cereal boxes at the breakfast table, books, anything with writing on it. And yes, I was the kid who used a flashlight under the covers to read after my parents thought it was bedtime. At the time, I thought reading was a guilty pleasure.
How Can Reading Help You Think, Live, and Solve Problems Better? Read More »
When you think about where to invest your money or time, what do you consider? Winning? Losing? Maybe reducing the chances of losing too much? Many of us do not want to lose, a classic case of loss aversion. Yet, that is not the same as playing or choosing to win. I’m not suggesting that
How Can We Play to Win, Not Just Manage Possible Losses? Read More »