I’ve been thinking about how much power our elected officials have and how that varies by country. In the US, we grant power to the people we elect. And, we take back our power when we think they’ve gone “too far.” I live in Massachusetts, where we’ve had quite the outbreak of COVID-19. Our governor […]
How Do You Exercise Your Power? Read More »
We operate at various levels in our families, work, and society. We have shortcut names for these behaviors: the economic contract and the social contract. When we use the economic contract, we have a document that lays out our responsibilities and rewards. For example, at work, we have a contract for our job that discusses
When Do We Choose the Social Contract & When Do We Choose the Economic Contract? Read More »
We all practice being ready for our plans. For shopping, I make a list and decide in advance how I’ll pay. For travel, I plan when to make all the reservations and how I’ll get from one place to another. When I leave the house, I make sure to gather everything I need, especially now
What Do You Need to be Ready? Read More »
As I connect with various colleagues and friends who now work from home, they all say the same thing. “I’m always working. I work all day and all night. The work never ends.” They pause. “You’ve worked from home for years now. How do you manage it?” I create boundaries for my professional and home-based
How Can You Create Boundaries? Read More »
I’ve seen many people say, “We need to reopen the economy, now. We can’t afford more people out of work. We need to get the economy moving.” I’ve also seen many people say, “We must not sacrifice the health of people to reopen the economy. If we do and many people die, we won’t have
How Can You Prevent Your Fear From Limiting Your Options? Read More »
Let me set the context: I’m writing this post in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. I don’t know how you feel, but I range between pessimism and optimism at any given time. I want to stay closer to realistic optimism at any one time. “We”—as in humanity will get through this pandemic. I’m optimistic
How Can You Find Your Realistic Optimism? Read More »
As we live through the COVID-19 pandemic, we see cracks in how we support our partners and loved ones. Some couples divide the work so that only one of the partners knows all the passwords. Or, where the important papers are. Or, the typical things that go wrong in the house. And, too few people
How Resilient is Your Family? Read More »
Every so often, you see someone who inspires you. These people seem to achieve “more” in some way. You respect them for their actions. Sometimes, you see people who talk a good game. And, their actions don’t appear to live up to their talk. You might not disrespect them, but you don’t respect them. That
Who or What Deserves Your Respect? Read More »
We often think of friction as bad. Friction prevents us from doing something we might want to accomplish. On my other blog, I write about frictionless releasing. We often want to avoid friction at work. The less friction we have, the easier it is for us to work together and release products. And, sometimes, friction
Where Do You Want Friction in Your Life? Read More »
I spoke with a colleague and explained how I had improved writing over the past year. That person said, “I’m proud of you.” I said, “Thanks.” And, I wondered why this person felt pride in me, in my accomplishments. I was proud of my accomplishments. I’d worked hard. I’m sure my colleague didn’t mean to
Who Can Be Proud of You? Read More »