It’s in Your Pocket

In a recent talk, Tara Brach shared the following story: “A master thief waited his whole life to acquire the most valuable diamond in the world. When he heard it had been purchased, he spent three days trying to steal the rare jewel. He failed. Finally, the thief walked right up to the owner and

The Lightest Touch

The Lightest Touch {David Whyte} Good poetry begins with the lightest touch, a breeze arriving from nowhere, a whispered healing arrival, a word in your ear, a settling into things, then like a hand in the dark it arrests your whole body, steeling you for revelation. In the silence that follows a great line you

The Agenda

The organizational agenda is to plan, execute, measure, quantify and produce. The human agenda is to love and be loved, to be seen, heard and understood. Organizations are populated, organized and led by humans. How can this be? We hide our deepest longing because it is abstract and seemingly, frighteningly unattainable. We acquiesce to, and

To Believe

“Fully alive people discover meaning in their lives.” – John Powell, S.J. Today, I continue to explore John Powell’s “five essential steps into the fullness of life.” Part 4: To Believe If you’ve ever worked for a leader who exuded authentic belief in a cause, you were likely swept up in that belief as well.

You Are the Sun

“Businesses must view people not as resources but as sources. A resource is like a lump of coal; you use it and it’s gone. A source is like the sun – virtually inexhaustible and continually generating energy, light and warmth. There is no more powerful source of creative energy in the world than a turned-on,

Declare What You Want

Yes, you have to do good work and build a reputation that precedes you. Yes, you have to build a strong, vibrant network of people who want you to succeed and for whom you pay it forward. Yes, you have to stay humble, keenly self-aware and dedicated to continuous learning. All of those things, yes!

Point of View

It seems to me that you are more likely to earn a point of view than to establish one. By paying attention to the expanse of your experiences you notice that certain ideas, beliefs, people and practices consistently take center stage. Paying critical attention to the pattern that emerges and then making a determination about

Convicted

I found myself feeling particularly certain about something today. I didn’t just feel certain about it, I felt convicted. And once ‘conviction’ was in my mind I couldn’t stop thinking about being found guilty and sent away to prison. I realized that my convictions sometimes lead to self-incarceration. When I cross over from certainty to conviction

You Are Not Sisyphus

You do not have to push the rock up the hill. You are not Sisyphus, consigned to an eternity of pointless labor. You will not convince the otherwise confirmed. Your cajoling will fall on deaf ears. If you feel otherwise you must be a martyr. Do not labor in futility. Your self-righteousness is your least

Field of Dreams

“Back of every creation, supporting it like an arch, is faith. Enthusiasm is nothing: It comes and goes. But if one believes, then miracles occur.”  – Henry Miller A man hears a voice that tells him to plow under his corn and replace it with a baseball field. He obeys. The “ghost” players come to play