#27 – Mature Idealism

This is #27 in the series, “50 Ideas Worth Fighting For.” Here’s another, just for fun. The summer after my sophomore year of college I stayed on campus to work on the conferences and events team. We made beds, hauled supplies and were continuously “on call” for the many groups who used the university’s facilities

#17 – Root for other people’s success

This is #17 in the series, “50 Ideas Worth Fighting For.” Here’s another one that I like a lot. Have you felt the twinge, maybe even the jolt of resentment, jealousy, frustration, or anger when someone else, usually a close friend or family member, breaks through to a new level of success? Have you slunk

#2 – Change Starts Within

Between now and March 22, I am happy to share “50 Ideas Worth Fighting For.” If I could only write about one thing it would be this: all meaningful, sustainable change starts from within. For so many years I blamed my parents, my bosses, my siblings, my friends, my children, and even perfect strangers for

I Don’t Know

“The human ego prefers knowing and being certain over being honest. ‘Don’t bother me with the truth, I want to be in control,’ it invariably says. Most people who think they are fully conscious or ‘smart’ and in control, have a big iron manhole cover over their unconscious. It does give them a sense of

A Few Steps More

Just a few steps after I wanted to give up, to turn around and head back down the hill, the trail flattened out, an unexpected stretch of grace and ease that allowed me to keep going. I really wanted to be done, to acquiesce to my limitations, and if not for this change in the

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

Which 15%?

I recently shared an idea with a group of 20 people. Three of those people affirmed and encouraged it. That’s 15%. Three of those people rejected it. That’s another 15%. I did not receive a response from the other 13 people, the remaining 70%. Now, the decision is mine: do I fixate on the 15%

Under Cover of Darkness

I have an enduring memory from childhood that both frightens and comforts me. At about 5 years old, I woke one morning to discover that I could not see. Disoriented and afraid, I stumbled to the hall and felt my way to my parents’ room where I cried out in fear of my blindness. My