#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

The Consolation of Completion (Redux)

Some further thoughts on yesterday’s post, The Consolation of Completion: Many of our workplaces create an ethos of task completion and goal achievement at any cost. This habituation to the measurable allows us to feel good about ourselves at the end of the day but it fails to take into account the fact that most of

Poem for a Sunday Morning

Dear Mona {Naomi Shihab Nye} Dear Mona, do you know how your old stucco building marks the spot of Something True? Your hand-lettered red sign rises up like a crooked, friendly flag. I can guess the menu: bean & cheese, potato & egg, maybe a specialty of your own making, avocado twist or smoky salsa.

Playful

“We have no empirical evidence that being more serious leads to greater insight into the human condition than being playful. There is, however, growing empirical evidence that being playful opens toward the ever-elusive, supple heart.” – John Paul Lederach There is only one thing I miss…that I truly miss…from going to work every day at

I’m a Dog Walker

Wouldn’t it be great – and a little weird and maybe even fun – if you had to answer the question, “So, what do you do?” based on the most recent thing you’ve actually done? If I just cleaned the house, then I’m a house cleaner. If I just prepared for class, then I’m a

Labor Day

“Work isn’t to make money. You work to justify life” ~ Marc Chagall ~ When I was 17 years old I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I just didn’t know that it was possible to apply what came naturally to me to a formal educational and professional pursuit. And

Workshop

The bees set up shop under a piece of plywood on the side of our home. At first I thought it was just a swarm that would move through quickly enough. As they lingered, I got curious and found them hard at work. I don’t love the idea of a beehive so close to the

The Wisdom of Simplicity

“Is he a good hang?” {Cal Harrah} One of my professional mentors, and one of the finer human beings I’ve met in my life, is also one of the smartest. And so, when it came to making a hiring decision for my team I was confident that Cal would provide me with the kind of

I have work to do

I go down to the shore in the morning and depending on the hour the waves are rolling in or moving out, and I say, oh, I am miserable, what shall— what should I do? And the sea says in its lovely voice: Excuse me, I have work to do.  – Mary Oliver, A Thousand Mornings

A Week of Thanks: Day 2

I am thankful for my work. My day job allows me to interact with thoughtful professionals – leaders and team members – who are curious, energetic and determined. They are people who want to do good work for a cause they believe in. They want to learn and grow, challenging themselves to get better in