DUST MOTES OF WISDOM

During my search for past writings on Optimism, I came across this article from 2012, LONG before pandemics and 2020’s turmoil – and I was struck by how much of the wisdom from a “normal” year still applies, but feels different, in a pandemic year. With minor tweaks, I share this from the archives. My ambition for this newsletter was …

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DO I BELONG HERE? REFLECTIONS ON MY WHITENESS

Lily Tomlin saying: I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.

DISCLAIMER: This post moves into territory I have never before addressed publicly. I recognize that for some this topic may push into what they experience as polarizing space. I offer this essay as MY reflection on MY experience in the world right now, and I make no judgment whatsoever about you and your position in the world. I invite you only …

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Strategies for Personal Change

COVID Brain Part 3: Awesomeness

COVID Brain Part 3: Awesomeness One of my favorite writers has been posting daily bits of Pandemic Awesomeness. Inspired, I’ve been working on my own list. Discovering that I DO have the motivation to exercise even though the gyms are closed Having fresh baked bread twice a week for the past 20 weeks – because there’s no place to go …

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Strategies for Personal Change

COVID Brain Part 2

COVID Brain Part 2: Coaching Conversations I have a client who has struggled w/ depression in the past and is struggling with isolation now. In a recent coaching session (in which he wanted to “work through some of the negative shit”), I asked him this question: What are you learning about yourself as a result of having to live in …

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Leadership and Workplace, Strategies for Personal Change

Lessons From The Muck

Muck [muhk], noun, moist farmyard dung, decaying vegetable matter, etc.; manure; a highly organic, dark or black soil; mire; mud. From 1200–50; Middle English muc, muk <<Old Norse myki cow dung Say WHAT?? When we moved to a new home in 2016, we inherited a large, reed-infested marshy pond that had been neglected for 30 years. We mostly avoided it because the area was …

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Strategies for Personal Change

Five Simple Things You Can Do Right Now To Be Happier

FIve-Simple-Things-To-Make-Happier

Why do we make Happiness feel so damn elusive and unavailable? Why is it always about the pursuit of Happiness? Can we, for just a moment, notice that it is sitting RIGHT NEXT TO US and all we have to do is turn to it, say “Hi!” and enjoy its company for a moment? Breathe deeply, on purpose, and enjoy …

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What Beer Taught Me About Mindfulness

What-Beer-Taught-Me-About-Mindfulness

Relaxation, Mindfulness, and Meditation Many of us suffer from FOMS (Fear Of Missing Something) so we approach life as series of manic, highly active episodes thinly sandwiched between inadequate layers of sleep. We continually pump our systems full of adrenalin and cortisol (and when those fail, more caffeine), and when those chemicals build to toxic levels we turn to pills …

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Leadership and Workplace

Coaching and Mindset

image-coaching-mindset

As a thought leader and mentor in the coaching space, I often receive inquiries from people who want to explore coaching as a profession or a skillset, and who seek advice from someone who successfully navigated that path already. In a 20-minute conversation, I can load them up with ideas and resources about coaching. Central to my advice is a …

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Strategies for Personal Change

How the KonMari Method Changed My Life and Makes Me Smile

(this post was inspired by an article published in The Atlantic,“What Do Early KonMari Adopters’ Homes Look Like Now?” , posted on Medium.com on March 1.  The book referenced is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo) Thank you for your optimistic report on the lasting impact of applying the KonMari method.  It struck me personally, because I’ve …

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Strategies for Personal Change

I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!

Case study.  Client is Director, 15+ years experience. She is smart, decisive, gets shit done… and is perceived as “demanding.” She wants to shift her leadership style from Command & Control to a Coaching approach. We discussed in a coaching session different ways she can use both language and her physical presence to shift the perception others have when she …

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