Monthly Archives: May 2011

Self reliance

Posted on May 31, 2011 by

Last September, my son’s first grade teacher proudly said during the parents’ orientation session that one of her main goals for the year was that children finish the year able consistently to follow instructions. Hmmm.  Useful to be sure, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-reliance | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A better list

Posted on May 27, 2011 by

Lists are great – a systematized, orderly way to keep yourself on task and keep track of tasks. Except of course that lists are usually an excuse – an excuse to do everything but the real work we have to … Continue reading →

Posted in fear | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The elephant

Posted on May 25, 2011 by

Here’s the deal: he’s in the room, so you options are either to talk about him or to pretend he’s not there. You can put it off, you can discuss other things, you can hide for a while, but he … Continue reading →

Posted in Convincing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

I think with my brain, but…

Posted on May 24, 2011 by

I spent some time today talking with a great filmmaker and TV producer.  Her mantra for everything she creates is to what she called the “micro story:” that one, personal narrative that captures the whole. We know this, but we … Continue reading →

Posted in Connection | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The illusion

Posted on May 23, 2011 by

Three years since I first started blogging, I’m beginning to get a glimpse of the phantoms that real writers battle: The illusion that, regardless of what happened yesterday, today you’ll have nothing to say. The twinge of loss when you … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundance | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Work really hard

Posted on May 19, 2011 by

All the most incredible people I know work hard.  Really hard.  Crazily hard. My first job out of college was as a management consultant.  The deal in those jobs is that you sign away your life for a few years … Continue reading →

Posted in Work | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

The what and the why

Posted on May 18, 2011 by

We’re generally really good at and comfortable with talking about “what:” what we’re proposing, what the big vision is, what the plan looks like. We’re eager to spend our time constructing the argument, perfecting the slides, and standing up and … Continue reading →

Posted in inquiry | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Re: Question

Posted on May 17, 2011 by

Never let an email go out of your inbox with this subject line.  Instead, answer the question in the subject line. Why?  Why bother being persnickety about such a trivial thing? Maybe it’s not so trivial.  The subject line is … Continue reading →

Posted in communications | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Tune in for mindless affirmation

Posted on May 12, 2011 by

File this ad for New York TV station WPIX under: I’m not even sure I get what they’re saying. “If you’re thinking it, they’re saying it” is the slogan.  Huh?  It seems to mean, “We promise everything you see on … Continue reading →

Posted in Growth | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Good posts, bad posts, and the dragon

Posted on May 11, 2011 by

I have a confession to make: yesterday’s post wasn’t really finished.  I simply ran out of time, and even though I wanted to give it another read, to tweak it some, to tighten it and make it a little punchier, … Continue reading →

Posted in Resistance | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment