The Side Effects of Travelling at Lightspeed

Have you been redlining lately – by which I mean putting your metaphorical pedal to the metal and doing as much as you possibly can without collapsing? Because just about everyone I’ve been talking to has been.

Sometimes it’s out of excitement – we love our work, we have a ton of opportunities and ideas – and sometimes it’s out of pressure – that project is looming, we’re short-staffed, we’re worried about our family members.

For one reason or another, we’re operating at full throttle.

New Year’s is Meaningless…Or is It?

I actually love New Year’s, but I hate the idea of filling your screen with yet another perky message full of motivational quips. Because the reality is that New Year’s – like so many things – is completely made up.

An Arbitrary History

Yes, New Year’s resolutions are a time-honored tradition – dating back some 4,000 years to the ancient Babylonians, in fact. And, the evolving history of both the holiday and the resolutions that so often come with them validates their random nature. Which is to say, there’s some wiggle room to leverage the whole idea of a personal growth and transformation season in the way that serves us best.

Ambiguity creates space for choice.

In Appreciation of Scarcity

I have to admit, I wasted an entire morning the other day.

I had blocked off a huge swath of time for some focused work and was “supposed” to be finalizing a project. I “should” have felt some urgency to nail it all down. I had a deadline coming up, I care about the content, and I really like the people and the organization I was going to be sharing it with.

But instead of polishing, I meandered.

I Googled gluten free food in Nairobi, I donated to a Fun Run that wasn’t happening for another week, I looked for the closest place to my home where I could ride someone else’s horse.

And from my coaching conversations, I know I’m not alone.