Sometimes giving up is a good thing
Someone once asked what I’ve given up to balance my schedule. My answer: Perfectionism. Not an easy feat for someone who used to think perfectionism was a good thing—a quality that meant I’d been raised right. I didn’t give up perfectionism slowly. Instead, I went cold turkey. Like someone does when their doctor issues the […]
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Read this when no one says “Thank you”
Words mean a lot. We’ve all felt the surge of pride and accomplishment when our efforts are acknowledged. When someone lets us know we make a difference. Sometimes we get external validation or recognition. Someone says, Good job in appreciation of our efforts. When that happens, it’s not hard to feel you make a difference, right? […]
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Where are you settling—and why?
Are you settling? I know, I know. It’s such a loaded question. Because if the answer is “yes”, what do you do with that? What do you do with the knowledge you’re accepting or agreeing to something you consider less than satisfactory? Because THAT is the definition of settling. Accepting something that’s less than satisfactory. […]
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Mini Mission—Turn off the TV
Come Monday morning, I often hear people say they feel like they’re in the fog of a TV-watching hangover. What about you? Are you coming off a weekend of too much TV watching? Do you feel guilty for having spent so much time passively on the couch, consuming rather than creating? Do you feel upset […]
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What’s the very next step?
Do you know someone who is wired to ask, What’s the very next step? Someone who seems to have action and results in their DNA. I have to admit the very next step is not my natural state. I can get overly focused on the whole enchilada. On wanting to know all the steps involved […]
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Warning: These undone To Dos are robbing you
A To Do list… Need backup system for computer Bags of clothes for donation piled in closet Call phone company about echo in phone line Replace broken tile in backsplash Overflowing junk drawer Burned out light bulb in closet Figure out how to use budgeting software Clean out the garage Recaulk bathtub Get referrals for […]
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What happens when you don’t have the experience for what you want?
The other day I was thinking about what lead me down the path of entrepreneurship. After maxing out my growth in a couple different roles for a company in Chicago, I applied for a stretch position in strategic account management. It would be a new arena for me. One that would use my current skillset, […]
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Who else wants to break free of this fallacy?
In philosophy there’s this thing called the is-ought fallacy. It boils down to this: Because something is or has been it ought to be. If you’re like me, you have to let that sink in for a minute. The is-ought fallacy is at work when we assume that because things are a certain way, they […]
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“You’re trying to get people to overhaul their lives”
I was having a “let’s get to know each other” coffee with someone I’d only said hello to at a couple of networking events. We were ten minutes into our conversation when she said something that stopped me in my tracks: It sounds to me like you’re trying to get people to overhaul their lives. […]
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Do you have the urge to go smaller?
A friend said, I’m downsizing a dream. It turns out he’s letting go of a long-held dream to start his own business. Instead, he’s repackaging and repurposing that old aspiration into joining a small technology startup as an employee. While it won’t be his own business, he’s getting in on the ground floor and will have […]
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I have to have all the answers
When’s the last time you said, “I don’t know”? Has it been awhile? Do your think admitting you don’t know signals weakness? Do you fear saying I don’t know makes you look less competent or even stupid? Going through life with the mindset you should have all the answers is asking for trouble. You’re one question […]
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What if you’re creating the wrong results?
It used to be a struggle to create the results I wanted in my life. I’ve always been a big fan of setting goals, so that wasn’t the problem. No, something else was going on. I would set a goal and take action, but then struggle to gain traction and sustain momentum. It turns out […]
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Are you thinking of the wasted years?
The other day someone shared, I hate being a CPA, but that’s what my degree is in and I’ve worked in the field for 8 years already, so I really can’t make a change. Oh, the disheartening weight of that mindset. This type of thinking is a cognitive misstep that behavioral economists call “sunk-cost fallacy”. […]
Continued... Mini Mission—Define success for yourself
It’s energy-draining trying to live—and live up to—someone else’s definition of success. You invariably come up lacking. Or perhaps you achieve some coveted level of success—this size paycheck, that title—only to find you feel sort of empty inside. That’s what happens when we’re lazy about defining success for ourselves. It’s not hard to see how […]
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The how will be revealed
We don’t always know the smooth, straight path forward. We may not know it will take 42 steps, in this order, done this way. We often see only the destination in our mind’s eye when a journey begins. We don’t fully see the way or understand the means and manner. It’s OK. It’s OK some […]
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