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None of us live in a vacuum.  The decisions each person makes has consequences for the rest of us.  As the law of motion states, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Especially in a communal setting. Because these things are generative spaces. Holy containers whose integrity we have committed to preserving.  During my five years on the board of a local trade association, we had…

Boredom is the symptom, not the problem.  When people complain about how there’s nothing to do and they’re going stir crazy sitting around the house all day, my bullshit detector goes off.  Because it’s not like there was this sudden outbreak of an airborne virus called boredom that forced itself into their lives, infected their immune system and now they’re helplessly stuck with it until some nerd in a…

Effective time management is more than merely getting things done.  It’s also about honoring the communal need to do the same.  Because in any shared setting, our agenda is not the only one in the room. Everybody has needs. Including the living organism of the group itself.  And if we have zero awareness around the value of the group’s time, then we will disrupt the shared energy, piss off…

Hey everyone!  Hope you’re all staying safe, healthy and sane. Inspired by a few of my favorite songwriters (Chris Martin, Keith Urban, Ben Gibbard, John Legend) who are performing virtually from their homes, last night my wife and I streamed a concert from our Brooklyn living room. Thanks to the 300 or so friends, family members and strangers who joined us. We had so much fun, and appreciated your emojis, song…

There’s nothing more deflating than the realization that we have just been duped.  Played. Cheated. Ripped off. Taken advantage of. Deceived by the enticing charm of something or someone.  It’s such a painfully empty feeling of foolishness and naiveté. Like walking into what we thought was a dinner party, but it’s actually a sales pitch with snacks. Or opening what appeared to be a birthday card, when it’s actually…

Miyagi explained to his young karate apprentice that the best way to block a punch is to not be there.  Paradoxical as it sounds, this principle is actually quite useful when fighting the battle of productivity.  Because we can make all the lists, use all the software, optimize all the calendars, and rank all of our tasks in order of high priority to low, but in many cases, the…

Movies are necessary to the world because they distract us from our daily struggles.  For those precious two hours, we get to sit back, forget about the tragedy of the impermanence of everyday life and just be entertained.  What’s not to like? Pass the cheddar corn and let’s watch some buff men in spandex fake punch each other.  But that time is finite. It’s not life, it’s break from…

There isn’t a job description on the planet that doesn’t include the words detail oriented.  Human resource managers have apparently decided that this is the most important trait for a potential team member to possess. To the point that they are scared of being fired themselves for not including this trait on the application.  And yet, what would be more far more useful and interesting is finding out how…

Hendricks writes that the secret to raising our consciousness is approaching life as a learning project, not a healing one.  Instead of presuming that something was wrong with us, we simply accepted that there were things we could learn to make our life better.  This certainly takes the pressure off. A learning paradigm is much more compassionate and peaceful than embarking on a relentless quest to fix ourselves.  One…

To publish is to make something publicly known.  It is a privilege, a responsibility an act of courage, an expression of vulnerability and a formidable business strategy.  But when we are young, new and scared, publishing can also be a highly intimidating prospect. It can feel like hanging our balls out the window.  No wonder our procrastinatory urges kick in and prevent us from executing.  In my early years of…