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These wonders are brought to our own door
Emerson was said to have lived his life as a series of experiments upon the external world, and by every one of which a new power was awakened in his mind. The words from his celebrated book come to mind: Leave me in the splendid labyrinth of my perceptions to wander without end. It’s a standing invitation for the collective sanity of humanity. The philosopher’s forewarning is not to close the…
Reach less people more deeply
You can’t scale yourself. Even if you could, you wouldn’t want to. Because unless you have buckets of cash, an endless supply of energy, or a human cloning machine, scaling yourself is not a sustainable strategy. It might work for a few years or even a decade, but eventually it’s going to catch up with you. Let’s back up for a minute. Why do you want to scale in…
Discern the path that leads toward a greater sense of unity
Our great joy in life is when we realize that the journey is no longer a solo adventure, but a communal undertaking. That we can’t survive alone, and even if we could, we wouldn’t want to. Because it’s not the way our species is wired. Keen’s theory comes to mind, that human beings are single selves who exist only within a community of interdependent beings. And as we grow aware of…
The bigger the talent, the less bullshit they bring to the table
Managing other people’s perceptions of us can be a full time job. If there were an application posted on a career website, the headline would read: Seeking a codependent narcissistic workaholic to dive deep into the ego vortex of excessive impression management. Low pay. Burnout likely. Zero prior experience necessary. Funny thing is, we justify our obsession with people’s perception of us in the name of managing our golden reputation. Protecting…
Looks great except change everything
Explicit and direct communication not only alleviates potential frustration and misunderstanding, but it also saves organizations massive amounts of time. The problem is, we’re too busy empowering each other. We’re too focused on tap dancing around the issues to spare people’s feelings. It reminds me of a review from an employee who was working at a healthcare organization. Her advice to management was as follows. Stop with the meetings. All you…
Okay, this is a new medium, what can we do with it?
Mcluhan famously wrote that a medium is any extension of man that amplifies his senses and faculties to determine what he is. Meaning, the medium is more than merely the instrument by which something is conveyed. The medium is that which gives expression to our sense of life and allows us to achieve and objective definition of our cherished values. Sound grandiose and pretentious? It is. That’s the whole point. Because…
Boldly casting off what limitations were placed upon you
All of us get proven wrong about our own limitations. But only some of us notice and name those moments. And only some of us use those moments to fuel ourselves to the next level. As the writer’s writer likes to say, claim the force of our own power. During my stint at a global tech startup, several projects came across my desk that took me lightyears beyond a limited view…
It’s just another finger wagging in their face
Addiction recovery programs have a public relations tradition that’s based on attraction, rather than promotion. Members become walking, living, and breathing examples of what flourishing recovery looks like. And they simply make information available where individuals who are seeking it have possible access to it. But there are no promises of results. Only stories of how the program has improved someone’s life. This is the cornerstone on which the great edifice…
He frightened me because he was so free
When you know exactly who you are, that can be a trigger for people. Especially those who are confused about who they are. Those who have failed to reach a cruising altitude for their identity. The moment they see you actualizing your creative potential and executing on your insides, the resentment starts to flow. You frighten them because you are so free. And no matter what you try to contribute to…
Learn not to make a fetish of your rare moments
Chambers, a minister who served in the first world war, wrote the most popular daily devotional of modern spirituality. Compiling a series of short sermons for students and soldiers, his book has stood the test of time for nearly a hundred years. As an author, all of my own daily devotional books have, in some way, been informed by his book. One theme that recurs in multiple entries is that of discipline….
