bringing purpose back to life
These days, you can almost physically feel that the world is changing. A child’s sneeze means something different than it did a few days ago and with that we have become more alert, more intentional and possibly more in tune to the here and now.
Humankind has an amazing ability to adapt. Things and behaviors that were seemingly impossible become the norm within a few days.
Your career is humming along when, suddenly, someone or something slams on the brakes.
Maybe your boss assigns you to a new industry, an area where you have no experience or knowledge. Maybe you or your partner are pregnant—a happy brake slam, but a slam nonetheless. Perhaps your spouse announces one night at dinner that the company is sending him—and therefore you—overseas. Or maybe your company is downsizing, and you just learned that you’ve been deemed part of the “excess weight.”
In any case the effect is similar: suddenly, you find that you can’t rely on what formed a firm foundation in your life up to this point.
There’s a sudden blank.
Suddenly you must redefine yourself.
Christmas carols are playing everywhere you go.
Traffic is a nightmare.
The kiddos are more excited than usual.
Boxes are stacking up instead of presents.
I feel like my head is so filled with to-do’s related to closing this chapter of our lives and opening a new one, all while balancing the end of year duties, that I don’t seem to have the headspace I need to be in “the zone” for writing. I know that if I write only out of “duty” and commitment, then it won’t be quality stuff and of service to you.
Continue reading → The next time you feel as if you’re losing your footing, try “hill-falling”
Have you ever wondered how people manage work when they have a serious illness? You may have seen it, someone pushing their career forward, and then a sudden health crisis forces them to the sidelines and perhaps off course forever.
As a peer or manager, you want to be sensitive when speaking with those struggling with health issues. You want to ask just the right amount of questions. You want to allow for flexibility. You want to help.
Continue reading → A Delicate Topic in the Office: Serious Illness
Shhh…. What’s that I hear?
It’s a voice—someone expressing her thoughts and opinions authentically while interacting with the world.
Though we’re in the 21st century, fewer people than you might think are free to express their opinions.
Quick research on this topic shows that 25 countries limit speech in some way. See for yourself here or in this article.
While I find it deeply disturbing that a substantial part of humankind still lives under some form of a regime that limits personal rights and freedom, I’d like to bring your attention to one segment filled with people who voluntarily remain silent, pushing the mute button on their voices and suffering as a result.