Bookmark your dreams

June 14 2020

Many years ago, a coach gave me an assignment that changed my life. Write down 50 – 100 things you’d like to do. My original list contained almost 90 items, goals ranging from learning to tie a necktie to finishing a marathon. I revisit this list from time to time. It has served as a […]

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What keeps you going? (4 ways to spark curiosity)

June 07 2020

I’ve been asked what keeps me motivated. The question echoes when I pick up a book, stop at a piece of art, choose a film, or marvel at a friend’s project. What drives passion and fuels excitement? Curiosity. What keeps you going? I understand when life becomes disenchanting and hard, curiosity isn’t a natural tendency. The ability to […]

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You can teach one thing. What is it?

May 26 2020

This question is a favorite at dinners. My answer is always the same: Empathy. “Empathic connection is an understanding of the heart in which we see the beauty in the other person, the divine energy in the other person, the life that’s alive in them.” —Marshall Rosenberg What is empathy? Now, more than ever, empathy […]

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Take twenty

May 13 2020

Twenty minutes to pause. Twenty minutes to breathe. To be grateful. To write. To read. To consume. To move. To reflect. To listen. To work. To grieve. To focus. To savor. To feel. To love. To connect. To watch. To rest. Twenty minutes can make the unmanageable manageable, the forgotten remembered, and the overwhelming more […]

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Takeaways from two weeks of “Positive Talk”

May 03 2020

14 people from around the world signed up to join me in a small experiment: For two weeks, I would commit to daily discussions focused on Good Things. I spoke with Italians, Brits, folks in the United States, Sweden, and Nepal. On some days I had to talk myself up for the session; other days […]

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Assigning meaning

April 15 2020

Perspective keeps coming up in Positive Talk sessions. From media articles to family conversations, the meanings we assign to situations, reactions, and words can weigh significantly on our perception and interpretation of the world around us. This is important for three reasons. One, we get to choose how we want to interpret a given situation. […]

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2 weeks, 30-minute conversations, good things only

April 08 2020

Every day for the next two weeks I am committing to one thirty-minute conversation focused only on Good Things. Good Things include: Goals, ideas, projects, dreams, successes, accomplishments, moments that bring satisfaction and contentment, creation, acts of kindness. Call it pro-bono coaching, but this is as much for me as it might be for you. […]

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Now is the time to think about the Connection Economy — and your role in it (a free workshop)

April 05 2020

Seth Godin dubbed the phrase “Connection Economy” to encourage meaningful relationships that inspire art, community efforts, and the pursuit of worthwhile work. Right now it’s easy to feel stuck. It’s more important than ever before to be kind and present and approach others with consideration and respect. We live in a moment in which the internet […]

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Flip the script

April 01 2020

There’s a lot of bad in the world right now. Maybe you feel hopeless, confined, or stuck. Even for today, challenge yourself to look for hope. Reverse the stories you’re telling yourself and find places of light. Turn “I’m so bored” into “What can I do next?” and get active. Convert “I’m stuck at home” into […]

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A manual for at-home daily adventure

March 15 2020

Some folks are pretty bummed at the prospect of cancelled events, social quarantine, and days spent at home. Others are thrilled: Time to catch up on Netflix, read those books on the shelf, spend time with family, or just chill on the couch. Life doesn’t have to become boring because social calendars are reduced. In […]

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