Battling a VUCA State with Emotional Resilience I spend some days without ever seeing a real person. Some days I don’t know what to do with myself, what to work on, where to focus my attention. Other days I only want to play games and be frivolous. My connection to loved ones is usually through Read more »
Eliminating Detrimental Beliefs and Behaviors I stepped on a scale the other day and immediately jumped off, as if I’d stepped on hot coals. I shook my head, took a breath and stepped on once again, certain the first number was a mistake. It was. This time the scale actually rose by another pound. Read more »
Inviting More Play into Your Life The Power of Play, Part Four On the last day of her life, my dog Frannie fell off the bed. She was so excited to see my friend Nan enter the room with a squeaky dog toy, that in her final act of exuberance, she tumbled to the Read more »
How Play Improves Our Lives The Power of Play, Part III In Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” the simple phrase “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy” produces a bone-chilling moment of terror for the audience. Although the message behind those words is far less horrific in normal context, in truth the axiom Read more »
Adult Attitudes About Play The Power of Play, Part II “In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.” Friedrich Nietzsche Ushering in 2019 last month with a discussion around resolutions and intentions, I turned to some friends and colleagues at a social function and asked, “When was the last time you played, Read more »
Understanding the Human Element of Play The Power of Play, Part I Modern life is chock full of play: playlists, power plays, fair play and foul play. We play it cool, play catch-up (or dress-up), play the field, play to win, and play for keeps. We even play the lottery (and the slots). Unfortunately, Read more »
Enter Difficult Discourse with Grace I grew up thinking the best approach to conflict was to emulate my favorite television sitcom characters. Like Lucy Ricardo, I formulated zany schemes to get my way—but in a far less comedic and creative way. I channeled Ralph Kramden by bellowing, battling with or threatening my opponents, which didn’t Read more »
Listening Techniques to Boost Focus and Attentiveness “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Buddha I’ve always been a big daydreamer. As a child I often struggled to pay attention and focus in school. Depending on the time of day, subject, and activity, Read more »
Harnessing the Natural Power of Momentum With summer well underway, I’ve rediscovered newfound motivation for my more health-conscious 2018 New Year’s resolutions, which—like an ostensibly endless winter—seemed mired in dull dormancy with only occasional bursts of sunny momentum. Ironic, since I live about 20 minutes from the shore, and the beach is momentum’s classroom. Read more »
Taking a Mono-Task Approach to Productivity To do two things at once is – in reality – to do neither. –Unknown I have a dear friend who loves to call me when she’s washing dishes. Another always calls from the car on his commute home from work. Though I am embarrassed to Read more »