Until moments ago, I thought I had coined the phrase Humanity Quotient. But apparently, the phrase is already in common use. Instead of rehashing what others have shared, I want to share my own personal lessons on how to increase my connection with the world around me. Meaningful Connection Begins with Intentional Disconnection All day…
Tag: priorities
Engagement Lessons from a 12 year-old
My 12 year-old daughter applied to be a peer mentor in her school. But what she wrote applies to engagement at school, work, life, and beyond.
What Leaders Do Differently
I recently interviewed a group of seasoned executive leaders, and I asked them about what successful leaders do differently. Here’s what they told me…
That’s Why God Made [insert noun here]
The phrase “That’s why God made [ insert noun here ]” covers a multitude of situations. Just don’t use it as an excuse.
4 Habits for a New-ish Year!
Good habits take time to stick, unlike bad habits that tend to cling to us like toilet paper on the sole of a wet shoe.
Making a Silk Purse From a Sow’s Ear
Jonathon Swift said, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,” Swift’s way of saying “You can’t get something of value (like a silk purse) out of something worthless (like a sow’s ear).”
But it turns out, Swift’s statement is false.
Tyranny of the Urgent
If you haven’t read Charles Hummel’s book The Tyranny of the Urgent written in the late 60s, you really should. Hummel created the distinction between the URGENT and the IMPORTANT items that take our time each day. In the event that you were too busy working on urgent things to read this book, let me…
YES!!! You Can Have It All!
This morning on my walk, I saw a grape next to an ant hill on the sidewalk. This amused me a little. Did ants actually carry this grape to the mound? I pictured a highly organized colony of ants planning this coup using little cell phones. “Fred? It’s me, Sam. We got a grape over…
A Task Avoided is a Task Multiplied…
Tina and Lauren, former college roommates, got caught up by phone one Friday night. Before hanging up, Tina asked, “Have any wild plans for the weekend?” “Laundry,” Lauren answered. Tina listened and waited for the punchline. “And…?” she asked expectantly. “No,” Lauren responded with a little embarrassment. “No and. Just laundry. I haven’t done it…
Snow Days
Here in the Midwest, we’ve been socked with snow. On every news channel is a warning: Stay indoors. Stay off the roads. Schools are closed, businesses are closed. I expect that the Post Office will not deliver mail today unless they have a team of mushers. So what do you do with a snow day,…
The Fallacy of Balance
Life Balance is a hot topic. Busy people need ways to juggle all of the important things in their lives. But is balance the right answer? Remember when you were a kid and you had something nasty on your plate, like peas? You were probably told that you couldn’t leave the table until you cleared…
Dinner or Sex? You Pick…
NOTE: This post is not dirty! Last Fall, one of my apple trees looked sick. A neighbor clipped the roots with a backhoe, and blight attacked it with a vengeance. I had to act quickly if I hoped to save the tree so I cut off nearly every limb and branch, soaked it with pesticide,…