The dark side of eternal optimism
I’m an eternal optimist. An expert at sucking up every ounce of joy in life. To be honest, I never considered there was a dark side to eternal optimism. Even the suggestion of a dark side seemed absurd. Afterall, isn’t everyone striving for the rose-colored glasses perspective? My change of …
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Life is calling…are you ready?
Have you ever stopped and realized that you’re always on mute at work? It’s a familiar state for many. You don’t want to draw attention so you mute your personality. You don’t want to make waves so you mute your opinions. You don’t want to get too involved in office …
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Have you ever felt you’re not enough?
I remember the look on my brother’s face when I confessed that I’ve always battled with this gnawing feeling of not being enough. To him, I was already more than enough, so my revelation left him utterly dumbfounded. He asked the million-dollar question: “Why do you feel that way?” Many …
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Let’s talk about honor
I’m driving to dinner. The song “Glory of Love” by Peter Cetera is playing on the radio. I love 1980’s songs, and I’m quickly singing along in an enthusiastic off-key voice. But this time, my mind gets stuck on the chorus. It’s like I’m hearing it for the first time, …
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Are you using all your strength?
A mother and her daughter are walking on a trail. They come across a fallen branch blocking their path. The daughter asks the mother, “Do you think, if I use all of my strength, I can move the branch off the trail?” The mother thinks for a moment, then looks …
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What humans and cheetahs have in common
Would a cheetah win a race against greyhounds? A cheetah was brought to a greyhound racetrack to find out. The dogs, and the cheetah, were positioned at the starting line. When the gates opened, the greyhounds darted out. The cheetah remained laying down in her pen. The observers were shocked. …
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Recovering checklist addict
I was the Queen of check-lists. I crushed the workday as I sailed down my list. A hit of dopamine rushing through me as I tick one box after the next. As the list whittled down, my sense of accomplishment and satisfaction soared. My checklists weren’t confined to work. Oh …
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Handle yourself with care
Unless you are one of the .000001% of humans living out your existence as a hermit in the woods, you are not an autonomous island unaffected by others. Every one of us is a walking energy field that influences those around us. And each of us, in turn, is influenced …
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Where are the defiant rule-breakers?
If there was an award for the most detentions attained during an elementary school career, my brother Ben would have won it. Ben had a judicious approach to rules. If a rule didn’t make sense to him, or didn’t seem just, he didn’t bother to abide by it. While that …
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First they came
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— …
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