Ever hear the story about how, when a bear chases you through the woods, your fight or flight response kicks in?  This is not that story.It’s the story of when the bear finally catches up to you.I stand corrected from an earlier post about shame.  In that post, I had written that shame doesn’t serve a function. It does. The recommended tactic for surviving a grizzly bear attack is to put yourself low to the ground, bury your head, and place yourself in a position of shame/vulnerability.  This position is meant to signal to the attacking grizzly that you are not a threat and back off.  Shame is for grizzly attacks.  On a completely unrelated, yet related note, LinkedIn has offered a new feature. You can now place a friendly green circle on your name that signals you’re #opentowork. As a recruiter, I find the green circle helpful. I instantly know who to help!  I posted my thoughts about the green circle here.  Here’s what’s interesting…The post was encouraging job seekers not to be ashamed of letting others know that they’re looking to work.  The message of not being ashamed for who you are is so powerful that 7,000 others saw the post. It’s trending as I write.  So here’s what I don’t get.Should we feel that letting others know we’re looking for a job, publicly, is the equivalent of a grizzly bear attacking us? And, if so, why?  Why do we keep ourselves from doing things that matter to us? How can we be so afraid of ourselves?  Because we’ve been conditioned to fall in line.  Go to school.Get the job.Do the job.Put your head down, Get your raise, Get your promotion, Go home!I don’t know about you, but I’m not playing that game.  My life is worth a bit more.Is yours?

I had a gig today, but it was canceled due to the rain.  We’ve been in the thick of cancel culture for a while.  The weather isn’t right, we cancel.Being too close could spread a virus, we cancel.  An actor’s sordid past is revealed, they’re canceled from the show.My tone might suggest that I’m not a fan of “cancellations.”  Truthfully, If cancellations were to frustrate me, I’d be in the wrong industry. Candidates cancel interviews, gigs get postponed all the time.  Through the years, I’ve learned that cancellations are simply re-directions. “This didn’t work, now it’s time for something completely different.”  The challenge for us is that we never wanted the “something completely different,” we wanted the thing that got canceled. Now we don’t have it. And now we’re upset.  “Now it’s time for something completely different” is the invitation to adopt a posture of possibility. To say, “How fascinating?!” and open yourself up to something new.  Next time you need to cancel, before acknowledging the bummer, try giving way to the possibilities that it might open up to you first.  “And now, time for something completely different.”

I’ve been thinking about work lately.  How will I know whether or not I was productive today? Did it make a difference to the people who care?  What do I get to do tomorrow?To answer these questions, I started asking myself these three questions:What will I ship today?Who will I ship it to?Do they care about what I’m shipping them? Why am I using the word “shipping?“It merely means to transport, convey, move, deliver, distribute, or post.  This blog post is shipped to you via email;A candidate is shipped to a hiring manager via a presentation;A designer ships their idea via a pitch; Musicians ship their music via their concerts/streams;Develops ship their work by producing code; andThe list goes on!The idea is not to ship only your best work. If so, you’d never receive this blog.  The idea is to ship work you’re proud of, and often.  Because the people who care about what you do, want to receive your gift.

Yesterday’s work could have presented a smorgasbord of challenges and frustration. But it didn’t.  Instead of deciding to be frustrated, I choose to remain “curious” and hold space to “learn.”  I’m curious about how (not “why”) something did not work out.It’s fascinating that “abc” caused “xyz” not to happen. Huh? What do you know about that? So, instead of going through the day angry and bothered that things didn’t go “my way,” I walked away exponentially smarter about the way the world and the people in it work.  Failure is only failure when you choose not to learn.Remember, to learn, you need to remain curious.Try it out today.Oh, I realize that I chose a cat for the headline image. It has dawned on me what curiosity supposedly did to the proverbial cat. However, in that instance, I believe the “failed” to learn. This cat, the cat in the header photo, has decided to learn - this cat is goin’ places!

I decided to start off the day getting bored.  No thoughts.No intention.Just sitting, doing nothing, being bored. Honestly, it was the best experience.  I walked away with a ton of ideas. Here they are:Thoughts: Go hike.Curiosity: What’s a good source of Vitamin E?Curiosity: Is there a Vitamin B supplement without synthetics? Action: Write about thoughts.Thoughts: It’s interesting how the leaves, and light, reflect through the window screens and blinds.Thought: Check the stopwatch.Action: Decide not to check the clock.Thoughts: Go hike.  Thoughts: Go walk outside. Get bored outside.Curiosity: Does the environment change the productivity of boredom?Thoughts: I’m excited about the new yacht rock project. Curiosity: Do I need khaki shorts, a white belt, a navy blue golf shirt, and a baseball/golf cap for a yacht rock band?Curiosity: Was the water temperature I used to feed the starter too hot?Thoughts: Remember that the upcoming mix might be a bit messy.Thoughts: I want to make a podcast with my cousin.Curiosity: I wonder if it’s possible to get bored every day, even with a day job?I committed to myself that the most important thing I do today is “get bored.”  I find it interesting that in boredom, your mind and body almost tell you what they need. For me, a hike is in the near future.  If prioritizing and taking action on your day is a challenge, consider boredom as an alternative.  If your experience is like mine, you’ll end more inspired and energized than when you started.Not bad for 30 minutes.

Last night, before going to bed, I was almost reminded of things I needed to do today. In fact, I set my intention for today to be a blank slate. Well, I lied, I wanted to be lazy. When I woke up, would you believe it, I was lazy! Slow to move. Slow to make coffee. Slow to read. All around slow. And, I didn’t mind. I allowed the day to direct me. Gardening? Check. Bake a bread loaf? Check. Buy a trellis? Check. Think about doing something with my SCOBY? Check. Harvest beans from garden? Check. Today was beyond productive. The world may try to tell you to do things, you may feel you have to write it all down, priorities upon completing priorities… I get it. But, just once, try allowing things just to happen. You might be surprised how much you actually get done. Goodnight. Oh, that pic is not from today. But, it’s a reminder that you never know what’s on the other side. So, stop trying to guess.

… well, sort of. See, sourdough takes time. Depending on how you chose to ferment or proof your loaf, it can take between 13 and 36 hours of waiting, planning, and simple actions. Is it challenging to make? Hardly, you need 3 ingredients: flour, water, and salt. Are there tricky techniques? Sure, but you can do it without. It won’t look the same as the ones you see in the store, but it will be yours. Then what takes so long? It is because a sourdough loaf, up until it’s baked, is a living and breathing organism. Fermentation is happening, yeast are consuming sugar, carbon dioxide is being released, and the flour is creating structure through the development of gluten. Here’s the thing, it’s all happening while your dough is at rest. Then comes the moment you stick your loaf in the oven. How will it turn out? Will it have an open crumb? Will it be dense? Will the inside be soft and custardy? Or, gummy? You’ll never know! You have to wait and see.Life is a lot of wait-and-see. Life is a lot of waiting or delayed gratification. Life is unknown. There’s no guarantee how your bread will turn out until it’s opened up. In the same way, there’s no guarantee tomorrow will be better for today. And just like your bread, what you do in the moment - now - makes all the difference. Try to enjoy the moment a bit more today.

Today, I’m hitting a writer’s block. A term I hate because I don’t think “writer’s block” actually exists. We don’t have “speaker’s block” do we?The challenge is that I’ve been searching for what to write for you.  Personally, I’m in a privileged position. I’m engaged in generous work with Colorful Connections, a diversity, equity, and inclusion head-hunting/consulting firm. And I’ve no shortage of things to read and think about.  Yet, here I am with a block. At least, that’s how it seems.It’s making me think, “what is a block for?“A block is for care.  I am blocked right now because I care. I care deeply about the words I put out to you. Sure, my grammar could use some work from time-to-time, but I am intentional with what I write about.  A block is also for stillness.In the United States, culturally, silence is not always a great thing. Whereas other cultures might do well with stillness, we’re not great about here in the USA. That might be to our advantage, as well as our disadvantage.  If you want a good scrabble word, you could say that the block is for “equanimity.” So…The next time you’re blocked, think about what that block is trying to show you. Why is it there? What is it for?  To the people I know who often say, “I’ve hit a brick wall,” this post is for you.

I’ve been having more headaches lately.  

I think that’s because my blood sugar has been lower than usual.  I think that’s because I’ve been cutting sugars and carbs out of my life.  I do this off and on. It’s a way to combat my bipolar disorder - believe it or not.  

This post is not about diets.  It’s about self-awareness.

Some people may or may not understand this about bipolar disorder, but it seemingly robs you of your self-awareness. I suppose that makes sense when your mind is the thing that’s running away with you.  

Here’s a brief, and not-in-any-way complete history of thought around quality:John D. Rockefeller was born today in 1839. He once said, “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.“In 2001, Jim Collins wrote the hit management book, “Good to Great.” This book would describe “great” companies such as Philip Morris, Kroger, Wells Fargo, and the like.  Also, in 2001, a bunch of developers developed the “Agile Manifesto,” where the primary measure of progress is “working software.”  In 2017 a boss told me, “Don’t sacrifice the good for the great.”  In my mind, there are two competing ideas - do we work in pursuit of greatness? Or do we seek progress?  Can’t it be both?I submit that the pursuit of either can become confusing. Is it better to be great? Or good? Am I losing one thing if I give up on the other? Our culture likes to complicate. Humans are well adept, dare I say “great,” at producing layers of complexity over simple issues. I propose a simple way of looking at the work we do:Does the person I seek to serve need what I have created for them?How will my creation change their life for the better?Am I proud of what I’ve done?At the end of the day, our goal is to do be invited to do more of the things that make us come alive.  To do that, we need to stop thinking about doing things “great” or “good.” How about we focus on, “Did I make a difference today?” and “Am I proud of the difference I made?”  If you can answer yes, then you were productive, and you had a day well spent.  Rest and be content.