Don’t try to get it right.
Why isn’t “to get it right” a good intention? Isn’t it important to get it right? When we’re thinking about needing to get it right, we’re thinking about ourselves. We’re holding onto achievement and getting an A, rather than being willing to be vulnerable, attempt genuine connection, and risk failure. One way to think about …
The last rep
When do you default to your old habits? I’m thinking about this today as I recommit to budgeting, and meal planning, and generally being more intentional. All the tools I need to be good at this stuff are literally at my fingertips—apps, information, lots of ways to monitor and measure. But the driver of all …
Resting ??? Face
Our faces are our billboards to the world. They are telling the people around us how we’re feeling, whether it’s okay to approach us, what kind of person we are. What is your face doing when you’re not keeping an eye on it?
“I hate to practice.”
I know. I do, too. But you know what I hate more? Feeling unprepared. Forgetting what I wanted to say. The clammy feel of my palms sweating as I realize I’m not sure I checked my slides after the last time I used them to make sure they’re updated with this client’s info. I practice …
What’s natural?
I’ve been reading and working through a revolutionary book. It’s not Karl Marx or Tim Ferriss or the latest by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s “Become a Supple Leopard,” by Dr. Kelly Starrett. Starrett is a physical therapist and trainer, and he started out as an athlete himself, paddling for the US canoeing and kayaking teams. …
Weddings.
We all know that weddings are big business. What they also are is a fascinating place to learn about other people. In the last couple of decades, wedding planning has begun taking an a la carte approach. The couple notices what they’ve experienced at other weddings, they incorporate some parts and leave others out. Many …
Here’s one super important thing about practicing a presentation
Do. Not. Memorize It. I’m serious. My colleague Neela describes the phenomenon of watching someone deliver a speech from rote memory as being like they are reading it from a ticker tape right in front of their eyes—they aren’t connecting with the audience because their brain space and focus are all taken up with remembering …
What should I do with my hands?
There is only one person who cares what you do with your hands when you are making a presentation. You. And you shouldn’t care, either. Here’s the thing—if you are connecting with the audience, they don’t care. If you have carefully considered what you want them to get from your presentation, it doesn’t matter what …
What will happen if I slow down?
Did you ever have one of those days? A lot to do, a lot that I’m excited about, and it’s all making me move a little too fast. I can’t even type without tripping over my fingers. What if, and stay with me here, the power of our great work is in slowing down? What …
Little stories everywhere, part two
I was in a tiny, rural diner yesterday. Next to my table were a man and woman, maybe in their 60s. The table was at right angles to mine, so I could see the woman’s face, and hear her clearly. Here is what she said: I am so lonely. You travel so much, and I …
