I am pretty much feeling crappy this week and, when I’m not working, I’m replaying the election in my head by listening or reading too much bad news. And then I spiral into a bout of anger, then ready to rally, then tearful again. I think my husband gets it, but then he wonders why I […]
Archive | Riffs & Ideas
According to wiki, “In jazz and R&B, riffs are often used as the starting point for longer compositions”. In our case, we’d like to think of them as the starting point for random stories. This could be the random section where even whining is allowed. Heck, it could eventually turn into a song.
Someone Wins and Someone Loses #nomoreparticipationawards #JAJance
I attended a fundraiser on Veteran’s Day where author JA Jance gave a wonderful keynote that included some laughter and tears, and a side remark about the election. It was brilliant, and I’m compelled to try to paraphrase it here. “Dear Millennials, we know you are the generation who received participation awards at every turn. Well I’m sorry […]
Hate Was Given Hope #hatewasgivenhope #aaronsorkin
Surfing through the emotional banter of thousands of FB posts after the election, one re-post stood out for me and continues to replay in my head. It’s Aaron Sorkin’s letter to his daughter, in which he says one simple phrase that zeros in on what Trump has stood for, and why many of us are feeling […]
Forgetting How to Be Human #forgottenhumanity #humankindness
By Agent M1 on September 27, 2016 in Fireside Chats, Riffs & Ideas, Tip of the Day, Weekly Survival, Work Life Balance
People have forgotten how to be human in many ways. And when I say human, I mean kind. And wrapped into kindness are things like trust, empathy, compassion, attention (listening) and generally giving a crap about others. So, when I preach to parents why I think we are all (yes me too) way too focused […]
What Are You Afraid Of? #fearoffailure
A friend recently asked me the question, “what are you afraid of”? “Losing everything”, I said. As I think about my response, I think about how failure is inevitable as an entrepreneur, and yet we can still avoid losing everything if we proceed with caution and exercise calculated risk. Sometimes when we are focusing too much […]
Why Hope Matters #hopematters #halfempties #thehopedrug #humandeficit
Life can be one big glass of half empties. When we look for the faults, the doubts, the flaws, they stand taller, bolder, and yell louder than the 90% good out there. As human beings our instincts and fear, limbic brain, have us programmed to look for the threats and flee. Politicians and media have […]
What Next
It’s hard to find and follow a thread of hope weaving in and out of the every day. Especially when we have so much tugging at us. Our little ones who need more than hugs and kisses. Our fears of losing more than we can imagine. Our high-risk jobs, with variable income. And of course, our diminishing bank accounts as […]
Vulnerability and Women
By Agent M1 on June 20, 2016 in Fireside Chats, Gender Equity, Riffs & Ideas, Weekly Survival, Work Life Balance
I just had an epiphany, and it hit me square on the head. This scenario was right in front of me the whole time and I never saw it. If you’re familiar with my blogposts, you’ll know I’m a huge proponent of being human as a leader. I define being human as being kind, being humble or […]
Trust vs. Confidence
In an earlier blog post, we waxed poetic on the topic of trust. In this post, I want to cover what I believe is often confused between trust and confidence. If I trust you to catch me when I fall, I still might question how well you hold on to me, or if my size can […]
The Game of Life
Have you ever played the board game LIFE? I’ve forgotten how much the board game is [probably] inspired by living life. It’s been THAT long since I’ve played and I can’t remember the rules. But one thing I know to be true in the real game of life, some rules are ever-changing, and some remain the same. And maybe […]
