Actively Disrupting Normal
If I had a file folder in my office labeled “BIG DOINS” it would be bursting at the seams right about now. Whitney Johnson calls what I’m doing “disrupting myself”. That sounds about right. I first heard her own disruption story at Business Innovation Factory’s annual summit (#BIF7) and something …
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Embracing The Thrash
Here’s a confession: I spent most of February and March (and some of January, truth be told) watching back-to-back episodes of Parenthood on Netflix. It was embarrassing – I watched 5 seasons that each had 15 episodes that were 40 minutes each. That’s a lot of minutes of my life …
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If You’re Stuck, Think Sappy Thoughts
I’ve come to thinking of this time of year as my “season of UN”. UNfinished. UNresolved. UNrelenting. UNruly. UNderestimate. UNder the weather. UNsure. Unprecedented. Undecided. It’s the time of year where I feel most ripe with ideas and possibilities and promises. At the same time I feel least motivated to …
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Winnowing
I slept horribly last night, and not for lack of trying. It happens when I’m approaching a creative jag, most commonly around the equinoxes in spring and fall. I know I’m not alone in this pattern – I work with enough writers to know this is the blessing and the …
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Lessons from the Boat
Okay, so to be clear…that’s not a picture of me in the boat. But after learning how to row this past month, and having found myself as part of an awesome boat of four women rowers, that picture represents who I see myself becoming. I have wanted to learn to …
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When You’re Full-Up
Some days just suck. Sometimes entire weeks suck. You know those times…when nothing seems bright, all you can see is what isn’t done, good, working, right. All you can see is the ugly underbelly of humanity. Walking down the street, you see the pain and worry on people’s faces as …
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Ready Enough
In my last Touchstones newsletter, I likened the experience of May to standing on the high dive, mustering up the courage to finally take the plunge. The response to that newsletter was incredible. I’d like to say I was surprised (that would be the modest thing to say), but the …
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Busted
I hit the yoga mat for the first time this morning in nearly two years. I could make a bunch of excuses as to why that is – some of them actually hold water. But the truth is I was avoiding it. Because something happens when I do yoga. I …
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Are You Sure You’re Not Making a Mistake?
This is the question you will hear when you are about to disrupt yourself, says Whitney Johnson, so be forewarned. It will most likely come from well-wishers who are disguised as naysayers. And it will likely rattle your cage. But that’s a good thing, apparently, according to Ms. Johnson’s theory …
Read MoreTaking It For A Long Walk
I had a scare this summer that rocked my world. It was the perfect storm of fear, imagination and anticipation. I was shocked when it had a happy ending, and used that fresh intake of oxygen to learn about myself and my apparently limited capacity to live in the present …
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