The Wisdom of Depression

A client recently shared that she was working a lot of hours on the very work she wanted to get away from. ‘The projects just keep coming so I can’t get away from them’, she shared. I can’t walk away from the work. ‘I feel like I’m getting further away from my creativity,’ she sighed. ‘It’s making me depressed.’  Yep. That’s right. That’s exactly what happens when we aren’t being who we really are. Period. The best thing any of us can do when that feeling of dark dread shows up is to get curious, to pay attention and then get down to creating our real strategy for movement from what’s taking us down, towards what really motivates us. I’m very familiar with depression, and I’ve learned a lot from mine. Those days when I went to work feeling myself armored in clothing that didn’t feel like me, tucking my… Read More

What Stage of Mom Life are You In?

I’ve lived through many stages of life as a Mom. Right now I’m the Mom of a guy who’s almost 23 years old; he’s launched into a life he thrives in, doing work he finds challenging and rewarding after graduating from college a year ago. Luckily, I get to see him about every 6 weeks or so. And we text now and then. Believe me…I’ve had to adjust to this amount of contact, and this new stage of life as a Mom.The Mom Juggle Begins When my son was 4 I started my side-hustle…working with career coaching clients at home while I worked with MBA students during my day job. At that time, I wanted my own business so I’d have a flexible working life, and be available for my son’s day-to-day life. We all know that being a Mom is a full time gig – whether or not you… Read More

Finding Meaning in Your Life

How – and where – do you find the meaning and value of what you do in your life? Hopefully, the work that you’re doing is feeding you (and your loved ones) in more ways than one. But I know for many of you, the nourishment feels – or actually is – less than what you desire. Take a moment to check in right now, and think about how your work (and home!) life is adding up for you. The following short quiz will help you assess signifiers that are important to most of us: 1) When I wake up, I think about the people and the projects that I get to work with in the upcoming day, and feel energized to get going. 2) My significant other/friends look to me for advice about managing their time and money because I… Read More

And now for something a little different…

Goodbye, Golf Clubs. Hello, Hiking Boots and Kayak. Source: New York Times By ABBY ELLIN THEY call him “Elusive,” at least on the hiking trails. And that’s pretty much where Dave Roberts spends his time these days, crisscrossing the country by foot, by bike, even by kayak. Mr. Roberts, a retired teacher and software engineer, is on a mission to navigate the United States powered only by his two legs and two arms. Hotels and lodges are out of the question; he camps out at night and lugs 25 pounds of equipment — including his tent, sleeping bag and food — on his back. And oh yes: Did we mention he is 72 years old? “I expect to keep doing it until I get tired of it,” said Mr. Read More

Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work | Talk Video | TED.com

This info is too true not to continue to remember. We can be happier in work and in life. And stop chasing an unattainable idea of success.   We believe that we should work to be happy, but could that be backwards? In this fast-moving and entertaining talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity. (Filmed at TEDxBloomington.) To watch this TED Talk, click here: www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work… Read More