Category: life advice

A recent Frazz comic strip features Caufield saying “Plan, they say, so I plan: I decide I’m going to be a millionaire with a muscle car.” To which Frazz replies: “Yeah, that’s more like a dream.” “Then what’s a plan?” Caufield asks. Answer: “The stuff in between nothing and the dream.”

It’s a tricky distinction to go after something visionary – and to simultaneously attend to the minute details but that intermediate stage is what makes the creative possible.

Think about where your skills lie: are you the dreamer who can come up with lofty ideas and see things that are beyond what is possible now – or do your talents gravitate toward taking others’ visions and giving them the plans required to see them realized?

There is a wide gap between nothing and a dream. Where are you best suited to contribute?

I was asked to teach a class next term that I have never taught before; I said yes. When I’m asked to do a workshop on a topic that is new to me, I say yes. I’ve written articles on things that I initially knew next to nothing about and even had jobs that required a substantial learning curve – but they all turned out well because I am able to “be the string” and connect concepts into a cogent whole.

Everyone can use the same process, ideally with some advance planning time. Now that I know my course topic for next semester, I will start paying attention to things that will fit with the subject area. I’ll see things on social media and in the news that will trigger other resources. I’ll ask colleagues for ideas and referrals (it’s on integrated marketing if you have anything for me!). I’ll read some things which will reference other resources and the accumulation process will begin in earnest. I keep collecting ideas until a pattern emerges that ties them all together.

For my last session, I included resources from no less than eight different people – each one contributing a piece of the puzzle that I assembled. I had books, articles, websites of organizations, videos, handouts and examples from current events. Since the session is over, I still find myself seeing new stories that would enhance the message, so I collect them, too, in preparation for the next time I use the topic.

I love the process of developing new content and find that it works for articles, sessions, classes and even projects around the home. Once you start focusing on a topic, the universe responds and provides you with ample examples to meet your needs.

Don’t get stuck in a rut because you’re afraid to venture into new territory. The path will illuminate itself, step by step, once you get started.

In September, we had four times the normal rainfall. By October 2^nd, we had already surpassed the monthly average by an inch. I feel like I am living in the stereotype of rainy Seattle, but unlike the Northwesterners, I am not prepared for this waterlogged climate.

Because of misplaced optimism, I am currently suffering through another muddy season as I did in the spring but I am ready to throw in the mud-covered towel and admit this is how the climate is changing for good. Just as I make winter tolerable by having the right tires, snow equipment and clothes I’m feeling that I now need to rethink my expectations and preparation for spring and fall.

It seems that 13 inches/month instead of the usual 3” is the new normal so it’s time to do things differently: bury the sump pump drain instead of having it dump into the middle of my yard, buy cute rubber boots and a real rain slicker, and have my next dog be mud brown instead of English Cream.

We have two choices when conditions change: accept them or fight them. You can remain miserable and lament that things are not how they are “supposed” to be or you can adapt your behavior to improve your situation. Don’t be a victim and just stand by while circumstances rain on your parade.

I handle logistics for an organization’s innovation cohort – arranging meals, travel, accommodations, communication, hospitality – but one thing that I don’t do is make coffee. Making a good pot seems to require a magic touch, like a chef putting just the right amount of ingredients into a big pot of soup.

The Keurig K-cups give the illusion that there is a standard amount of grounds to make the perfect cup, but my experience with filling a coffeemaker is quite different from that. Even with elaborate written instructions, the author of them still varies the portions and defines “heaping” differently than others do. As a non-coffee drinker, I have no manner to judge whether I’m on the mark or not. Cohort members joke with me about it because I do most any other task but I have concluded that it’s best to leave the coffee making to the coffee drinkers.

Is there an equivalent to coffeemaking in your organization – something that can be done to accommodate personal preference rather than trying to standardize it – or can you develop your own version of K-cups to take the guesswork out of a variable process? Or maybe it’s just best to leave some tasks for others.

Relationships are like tea kettles. Whether a romance or collegial partnership, everyone that is in a relationship needs a way to vent off some steam at some point in the relationship. Structuring an outlet for that to occur, just as on the kettle, keeps the contents from boiling over. It is a thoughtful and prudent component of the design.

What have you done to create a release valve for your relationship? Friends can plan activities or pursue interests with varied sets of friends. Colleagues can create autonomy and work on some projects independently. Couples can take separate mini-vacations or join an organization without their partner.

Whether for a day or as an on-going pursuit, finding ways to whistle on your own is a healthy component of any relationship.