I’ve written about a wide range of topics over the years and I want to know what you’ve found most valuable. Three quick questions: #1: When you think about the 321 LIftoff newsletters that stuck with you, what was the underlying theme? Building and growing a business (strategy, storytelling, money management, etc.) A mindset of adaptability, resilience, patience, etc. Personal development, like how to set and pursue goals Leadership – of your life, at work, in business, etc. #2: What helps...
26 days ago • 1 min read
I was walking home after dropping off my kids at school. I was moving quickly to try and get a few extra things done before my meetings started for the day. Mentally, I was already in work mode, stepping with authority in a kind of march toward my home office. Suddenly, I woke up from my trance. A little green hummingbird flew right in my path, just a few feet from my face. I could see it's tiny pink and purple feathers around it's neck It hovered there for what felt like a long time, just...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Ever feel a bit anxious on Sundays? The anticipation of the week ahead. The stress of a heavy to-do list. The worry that one of the many plates you’re spinning will fall. All of it casting a shadow over what is supposed to be precious time away from work. You want to be a person with a healthy work-life balance, a person with boundaries. But, sure enough, every Sunday those thoughts creep in, stealing your attention. For years, I felt the weight of the Sunday Night Blues (also called the...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Early in my career, my to-do list each day was endless and amorphous. It was a jumble of information in my head. I didn’t even write it down. I would silently commit to doing everything, believing – without reason, I might add – that there would be a magic moment where there was no list. “I’ll rest when…” was my mantra. I would move from thing to thing, racing forward to try and cram as much as possible into the day. Except I never would. I'd never finish the list. Which meant the list the...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
35,000 – that’s how many decisions the average adult supposedly makes each day. Some of those decisions are small: What should I have for lunch today? Some decisions have longer-lasting effects: How should I prioritize my limited resources? While others shape the course of your life: Should I say yes to this opportunity? It’s my birthday week – one more trip around the sun (and another +12 million decisions) behind me. I’ve been looking back on the big decisions and experiences that shaped my...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Amazingly, it’s the end of March. We’re three months into the year. Tempus Fugit – time flies. I know many fellow parents can attest: the days are long and the years are short. You're constantly strapped for time, rushing from this thing to that thing. You’re trying to maximize every precious minute on your calendar to get one more thing done. At the same time: How's your screen time these days? When you have a free hour are you taking real breaks or just frittering it away? How does your...
2 months ago • 2 min read
This week: a brief follow up on goals. In January, like many of you, I set goals for myself. I’ve been able to chip away at many of them. But, some goals… not so much. For one of my goals, the context changed. I had carefully named a set of assumptions and constraints that I believed would hold for the year. Nope – not the case. 😵💫 That goal needed to be adjusted. Another goal, I just haven't had time for. There are only so many hours in the day. And, I definitely said to someone in a meeting...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Happy St. Patrick’s Day – a day that celebrates (in part) luck. 🍀 Luck – good fortune – certainly plays a role in success. Maybe: Someone introduces you to a new contact at the right time. An opportunity pops up that you couldn’t have predicted. A project you’ve been working on suddenly has everyone’s attention. But, luck only works if you’re ready for it. Above the desk in my office, framed on the wall, I have a quote attributed to the philosopher, Seneca: “Luck is what happens when...
3 months ago • 2 min read
All around the planet, there are enormous telescopes watching the night sky. Some are in space, some sit at the highest elevations on Earth, away from the invading pollution of light. These are precious and expensive pieces of equipment – and there are only so many nights each year. As a result, there’s a rigorous process to get observation time: Candidates have to submit a lengthy research proposal to justify the scientific merit of the investment. Ultimately, it’s reviewed and evaluated by...
3 months ago • 2 min read