Word Choice
In the months since I started writing this blog, I have occasionally been asked by acquaintances what it’s about. In the very beginning, that was difficult to answer. It wasn’t as though I began with a description and then started writing. Quite the opposite.
I had something to say. So I wrote.
Eventually, the most accurate description was provided by a dear friend and faithful reader. He said simply, you write about what’s important to you. Exactly. While that may seem vague, it is appropriately capacious.
Thought Works posts have been inspired by everything from lackluster leadership to little green men. The common thread throughout all of them is the significance of connection in everything we do.
Topics are woven by exploring personal choice in two directions, the power of going inward and the importance of reaching out.
What’s my point in explaining this? Because knowing our why is incredibly important. Not only so we can answer questions about the work we do (yes, everyone needs an elevator speech), but so, in the face of daunting obstacles, we can remind ourselves of why we must stay the course.
If our motivation comes from anything other than a place of personal, conscious passion, when the going gets tough, we are apt to founder. We will doubt, lose focus, and deprioritize our efforts.
This truth is as relevant for the people we lead, mentor, and parent as it is to ourselves. For that reason, it is more valuable to teach others how to look inside and ask questions than it is to tell them what to do. Even if telling them what to do is the reason they sought our counsel in the first place.
While it may not always feel like we have the luxury of directly aligning our energy with our passion, we are the writers of our life stories.
Choose your words.
