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Get Uncomfortable
Ever try writing with your non-dominant hand? It’s very awkward. You become aware of every movement, each dip and swoop. Something as second nature as writing suddenly demands your complete attention and forces you to reconsider micro decisions you had not given a thought to since the second grade. Human beings are very adaptable, and our brains are wired to seek efficiency. Once a decision has been made, it will not be reconsidered unless there is significant new information to process. All of this is a good thing. If we had to put as much thought into which way the bunny ears are supposed to be looped while tying our shoes as we do other more complex concerns, we…
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Think Big. Aim Small.
Aiming small may seem counterintuitive in a world of Play-Off games, New York Times Best Seller lists, and Zagat’s reviews. Our society continually seeks to identify the best of the best. In fact the web is full of listicles gone viral — 10 Quick Ways to Simplify Your Life, 7 Most Annoying Habits of Air Travelers, 21 Funniest Cat Videos — which serve to underscore that what you do isn’t valuable unless it is acknowledged by a million likes. But there’s a cheat in that tenet; it’s impossible to connect meaningfully with millions. I can’t look into the eyes of a million people and see them deeply. I can’t have the divinity of my nature recognize the divinity of theirs. It’s not possible. I am…
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Three Words
Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. This quote, or one similar to it, has been attributed to several sources including Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi. Regardless of its origin, its verity is without question. Another way to think of it is “what we focus on…grows”. Or, most succinctly “as you think, so you become”. Earlier this year, I was listening to a favorite podcast, the One You Feed. It is named for the parable of the two wolves at battle within each of us.…
