Where I live, which is not a particularly traditional place, we are driving ourselves into a season of traditions. We have forgotten the time we took to relax over the summer. We have plunged into the traditions of back to school and football season. Many stores are already trying to sell us our own holiday traditions. We look ahead to the most tradition-laden months of the year, jammed with extra activities. Why are we so focused on our traditions? We feel anxiety or... Read more
We blanket our lives with routines and habits, wrapping them in expectations and assumptions. They protect us from what we fear, what intimidates us, what causes our anxieties. When we are afraid we will fail, afraid we might succeed, we anesthetize ourselves. When we are afraid we will always be alone, or we may never have a moment’s peace, we close our eyes. We turn over, pull our blankets back over our heads, and go back to sleep. It is important to get the rest... Read more
Many of us hope for smooth sailing with a nice breeze at our backs, pushing us gently along. We would like our flight to be calm, free from bumpy turbulence. We trust the boat and the plane, the sail and the pilot, when we have a nice, easy trip. There are, though, leaders who come into their own when the skies darken. There is something about stormy weather that brings out the best in them. It can be challenging enough to lead with clear... Read more
There are people who think spiritual life is about being passionately engaged. The more strongly they are committed to an idea or perspective, the healthier they see themselves. I know other people who believe it is essential to spiritual life to act in specific ways. They are convinced practicing certain disciplines or taking particular actions show our health. Other people are convinced spiritual health depends on how we feel. They are confident healthy spiritual life is about feeling connected, or feeling at peace.... Read more
It can be easy for us to take work for granted. We see work as a necessary evil. We go to work so we can make money and buy things. Work is a step on the path toward what we want. If we can change jobs and get more money for doing the same work, or less, we can buy more. Work is how some people keep score. They measure their own progress by the titles of their jobs, the people with whom they... Read more
Leadership is challenging. It takes hard work, creativity, persistence, and insightful wisdom to become a strong leader. We work for years, committing our best efforts to find our own leadership. It is as if our own personal leadership is on the top shelf, in the back, just beyond what we can see. We can almost reach it, but not quite. We try, but it feels like our fingertips just push it a little further away. Some people never quite reach the leadership that flows from... Read more
There are people who think spiritual life is about holding on as tight as possible. Some people believe we need to hold onto truth as strongly as we can. For them, truth is elusive and likely to escape if we do not contain or control it. They need to know clearly and concretely which truths are theirs and which truths are not. It is important to them to understand what is right and what is not. Some people find a specific... Read more
Leadership is knowing yourself well enough to bring out the best in other people. Leaders do the work it takes to be honest with themselves. They share their true selves with the people around them. They guide and inspire other people to become the people they have the potential to be. Leaders do not create opportunities for people by always saying Yes. It may be easier to affirm anything anyone says. We may feel more positive, warmer inside, when we say... Read more
Each of us wishes we could do more. We see images of natural disasters or social challenges and wish we could do more to help. People we love are in need or in pain and we wish we could do more for them. There are so many needs and so many potential ways we could help we can become overwhelmed. It is easy for us to get tired, frustrated, and decide not to do anything. It is easy for us... Read more
Our flight takes off from Heathrow and heads west into the setting sun. The time of day and the speed of our plane make our journey a long, continuing trip into the sunset. We fly over England, then Ireland, then Greenland and the Atlantic. Eventually we find North America, flying over Canada and the western United States. Hudson’s Bay is only an hour or so away from the Rocky Mountains. From midnight in London to the next midnight in California, our... Read more
Strategic Monk
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