The industry of productivity has been around since civilization began. However, most of the tactics we see in corporations and are taught to bring about the most yield for our work, were actually developed and perfected during the slave trade in 1619. Matthew Desmond paints a picture of the cotton industry and the enslaved workers during this time in episode 2 of the New York Times 1619 podcast. The way cotton fa[...]
The content that comes into my world needs to be intentional. It's why November has become my spring cleaning of my social media and inbox, because the sales messages are overwhelming and almost always lacking true value. When it comes to a Newsletter, sure I want to know what's happening with a brand, but when it's all about the hard sell, I'd rather opt out. I'm more interested in stories, resources, and ways to g[...]
I’ve lived with the fear of not being good enough for as long as I can remember. Don’t worry, I’ve been to therapy for this. It’s probably why rejection has always felt like the end of the world. To be honest, in the moment of being rejected isn’t really not that terrible, a little disappointing, some gut wrenching sensations and then I’m over it and on to the next thing. It’s the moments of fear[...]
Je parle un peu français. (I speak a little French). I’m learning to speak French. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since middle school. In fact, in middle school and high school I took French, but only a year of it was required in both grades, needless to say, I don’t know very much. Its a beautiful and scary place to be at, not knowing very much. As children, we took this on with confidence.[...]
I’m only as good as the last book I’ve read. This is a saying thrown around a lot in my family. We’re readers. So after any book we’ve read we have a lot of ideas to share and advice to give. They say that the best learning is done when you teach, so we take what we’ve read and put it into action. Hence, I’m only as good as the last book I’ve read. You could take this further and say that I’[...]
We all reach our breaking point sooner or later, and with today’s hustle culture, I think we’re all closer than we think. I for one didn’t see it coming when the tiredness came on at a level I had never experienced. The adult acne consumed my face. And everything that I used to love slowly didn’t matter. My life was about making it through the day, hitting the couch and tuning out to something on Netflix. An[...]
It’s interesting how the season of slow has become the “busiest time of the year.” From visiting with friends and family to getting organized for the year end in our businesses and our life. December went from being the month of restoration after a full harvest to being one more month filled with work, to-do lists, and the pressure to have it all together. Now that the holidays are done and we’re fully in[...]
Cards connect us. I have a folder of cards given to me from friends, family, coworkers, even strangers, from over the years and I love rediscovering that folder when I clean out my filing cabinet every so often. The most special cards are the ones written and signed by loved ones that have passed. Just seeing their handwriting again brings back so much of who they are. There is something magical about finding[...]
Christmas is less than a week away and the year is almost over. Now more than ever I feel the need to get intentional as I dream up and plan out the next year. At the end of every year, I have a ritual of answering the same 25 questions on the same Google Doc so that I can see how I’ve grown and how things have changed over the years. I started this in 2016 which means I have a pretty good line up of answers th[...]
It was Halloween when we walked through my brother’s neighborhood as the light slowly faded and the stars began to appear. On almost every house were permanently added LED lights that could change colors for any season or event making the whole street a festive place for any holiday. As soon as I heard about these lights I didn’t like them. I hated the idea of them. But it took me a while to realize just why[...]