Category: creativity

I went to the Nats game on Saturday night and when I heard that national anthem just before the game started, I got a little shiver. I know we have enormous, disgusting, hideous problems in this country. There are still too many people struggling and falling through the cracks in our economy and in our society. There is too much hate, too much intolerance, and too much violence. And still, I believe in this country because I know we can and will do better.

I got to Nats Stadium by taking a very long walk from my apartment right through the center of Capitol Hill. Every time I see that beautiful dome and the lawn that expands down the Washington Monument, I can’t help but fall in love with this city and this country again. America, you’ve come a long way in your 240 year history, and you’ve got a long way to go. Today, I celebrate your journey and promise to do my part to help you become all that you are capable of being for everyone who calls you home.

“I have a blog post in mind for Leadfully that I think you’d be perfect to write. It would be a first-person piece sharing a time that you needed to boost a team’s optimism or creativity.”

This was a message from my friend, Amanda, a few weeks ago. And she was right. I have a very good story to showcase this. I’m very excited to say that this story, a reflection on the dark days of the recession in 2008 when I had just joined a financial services company, is now live on the Leadfully site. Would love your feedback, comments, and questions. And please feel free to share far and wide to anyone whom you think would benefit from it.

Check out “Using Optimism to Face an Impossible Assignment”.

Yesterday was a tough day. I got home and just felt wiped. You know that feeling, the one that says you can’t take even one more little thing. I just felt sad, and tired, and tapped out.

To get myself in a better frame of mind, I took a shower to wash off the day and then took Phin for a walk. I bumped into a few of my neighbors outside and had a nice conversation. We didn’t talk about anything life-changing – just our dogs and the humid weather. And then something shifted. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it was. All of a sudden, I felt at home.

To be honest, I’ve been mourning a few things – the change in neighborhood, the fact that my condo deal fell through and I’m still renting, Phin’s difficulties adjusting with separation anxiety again. We also lost a dear family friend this weekend. She lived a long, happy, beautiful life, and still, I wish it wasn’t her time. I have a lot of friends who are struggling right now with so many things in their lives, and all I can do for them is listen and love them. And this is just what’s happening in my tiny world to say nothing of what’s happening to the world at-large.

It seems that a lot of people are grieving. In times of grief and change, I tend to cocoon myself. Maybe it’s a protective reflex. Maybe it’s because I need some quiet time to figure out how I think and feel about something. What I do know is that if I can stay open to possibility, to new insights and ideas, to the beauty that can come from change if only I can give myself time to adjust, then eventually things click. What seemed like a burden becomes a gift. What seemed like work becomes play. What was foreign becomes familiar. Openness paves the way for transformation if we can allow it the space to do its work.