I’m having a hard time tackling my writing this week. Ever since I got home from vacation, I keep moving it from one day’s to-do list to the next. It’s not that I haven’t been productive. On the contrary, I have accomplished a lot. I have packed up about 90% of my house, completed a number of required change-of-address tasks, closed out two lingering projects, met with three clients, and more. But what I haven’t Read more…
June is often full of transitions and this year I’m feeling it more than usual. Rather than being distracted by the chaos, I am trying to embrace these pivotal moments and see what there is to learn. Last week I was at what could have been my last baseball game as a parent. For the last 14 years I have enjoyed (at times in the early years more like endured ) cheering on both of Read more…
Fifty-two years ago yesterday, my parents put pen to paper on a decision that would be a topic of conversation for the rest of my life. My parents named me Susan Beth, with every intention of calling me Beth from day one. So for the first 29 years of my life I was Susan Beth Wolfmeyer. I blissfully ignored any related confusion in my early years – I assume my parents just registered me as Read more…
I spent last week catching up on my newsletter backlog again. (I really need to find a better system for regular consumption. Maybe once this move is complete…) Luvvie Ajayi James sends her Luvv Letter weekly. Each issue has a Rant, a Reflection, and a Recommendation. I have to admit, her snark speaks to my soul. She has a real talent for saying the things people need to hear – even when they are hard Read more…
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, has a newsletter called “3-2-1.” It is, unsurprisingly, full of tiny “atomic” nuggets of wisdom. Here’s the format: three ideas from Clear, two quotes from others, and one question for the reader. No elaboration or commentary on the items in the list, just truly small pieces of content to get your mind thinking. At least that’s what it does for me. One of the “three ideas” a few weeks Read more…
I subscribe to a lot of newsletters and my inbox shows it. Knowing the effort it takes to put each and every newsletter together, I like to make sure that if I am subscribed, it’s something I give the time it deserves. If I don’t have the time to read on the day it arrives in my inbox, I leave it unread and then I spend some down time catching up. In one of my Read more…
Why didn’t you tell me you were going to be out on Wednesday? How did this happen? I had no idea this was a risk when we got started. What are we even doing here? What do we care about at this organization? Any of these sound familiar? How about the “at home” versions? I have always had an aversion to repeating myself – it feels redundant and somewhat offensive to both the receiver of Read more…
One of my favorite movies of all time is Forgetting Sarah Marshall. My husband and I have watched it countless times. There are so many good lines that make their way into our daily conversation. Here’s a scene I think of often: The less you do, the more you do.Less.Do less.Well, not nothing. You have to do something. Silly scene; great message. Let me share a story I read recently on LinkedIn. When Covid hit, Read more…
Some people fear spiders. Some have a fear of heights. Bridges, closed spaces, the number 13. My biggest fear? A blank page. When I was little I had a recurring dream that filled me with a massive sense of overwhelm. All I can remember was that I had to color a massive picture that was so big I could never have completed it. It was huge, and empty, and I was starting in the corner. Read more…
Last December, I got a panicked LinkedIn message from K. “I just got laid off and your brother said I should contact you.” My brother has a tendency to suggest that I can help with things I can’t really help with 😂 … but luckily this was not one of those times! I offered to meet and talk things over and K took my first available slot. The panic was palpable. I really felt for Read more…