It’s time to shift focus from internal—we’ve done lengthy internal examination—to external. Herminia Ibarra, in Working Identity, presents nine principles for reinventing a career. Number six is, “Don’t just focus on the work. Find people who are what you want …
Twice in my career, when I felt lost, a mentor asked me to reflect on my work history and remember times when I was in the flow, in the zone, rocking it. Both of those women asked me to take …
My friend Audrey in high school knew from our sophomore year that when she went to college, she wanted to study math. Like her father, a Bell Labs engineer, she had always loved math. When she got to college in …
We tend to take our strengths for granted. If something comes easily to us, we tend to think it comes easily to everyone, and if it comes easily to everyone, then it isn’t all that valuable. But it doesn’t come …
I’ve felt as if I’ve been vacillating between writing about finding our True Selves and navigating the pandemic of the coronavirus. But I’ve changed my mind. Instead of seeing these as two separate things, I now see them as related. …
Last Sunday something scary happened to me that hasn’t happened in a long time—I had the blue thought: “What’s the point of my life? Maybe I should just leave.” It’s a familiar thought from when I was a teenager, when …
This week’s exercise on finding our True Selves will be fun, which is a good thing because in this coronavirus environment we’re past the intense preparation stage of laying in supplies (sanitizer and toilet paper and rice and beans) and …
When I saw the beautiful facemasks Lori had made for nurses in her community, my first thought was, “That’s what I’ll do! I’ll make masks!” Never mind that the last time I sewed was five years ago. Never mind that …
My house in Morton Grove, Illinois was built in 1954. It was a one-story ranch and I bought it from the estate of the original owners. The yellow kitchen was walled off from the living and dining rooms. I planned …
This virus is changing us. We start our conversations with, “How are you?” and we mean it. We start our emails with, “I hope you are well,” and we mean it. We are being reminded of what matters and what …