At each transition,
we may crave the answer
to 3 questions.
Where do I want
to go?
Who do I want
to be
or become
in that journey?
What makes the where
and the who
worth the struggle
for me,
personally?
Tag: Leadership
Judgments & Misunderstandings
Sometimes
we see men
calling women
“emotional,”
when it may be more accurate
to call them
emotionally aware
or emotionally
open.
Sometimes
we see women
accuse men
of “suffering less,”
when it may be more accurate
to accuse them
of numbing themselves
or pretending
to be fine.
Two Birds with One Stone
Sometimes
we complain that our advice falls
on deaf ears.
If so
it may be worth discerning
the kind of problem
to which we’re giving
advice.
One type of problem
is a dilemma.
A dilemma arises
when we want to catch two birds
with one stone.
If our advice to someone with a dilemma
is to kill
just one bird.
The likelihood
of that advice falling on deaf ears
is high.
Decision Maker
The decision
can only be made
by the decision
maker.
No matter how much we dislike
the decision made,
the responsibility of decision making
lies solely
with the decision
maker.
In much the same way,
the decision we make
in response to other’s decisions
is our responsibility.
Contribution
Just as
an olympic athlete
is not an altruist
for contributing a gold medal
for the country they represent.
We need not be altruistic
to make significant contributions
to others
or the world at large.
To Those Who Carry the Burden
To those
who carry the burden.
The small business CEOs,
responsible for paying their employees’
salaries.
The parents,
responsible for their children’s
well-being.
The operating room doctors,
responsible for their patients’
lives.
To all those
who have experienced the weight
of responsibility on their shoulders.
You may be feeling the pressure
to meet expectations.
You may be blaming yourself
day after day
for failing to meet
expectations.
But may you never lose
the certainty
and confidence in yourself.
May you never doubt
your self-worth
or whether you’re working hard enough.
Because your life
is worthy of respect
exactly as they are.
While others may see you
challenged,
I see greatness.
Just
as the great mountains and valleys
are mere residues
of nature
under pressure and weight.
Great lives
are mere residues
of our will to sustain life
under pressure and weight.
p.s: This was inspired by my wife’s work and her comparison of nature’s work under pressure and weight and an artist’s work under pressure and weight.
p.p.s: I also made a video version of this narrated by AI.
Burden from Others vs Self-Judgment
Sometimes
we think the reason why
we feel anxiety
is because of the burden we feel
to keep our promise
to our investors.
But upon realizing empathy,
with ourselves
or our investors,
we may realize
that it may actually be
because we judge ourselves
as less capable
of carrying the burden
than others.
Change
For our behaviors to change,
our emotions
may have to change
first.
For our emotions to change,
our thoughts
may have to change
first.
For our thoughts to change
our focus
may have to change
first.
For our focus to change
our perspective
may have to change
first.
Weight
When doing something
big.
To think that
we
can carry the weight
alone
is a misunderstanding.
To think that
anyone
can or will carry the weight
with us
is also a misunderstanding.
It may be that
finding people
who can and will carry the weight
with us
and learning to share that weight
with them
is a major part of the work
itself.
In our third episode of the season, we host Tim Weber, Founder and CEO of The Artists Uncut.
Tim wants to create a corporate environment, where people feel rewarded on a daily basis, not overwhelmed thinking about the big picture. He is worried that his inability to balance the big picture thinking with the celebration of the every day is preventing him from creating such an environment. In this episode, we explore Tim’s inquiry into this very balancing of the long-term vs the short-term.