20 ways to practice gratitude
You’ve heard about the benefits of practicing gratitude. Your friends are doing it. The celebs are all over it. But what precisely does practicing gratitude look like? How could it be easy and fun? How to easily cultivate more gratitude (20 ideas) Before eating dinner with my family, take turns sharing aloud what we’re grateful […]
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The surprising question that will help you reach your goals quickly
Early in my career, when I was programming a T-38 flight simulator for student pilot training or testing software that automatically captured data from insurance applications, I felt constrained. I felt like I was wasting time when there were more important things I could be discussing, from the company’s elephant in the room to racial […]
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The first item on Martha Beck’s Joy Diet
In the book The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life, author Martha Beck prescribes ten habits to maximize your joy and fulfillment. One step at a time These habits or “menu items” build on each other. In other words, you’re meant to start with the first, make it a habit, then move […]
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A subtle life-giving shift (Thanks, Simon Cowell!)
I’ve felt unsettled about my media consumption lately. Whether it’s social media, news, email, or TV, we take in A LOT of digital media. Whether it’s social media, news, email, or TV, we take in A LOT of digital media. Let’s take just one of these: Internet TV. Sometimes I intentionally escape from the world […]
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How to achieve emotional wellness
Ah, yes, the why-are-you-pointing-that-camera-at-me grimace… 😆 Could this also be the face of emotional wellness? ✋I feel like I need to make a confession: I’m a life coach, and I’m not always happy. Let me back up. I spent 12 years in the software industry (Software Engineer -> Head of Product) before becoming a Martha […]
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Do you need a life coach? (Or can you DIY?)
Can’t I just read a book, take a class, or (insert other quick fix here)? I wondered this before I hired my first business coach, and I STILL think it often. I’m a learner, a doer, a DIY-er (as evidenced by the vision board, self-help book shelf, wall calendar goal tracker shown above.) Can’t I […]
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I’m not a racist.
I am not a racist. Well, that’s what I thought, anyway. In How to Be an Antiracist, author and historian Ibram X. Kendi writes… “There is no neutrality in the racism struggle. The opposite of ‘racist’ isn’t ‘not racist.’ It is ‘antiracist.’ What’s the difference?… One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, […]
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Strange jewels: the story that helps me prioritize fun
Okay, how great is this quote? “The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels—that’s creative living.” Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic You might have an aversion to the word play. Hell, I do myself sometimes. We want to […]
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And I danced
Sometimes I use the Pomodoro Technique. I set my phone timer for twenty-five minutes, focus on a task, then take a short break before focusing for another twenty-five. The other day, my break time hit. I touched the screen to stop the noise. Then, before I could plan how to spend those delightful five minutes, […]
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More than usual
It’s late Friday morning. I’m leaning against the tall arm of our couch, laptop open on outstretched legs, and I’m staring at the screen. A couple weeks back I read on LinkedIn, “You’re not working from home. You’re at home, during a crisis, trying to work.” Crisis. Is that what this is? It all feels […]
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