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Showing posts from January, 2024

Finding Peace in Chaos - Making Responsibilities Get Along

This article is part of a series on finding peace in everyday chaos. It may be better to start from the beginning . The conversation was not what I had expected. A routine one-on-one with a team member erupted into a torrent of tears. The last few weeks of their personal life had been a barrage of bad news. Once they started talking, there was no stopping until it was all out. It wasn’t weird. There were no awkward pauses or embarrassed apologies. We just talked. Another time, I sat in adoration and struggled to concentrate. I was frustrated that finding time to write was so difficult. That my precious time in adoration was stolen by petty thoughts about a hobby bugged me even more. Writing was a small part of my life. Why was it consuming me? These very different stories show the strange relationships between our vocations, occupations, and hobbies. We want them to cooperate—or at least coexist—but their natural tendency is to compete. Time spent on my responsibilities as a husband, f...

Finding Peace in Chaos - Plotting a Course

This article is part of a series on finding peace in everyday chaos. It may be better to start from the beginning . Beware believing that riding the wave is the greatest achievement in pursuing peace in everyday chaos! I’ve been painfully reminded over and over that the same skills that help me navigate daily life can hold me back from finding peace. Those of us with a passive temperament easily embrace the lifestyle of letting life happen to us. We’re content adapting to our circumstances. We pride ourselves on being flexible, docile, and open to whatever life throws at us. Isn’t this simple humility a good thing? I’ve often thought so, only to be rudely disappointed. Letting life happen to me has caused trouble in several ways that can be rolled up into: Stunted growth Looming dread Stunted Growth The hard work of my team was being recognized. After more than a year of leading several direct reports who worked in four unique disciplines, we had grown our business intelligence soluti...