What does a manager do? How does one motivate employees? When does a supervisor make the leap into leadership. These eight steps are hallmarks of leaders:
Everything we do is a matter of finite resources. Some things may be abundant, and others may be scarce – but nothing is infinite.
To allow room into our lives for new possibilities, we must be willing to make room for them. That means not overextending our time, not collecting more than we need, and not encumbering ourselves merely to fill a void.
Driving from a to b one day, I was thinking about the radio. I’ve had satellite radio for about a year, mostly to listen to Symphony Hall, Metropolitan Opera, and Broadway, but it isn’t a necessity. Early on, there was just wireless telegraphy. Over a century of radio broadcasting, with the first 60 years shaping the nature of music and entertainment.
Then it started to change. The take-home market, bootlegs, and audio recording devices for personal use. Not a phonograph, but cassette. As the size of data decreased, the ease of consumption increased. Now, thousands of songs are instantly available from the phone you’re carrying, likely hooked up to your Bluetooth in the car. Not thousands. Not millions. Every song ever recorded is virtually accessible in some way through most mobile devices. Not needing to carry cassettes, or cds, your tastes can expand, but your curatorial sense may be reduced.
We rarely listen to complete albums any more, so maybe we miss gems from our favorite artists. But we’re constantly exposed to new artists, ones we may have missed otherwise. As in all other arenas of modernity, it’s a trade-off we’re still learning to come to terms with.
Today we pause and think on those who came before. Those who gave their all to make a difference.
Sometimes I wonder if the mentality has changed, and what do memorials mean to people. A few years ago I was touring Auschwitz, and the cold bleakness of the grounds stands as memorial to those who lost their lives there. I remember thinking how unimpressive it looked, and yet it stays with me. In its unassuming way, it burrowed into my mind and makes me think about the decisions I make.
I believe that is the missing element of memorial – that we don’t let what it means change us. We nod, give thanks, and say a well-wish one day of the year, but the other days we go about unchanged. Memorials stand for something bigger than itself, as Memorial Day stands for something bigger. To let it change you should be the intention for the day, and to maintain that change throughout the year.
Last week was a hard one. It never seemed to coalesce into something resembling free time. It was two days of training, followed by three 11-hour workdays. After a weekend that was filled with more work, volunteering, and an awards banquet, I didn’t have a chance to work on much actual work – the creative stuff.
I’m looking at my spreadsheet, and realizing that I need to be better. But, we all have that week sometimes, when nothing seems to go the way it’s planned. So pick it up, brush it off, and start over. Now is better than later.
Some of the things that caught my interest this week.
I’m watching the days on the calendar just push ahead, much more quickly than I would have liked. Already we’re nearly into June, which will have me off on an Alaskan adventure, followed by more work for the foreseeable future.
I believe that we oftentimes focus so heavily on the day-to-day that we neglect the future. I have a sticky note (lost in repeated shuffles, so it’s time for a new one) which reads, “Will this get me closer to my mountain?”
The concept came from Neil Gaiman’s Make Good Art speech, and it’s a sort of guiding light in my harried, busy lifestyle.
We live for all intents and purposes in a world where barriers have very nearly disappeared (the digital age), while at the same time many of us feel more need to keep doors locked or build walls for “safety”.
How can these two disparate realities exist at the same time? What does it say about us that the more information we have access to, the less safe we feel?
Statistically we are living in the safest time ever on this planet. And still, many of us constantly live in fear.
I challenge you to be fearless. Don’t let doubts and fears hold you back from being your true self. Be fearless.
Some of the things that caught my interest this week.
I started intermittent fasting a few weeks ago, on a trial basis for health and energy purposes. I noticed something, more of a byproduct than an intentional effect:
Meditation becomes easier in a fast.
We’re accosted by thoughts arising from Monkey Brain (or lizard brain, or whatever you’d like to call it). It tells is to eat, procreate, find shelter, drink fluids. It also sends the irrational fear signals. And the criticisms. It’s insidious, and it’s always going.
Now, with a lack of food it tends to focus more on hunger. I become used to thoughts of “is it time to eat yet?” I can learn to tune those out easier, and it’s mostly sending me those thoughts. I’m then able to filter past them and listen to more higher-level thoughts.
It’s been an interesting endeavor, and I’m enjoying the increased concentration from the intermittent fasting.
Michael's Musings 