Whenever one of my weekly emails doesn’t get delivered to its recipient, I get a message and its either a “soft” bounce or a “hard” one. A hard one means the incoming server has rejected my email for good and the email addressed gets automatically removed from my recipients list. In layman’s terms this means […]
(From the The New Yorker) In 2005, David Foster Wallace addressed the graduating class at Kenyon College with a speech that is now one of his most read pieces. In it, he argues, gorgeously, against “unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.” He begins with a parable: […]
Always loved that quote. In my old financial world, it was used for fund managers who invested a significant portion of their own money in the fund to underline their commitment and responsibility. With these actions they moved themselves out of the usual comfort zone. Screw ups, hurt, but with failure comes quicker learning. Too […]
(Thanks) Giving In the Pacific North West, in archaic societies, there had been a long tradition of first giving, receiving and reciprocating. In fact, some tribe leaders established their power by giving everything away. Their gifts were seen as symbols of that power. If they hoarded, their power would diminish. (see Marcel Mauss, “The Gift” […]
Fable of Aesop A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said: “You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?” So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their […]
About “Overthinking” When was the last time you went from thought to thought, and before you realised it a few hours past and you ended up thinking your life is dreadful? For me two forms of overthinking exist. First, thinking through and evaluating important, life changing decision (sometimes even simple ones) to a point the thinking […]
What would James Bond do? In my last boss office was a framed card with red letters on a white ground asking: WHAT WOULD JAMES BOND DO? In most monthly leadership team meetings I sat facing the framed card and often when we were discussing some issues, I thought to myself, what would HE do, […]
Serenity Prayer God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. (Reinhold Niebuhr) You probably all know this prayer as its printed on cards, towels, cups, pictures etc., and yet we often struggle already with the first line, “to […]
50 Reichsmark for a life My Dad is decluttering his house as he is moving to a new place and when I last visited him he handed me a small suitcase. “This is from your grandmother; your mother took it when she passed away, but we never looked into it. It is the suitcase they […]
Iris Apfel (97 years) “In my next life, Michael”, “I am too old for this” or “not at the age of x.” When my clients come up with stories like this we always try to find out where the limiting belief is coming from. As its nothing like a limiting belief. Ok, in relation to a […]