EDIT: Explore – Define – Iterate – Transform/Transfer/Transition/Translate/Thrive EDIT is a formula you can use to put learning at the center of life and work, enabling you to convert change (変化) into transformation (変革) by writing stories of agency, purpose, growth, connection, contribution and meaning. Andrea Konuma and I came up with the Community Action […]
DEI is about affinities as well as diversity
The rise and fall of DEI initiatives in recent years can be attributed at least partially to the challenge of finding the right balance between treating people as members of groups versus treating them as unique individuals. In the 1990s and 2000s I did a lot of work with corporations in Japan to reduce misunderstandings, […]
Doing the right thing doesn’t have to be a sacrifice
“If the future of our planet depends on a few people willing to make personal sacrifices, we’re not going to make it.” – behavioral scientist Jiaying Zhao Longer version of quote: “When most people think about climate action, they immediately default to things they have to give up for the planet. This mindset is so […]
WOOP is no magic bullet, but it can help you realize the small wishes that might get you closer to achieving your moonshot dreams
Gabriele Oettingen’s WOOP (Wish – Outcome – Obstacle – Plan) is a model you can use to increase the likelihood that you will take the actions required to realize your wishes. Just be careful not to wish for too much too quickly or easily;) The whole point of WOOP is that realizing a wish takes […]
Shifting your internal voices from chaos to chorus
Being clear, effective and influential with others starts with internal clarity and equanimity. Rather than ignoring internal ambivalence, it can be useful to lend an ear to those dissenting inner voices. A recent Life Kit podcast (link at the bottom of this post) explored IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy, an intervention in which a therapist […]
Leaning into a life of possibilities requires a combination of mindset, skill and process
“Thinking in terms of possibilities sounds simple but it is in fact a complex skill. Possibility thinking requires both imagining what is not there and creating paths to it, so that it can become a reality.” – Constance de Saint Laurent (lecturer in psychology at Maynooth University) and Vlad Glăveanuis (professor of psychology at Dublin City University) in article […]
The brain is a prediction engine
“The brain is first and foremost a prediction engine. It’s an anticipatory engine. It’s using what it knows about the world, and it’s seeking out to understand the world for itself…what it expects to be happening next.” – Mark Miller, philosopher of cognition and host of the Contemplative Science Podcast — Your brain uses the […]
Uncertainty can be a dilemma and a blessing, but mostly it’s just a fact of life
“In improv, we call it accept and build. So you accept your scene partner’s offer and you build upon it. And the worst thing of all to do is say no, but because no, but doesn’t get you anywhere.” – Dannagal Goldthwaite Young, University of Delaware psychologist — No matter how carefully we control and […]
“The words from my teammates are the ones I have appreciated most.”
「チームメートからの言葉は一番ありがたい」前田健太, MLB pitcher “The words from my teammates are the ones I have appreciated most.” – Maeda Kenta, MLB pitcher Maeda made this comment yesterday during the broadcast of game 4 of the National League Championship Series between the Dodgers and the Mets. Maeda was reflecting on how valuable the support he got from his […]
The Evolving Purpose of Work
‘The sanctity and preeminence of work lie at the heart of the country’s politics, economics, and social interactions. What might happen if work goes away?’ – Derek Thompson in The Atlantic — Work wakes up our AGENCY, cuing the articulation of PURPOSE(S) that enable us to GROW, CONNECT and CONTRIBUTE to something that feels MEANINGFUL. […]