I recently finished reading the mystery novel Still Life by Louise Penny. In one scene, Agent Yvette Nichol is examining the home of a recent murder victim. While searching the bathroom, she spots a sticker taped to the bathroom mirror. It says, “You’re looking at the problem.” She takes the message literally and turns around…
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“Let no one keep you from your journey, no rabbi or priest, no mother who wants you to dig for treasures she misplaced, no father who won’t let one life be enough, no lover who measures their worth by what you might give up, no voice that tells you in the night it can’t be…
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Thornton Wilder, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and novelist, remarked that “Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow.” The other thing about manure is that it stinks when left in a big pile. But if you spread it around, the smell eventually fades away. If you’ve…
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When we are feeling harried or like we’re falling behind, our typical response is to try and move faster, to accelerate. And sometimes this can work. But more often, in our rush to catch up, we get sloppy. We miss critical details and overlook the obvious. At a previous job, I worked with a guy who…
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Most people are bad at asking for what they want. Instead of just saying what it is they really want, they beat around the bush. They hem and haw or skirt the issue. Perhaps they are afraid appearing demanding, or are desperate to avoid potential conflict. Whatever the reason, the end result is they don’t…
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