Ghostbusters

“Many are asking what it’ll take for people in power to wake up. But let’s be clear – they’re already awake. They know exactly what they’re doing. They know exactly what priceless values they’re sacrificing to maintain business as usual.”

Greta Thunberg at COP26

Song: Sun and Shine by HIRIE

Article: New Problems, old problems by Seth Godin

Thought: Ghostbusters is almost 40 years old and still an amazing movie, why? It’s creative. It’s original. It’s fun. The characters are memorable and the story feels familiar: A hero with a problem (Dr. Venkman and Co. aren’t respected), meets a guide (Dana) with a plan (take care of the ghost in my house and city), defeat the villain (Zuul and other ghosts) and transform yourself for the better (Heroes of NYC). Most of the dialogue was unscripted (e.g., don’t cross the streams) because of the quality of the artists. It’s a movie with masterclass in acting, comedy and storytelling. It works 40 years later because it hadn’t been tried before. What risk am I taking in my work that isn’t just a carbon copy of the last thing made?

Zoom Out

“When you feel scared, hold someone’s hand and look into their eyes. And when you feel brave, do the same. You are all here because you are smart. And you are brave. And if you add kindness and the ability to change a tire, you almost make up the perfect person.”

Amy Poehler

Song: Lightshow by Plants and Animals

Article: Every Leader Needs to Navigate These 7 Tensions by Jennifer Jordan, Michael Wade and Elizabeth Teracino

Thought: I pasted a photo into a document the other day and it was obscenely large. I was forced to confront every detail. My gray hairs, blemished skin, something in my teeth and poorly maintained eyebrows. Up close it all looks a little worse than the whole picture. Same goes for depression and anxiety. Same goes for grief. Being too zoomed in shows everything without context of how far I’ve come. When I zoom out it doesn’t look nearly as bad; it takes effort to zoom out rather than remained fixated on the blown up view. Progress, not perfect.

Bonus Thought: The Way We Work by Liz Fosslien

This ones for you Aimee 🙂

Crumbs

“A small act is worth a million thoughts.”

Ai Weiwei

Song: Halloween by Walker Hayes

Article: To create better, shut down your mind by Ozan Varol

Thought: Leaving a trail of crumbs allows someone to follow you. It’s a generous act leading someone to place they hopefully want to go. Connected pieces of evidence leading to or from the source. However, giving someone your crumbs means something entirely different. You can feel the difference between these types of crumbs. One leads the other manipulates. I might think I’m giving a trail when I’m just tossing crumbs. The only way to know the difference is to ask – Is this a trail to somewhere or just the leftover pieces spread around?

Choices

Every choice is a chance…It is our choices that show who we really are far more than our abilities.

Ted Lasso

Song: Another Day in Paradise by Quinn XCII

Article: How does a comedy outsider make sense of Norm Macdonald? by Malcolm Gladwell

Thought: No spoilers here but I just finished the second season of Ted Lasso and the final episode hit me hard. Ted asks a question of Nate – “What do I have to learn here?” and I was stunned. I had to pause and take a breath. Ted had every reason to be angry and rain fire. But he made a different choice; Ted chose curiosity. Jon Acuff says “curiosity beats criticism.” I’ve yet to find a moment where that was not 100% accurate. Perhaps today I show up with just one question – what do I have to learn here?

Expectations vs Hope

“The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed”

Adam Grant

Song: Labour Like I Do by Doe

Article: The Surprising Power of Rituals

Thought: I had a recent session with my therapist where we talked about expectations. She said something very powerful to me. “Expectations end in a period – there’s no room for anything else. Either it happens or doesn’t. Very black and white. Hope, however, ends with comma but. Hope becomes an on-going effort to seek the journey. Hope leaves the question open and the connection genuine to what may be.” Expectation kills, hope breathes life. I want to seek relationships and moments of hope versus ones with closed endings. Less periods, more comma buts.

Feedback

“Sometimes we have to do hard things because they are true things”

Glennon Doyle

Song: Sandpaper by Taska Black

Article: Appropriate Risk – Seth Godin

Thought: Do you want compliments or feedback? (credit: Jon Acuff) Was asked to review a report. Modern technology allows multiple authors in a document to view comments and changes live. Halfway through the document I was asked to only provide “high level” comments. Guess they didn’t really want to know my thoughts. Better to make those intentions clear from the start. Hope the audience knows to only provide compliments as well.

Who’s it for?

“Shamelessness is a wonderful part of character .”

Stephen Colbert

Welcome to my blog. This blog is going to be my thoughts, opinions and ideas mainly focused on the water sector and its related content. I will share topics from the Water Environment Foundation, books I am reading, podcasts I hear, articles created by others and much more. I want to use this platform to share with my water community about what’s on my mind and sector happenings. This blog is for anyone who wants more from their career than just a paycheck. I plan on offering personal and professional content that inspires me. I hope you will join me on this adventure.