2024W46: Leadership and Uncertainty

Friends. Last week was some kind of week! Lots of us are feeling off kilter, no longer on sure footing, and more uncertain than we’ve felt in a long time.

I know we can meet this moment, and all the moments to come.

Make a quick mental list of the books you’ve read, the seminars you’ve taken, and all the lessons you’ve learned the past year or two. I know it’s a lot! Whatever things look like on the outside, remember that on your inside, you’ve been doing good, steady work. If you haven’t been practicing as much as you’ve been studying, now is the time.

Eight years ago I wrote on this very blog that a world that feels leaderless is nudging us to step up our individual leadership. And that doesn’t mean taking on a title and being a figurehead, or being the organizing catalyst for a pop-up protest — although if you do those things, I thank and salute you.

Stepping up our individual leadership means taking all that we’ve learned about being better humans and doing the work, when no one is watching, when we don’t get a prize, and especially when we don’t feel like it. For some of us, it means more de-centering ourselves, listening deeply, staying in uncertainty and not thrashing about demanding quick answers, and making very conscious, community-based decisions about our actions. It means being responsible to ourselves and our neighbors to take more and more tangible steps (beyond voting!!!) to create the world we envision together.

Leadership is not a job for other people.

Leadership is about pushing our actions into integrity with our words.

Let’s go.

2024W45: It's Baking Season

And just like that Spooky Season is over. I’m bummed out. My October felt spooky in the wrong ways.

To start with, I never really got into the spooky spirit this year! I started a non-spooky book at the end of September, and it took me until the end of October to finish it. 👻 I’d accumulated a queue of spooky books for the month and literally did not read but one (a late recommendation but decent). 📖 The weather in Austin stubbornly remained summer-like the entire month, with low temps in the 70’s and highs of 90 and no rain. 💀 Probably because of the extra heat wave, I got another wave of ants in the house, resulting in more tracking and spraying and getting bit. 🐜 I did not feel like baking. I did not pumpkin spice once. My big October victory was tackling two art challenges in the same month and technically finishing both — but the downside was losing a lot of my creative mojo by the end. 🎨

I missed sending cards and gifts for every October birthday in my friend list. Every single one. 😭

But if you know me, I’m never down for long. November has begun, and with it, the nonfiction writing challenge that my friends and I are co-hosting. So far, I have written almost 5,000 words and met the 1-hour-a-day challenge.

And more importantly, the baking and pumpkin spicing has commenced. We made a batch of baked pumpkin donuts last night and they are literally perfect — moist, flavorful, and pumpkin spicy. Tomorrow, thanks to rain and a “cold front,” I may be able to wear something other than shorts! And I’m feeling myself rally with the birthday card making and the gift selection. I may be late, but I will get those cards and presents there. I will! What a world. What a time.

2024W44: Getting Prepared to Write a Book

I enjoy documenting things so I can look back and see the change, the learning, the growth. And I’m about to jump into something SO BIG (to me) that even before I’ve started the task, I’m documenting: in November, I’m co-hosting a nonfiction writing challenge. The point is to write toward one nonfiction project for at least one hour a day, for 30 days.

Without knowing it sooner, it turns out that I may end up with a completed manuscript at the end of this. I’m aiming for a mini-book of 100 pages or less, which equates to 25,000 words. If I write 1,000 words a day, I will end the month with 30,000 words.

The next mystery to be revealed starting Nov 1 is how many words I can write in an hour. I may need more than an hour a day to write 1,000 words.

I’ve also constructed a few guidelines for myself, so that I can make the most of this dedicated writing time…

1. Fill the entire outline before overthinking the outline.
   It would be just like me to keep changing the outline before I start writing. Definitely can’t do that this time.

2. Write in November. Don’t edit till December.
   I must resist the urge to “review” what I have written until it’s all out of my brain. This has led to me second guessing, changing direction, and occasionally not finishing a project in the past. Can’t do it this time!

3. Write as early in the day as possible.
   My brain hits a total wall at like 9pm, and occasionally earlier. If I don’t make time to write during the work day, I might not have the mental energy to write for an entire hour.

These are mainly based on personal tendencies that keep me from finishing things, so I hope these will keep me focused and directional! For those of you who have finished manuscripts: Am I missing anything?

If you have a nonfiction thing you want to write in November, join us/forms.gle/8nq6vZJsi8JmD85q6! There are only two days left before we close registration and start writing!

2024W43: Preparing for NNWC 2024

Hi friends, if you’re joining November Nonfiction Writing Challenge 2024, the time to prepare is right now! Here are a few books and other resources that have helped me get ready…

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Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book by Jennie Nash

What a breath of fresh air this book is! The first half is about writing nonfiction, from a writing coach’s no-nonsense perspective. I can just feel her “get it done” energy coming off the pages. Very motivating! The second half is about pitching the book to a publisher, if you want to go that route. I probably won’t, so I have not finished that section yet.

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Write Useful Books by Rob Fitzpatrick

I didn’t realize when I read this book that I had also read the same author’s prior book on writing workshops! Similarly, I found Write Useful Books to be very simple, practical, and action-oriented. Lots of book-writing advice includes identifying your ideal reader, but Fitzpatrick takes it further with a really neat idea of soliciting feedback from your ideal readers while you are writing. Of course, this will take time and the calling in of lots of favors. But seems like it could be ever worth it. Also, this is really geared toward self-published books and Fitzpatrick tells you why.

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Mini Book Model by Chris Stanley

I purchased and downloaded this title on publication day, totally on a whim. There are some useful simplifications of the form of mini books, and other good ideas. However, I’m not sure how I feel about blatantly ripping off cover designs of books in the same space. Also, a mini book according to this author is literally one level deeper than an outline. But if you are someone who has felt overwhelmed by “writing a book,” I think this book provides a very accessible (and scalable) approach.

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My Day in Small Drawings by Matilda Tristram

I wanted to include at least one title that incorporates drawing and illustration with writing. The context of this book is more about daily journaling with drawing, rather than writing and illustrating nonfiction books, but I found it helpful regardless.

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Everybody Writes by Ann Handley

I found this book super helpful and encouraging when I read it 10 years ago, for blog writing. It’s been updated since, though I do not have and have not read the updated version.

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On Writing Well by William Zinsser

This book is a classic for a reason! It was recommended to me for a job many years ago, when I needed to write technical white papers. I was blown away then and on re-read in the years since, it still blows me away. I may try to get in another power read before November 1!

2024W42: November Nonfiction Writing Challenge

It seems like every conversation I have these days includes someone telling me, “I have a book idea.” And while many of us have been saying it for years, we don’t get beyond reading about how to write a book!

Some colleagues / friends and I decided this is our year to write the nonfiction we’ve been meaning to write. Next month, actually, for one hour a day. And we are going to host a daily Zoom in case you want to write your nonfiction thing, too, and you’d like some company. If you’re ready, you can sign up here.

Want more details about the 2024 November Nonfiction Writing Challenge (NNWC)? Read on…

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Join the 2024 NNWC!

This free, month-long challenge is perfect for anyone who has a nonfiction project they've been wanting to start or finish—whether it’s a book, blog, memoir, speech, or essay collection. Writers of all levels are welcome!

The challenge: Commit to writing at least one hour a day, wherever you are. Daily Zoom writing sessions will be hosted to help you stay focused and share progress with fellow participants. There will be time for socializing before and after, plus prizes, resources, and support to kickstart your creativity.

Ready to write? Sign up now and get your nonfiction dreams moving!

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TIPS FOR THE 2024 NNWC:

1. Plan and prep in October, so you can write every day in November.

2. If you can’t make the daily Zoom, write on your own when you can, each day.

3. Everyone else is here to support you, not to shame you. But we believe you owe it to yourself to make this commitment and see it through, and we’ll help you in any way we can.

4. Set your expectations appropriately: While you may not finish your book after 30 hours of writing, you will have built the momentum to carry you to the finish line, wherever that may be.

2024W41: It All Begins With The Conversations We Have With Ourselves

All year I’ve been seeing, hearing, and experiencing this refrain in my head: Everything starts with the conversations we have with ourselves.

These conversations determine how we feel…

… what we do….

… which conversations we engage in with other people. And which we don’t…. (Grammar! I know. But you get my point.)

… the quality of our days.

And when I say “the conversations we have with ourselves,” I don’t mean the little motivational quotes we frame and hang in our office. Or the personal pep talks we write with Sharpies and stick via Post-It notes to our bathroom mirror. Not the oversimplified concept of “self talk".

I mean the rich dialogue each of us has with ourselves. Or that we could be having with ourselves, if we don’t currently cultivate that inner dialogue.

Do we have an inner dialogue? Sometimes, inside, we still have an inner monologue. One side of us dominates the conversation unnecessarily. The part that is the harshest self-critic? The eternal pessimist? Or the part that is ever the optimist, even as all the data at hand paints a very different picture of reality? What is possible if we have an inner dialogue that invites multiple points of view, and different ideas, from our own selves? (Is this where healthy self-regulation comes from?)

Maybe we write in our journal regularly, and feel free to express our innermost thoughts with ourselves. We can write literally anything down, and seeing the words, and acknowledging that they came from our truest selves, feels both terrifying and freeing. And informative!

Maybe we balance our inner dialogue with a healthy number of conversations with other people, about the same topics. So that we can find a baseline for values and our moral compass.

2024W40: ChatGPT Would Like To Introduce Me

If there’s one thing you can count on me to do, it’s follow a silly meme. Someone posted a meme saying to prompt ChatGPT with this sentence: “Based on everything you know about me, profile me.” And given how “in the weeds” I get when left to my own devices, this particular robot did an accurate job of painting a picture of my work both in detail and in broad strokes.

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Antoinette's Profile

Profession & Expertise
Antoinette is an experienced keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, specializing in topics centered around personal and professional growth. Her areas of focus include:

• Active and empathetic listening

• Asking powerful, open-ended questions

• Crafting and sharing impactful stories

• Seeking and incorporating high-quality feedback

• Enhancing self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ)

• Pursuing excellence beyond basic standards

Her talks and workshops are designed to engage participants on a deep level, helping them build essential skills for both career and life success. With a particular interest in mid-career professionals, she facilitates reflective thinking on life purpose, inspiring individuals to uncover the significance of their work and existence.

Workshop Leader & Visionary
Antoinette designed a signature workshop, PLUS: Pursue Your Life’s Unique Significance, targeting mid-career professionals who have achieved a comfortable lifestyle but now seek deeper meaning. The workshop challenges participants to explore their purpose, framing it as something larger than their lifetime, a legacy worth dedicating the rest of their lives to. Her approach in this workshop fosters deep reflection, creating lasting engagement with attendees, and sparking conversations that continue long after the session ends.

Creative & Personal Interests
Antoinette is also passionate about creative expression, particularly through cooking, DIY projects, and designing original greeting cards. Her cooking leans vegetarian, aligning with a lifestyle of thoughtful choices and balance. This creative outlet complements her professional work by fostering mindfulness and reinforcing her attention to detail.

Approach & Philosophy
Her facilitation style blends emotional intelligence with a deep commitment to excellence, ensuring that participants are not only engaged but also inspired to push their own boundaries. She believes in the power of EQ as a differentiator, especially in navigating complex and volatile markets or personal challenges. By blending purpose-driven content with practical tools for self-awareness and growth, she aims to empower people to realize their full potential.

Antoinette’s work bridges personal fulfillment with professional achievement, offering both a practical and philosophical approach to life’s most pressing questions.

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Have you tried this prompt? Let me know what you think of its assessment of you. I told you the robots aren’t all bad…

2024W36: This Keynote Speaker Branding Thing

It’s really true that new things are only uncomfortable until you do them enough times that you get less uncomfortable. And over time, you really can get actually comfortable. This is true about public speaking and apparently true about getting your photo taken.

Until August, this was a very cringe activity for me. But then I did a keynote, and in order to build branding assets, I had to get a gazillion photos and videos done OF ME, FOR ME. Then I had to look at all those photos and videos.

And today I did a second photo shoot in a studio with a fellow speaker, Cortney Jones. It’s amazing how much more comfortable I was today and I bet the next time, I’ll be even more comfortable until eventually I don’t care that a photographer is lurking and I can just be me.

I’m glad I went first because Cortney looks great on camera no matter what LOL. John is a great photographer and if you want some new head shots, you better book him before he moves to the other end of the earth to live out his days in paradise.

2024W35: I Turned 50!

I’m writing this update now a week late. If I’d posted on time, last Monday, I would still have been 49. But the past few weeks have been hectic, as I added a few shenanigans and hijinks to celebrate my 50th birthday. It’s been a perfect time for reflection and renewal and I am grateful for the most amazing family, friends, and professional relationships.

I’ll spend the next two weeks very much in preparation mode: for a new virtual workshop that I’ve facilitated many times in person but never virtually; for a busy travel and work period over the next two months; and for 2025 planning. Yep, it’s already that time. I’m trying to do less of the big annual stuff and more of the 12-week year vibe, but that will take some mental shifting in small doses over a long period of time.

But the Hononichi Techo line for 2025 is out and I am trying to decide if I will extend the now-2-month personal challenge to hand letter a piece every morning, not just through the end of 2024, but through 2025. And then I need to decide if I want 6 months in a book or 12 months in a book, and whether I will stick with the smaller A6 size or try the larger A5. Did I mention some of the new illustrated covers are delightful? So many decisions!

This is my profile pic for all my social media accounts for the next 10 years.

2024W34: The Keynote Speech Has Been Delivered 🎉

This has been the wildest of times that was never supposed to be wild! I thought the past month would be my time to buckle down and work on some projects that needed behind-the-scenes love. It ended up being a month of scrambling to craft and practice a keynote talk, and to handle all of the media logistics behind it. Everything went great and I’m grateful I had this opportunity to step way way way way outside my comfort zone and G R O W .

Just in time for a much-needed change of pace is my BIRTHDAY, and I am laying low this week while enjoying lots of social celebration on the weekends bracketing my actual birthday, and through the end of the month.

Heads up that if you have ever thought about writing a nonfiction book and never got around to it — I will be hosting a write-along in November, in the spirit of the now-defunct National Nonfiction Writing Month. I have two co-hosts rounded up, and once we have a plan to announce, we will post on social media and you can join in. All this advance notice is for you to clear your calendar and gather all your ideas for your nonfiction project!

2024W33: Practicing a Keynote Speech

Maybe after the keynote on Wednesday, I’ll write up a full debrief of my total experience from receiving the invitation to speak to the giving the talk itself. Since my blog post last week, I had two more coaching sessions, made another recording of my practice, and have been doing final revisions and more practice since then.

Here are some thoughts, two days out:

• I am so glad I kept a very light schedule in the week before the talk. Anything that could wait, I scheduled for next week.

• This is more a function of this being my first keynote where I know what I’m supposed to be doing — as well as the compressed schedule of 1 month between the invite and the talk — but I would like to have finished writing the talk (95% there) so I could really throw myself into practice earlier. There was a very stressful week where the talk was still shifting and morphing (it was maybe 80% there in content and 60% in structure), and I had started practicing anyway to make sure that the words I had written sounded like words that would actually come out of my mouth. And I was worried I’d be remembering things that ultimately changed or got cut entirely.

• It’s been helpful to exercise not once or twice a week, but every morning in these days leading up to the talk. When I don’t, I can lay awake at night drilling myself on the talk, and when I wake up and in the middle of the night and should go back to sleep, my brain immediately starts running through the intro. That’s exhausting, so being extra exhausted helps me sleep better and rest.

• Memorizing content to fill 45 minutes is A LOT. It really does help to put the entire talk in an order that makes mental sense to transition through, but this can be really hard to do until you’ve practiced the talk! Now I wonder if there’s any way around that uncomfortable overlapping period between finishing the content / structure and throwing myself into practicing. Maybe that overlap time is essential in working out the final kinks.

Like everything else, more deconstruction on my process will have to wait till after the talk. Haha. Hope you have a great week!

2024W32: Writing a Keynote Speech

I mentioned last week that I’ve been in a program to learn how to build a keynote speaking part of my business. I finish the program in November, but I got an invitation to keynote next week, at the Keller Williams Young Professionals Advance event!

I’ve had two coaches weigh in on my talk-in-progress, and my third and final coaching call in preparation for this talk is tomorrow. So far, I’ve had some useful take-aways:

1. I’ve been public speaking at workshops for so long that my natural style is to speak at the strategic and tactical levels. It’s taking a lot of focus to stay broad and big-picture.

2. Stories bring a significant amount of value to keynotes. I’ve pressured myself to populate my talk with specific (and true, obviously) stories that are profound and meaningful, but you can also tell compelling stories about culture and society and ideas themselves.

3. I’ve never had to be so purposeful about humor. I think I’m pretty good at finding humor in the moment, rather spontaneously. But maybe only 5% of a keynote is spontaneous. You have to know you are hitting all your points in a specific time frame, so there isn’t a lot of riffing to be done. This is also strange and new and terrifying!

What is life, if not embracing the strange and new and terrifying?

I’m including a picture from the Pop Cats Austin show last weekend. I was so lucky my friend Lisa Teichner invited me! We had a great time.

2024W31: Exploring Different Aspects of My Voice

I’m finishing my third month of a seven month structured program to build part of my business that will offer keynote speaking. This is very different for me than workshop speaking, and it is requiring big stretches and great leaps of faith. 😅 My workshop approach and voice are pretty refined after 20+ years! Everything about workshops feels natural to me, from how I prepare to what I say, not to mention the heavy emphasis on strategy and tactics, with the ultimate goal of action.

Keynotes however? They exist on a different plane from workshops, and focus on the big picture. I’ve spoken in that big picture, visionary way for a few minutes at a time, usually during the facilitated sections of workshops, while responding to something that’s come up organically in conversation. It’s a big change to fill 45 minutes this way, all planned, totally uninterrupted. No questions the audience answers out loud, no verbal interaction.

I’m glad I have a few coaches to help guide me. It’s truly humbling to write a fairly complete outline of a talk and be encouraged to start over, haha. Not so much on content, but on style — I’m still processing everything through a very technical lens, and I guess I need to loosen up. Imagine!

2024W30: A Story About Fierce Foundations

In February 2006, ten thousand other real estate convention attendees and I filed into the big auditorium at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I knew from the program that the topic of the keynote we’d all come to hear was Fierce Conversations, and I expected to hear a speaker justify the fast-talking, aggressive sales persona that many associate with real estate professionals.

Put that coffee down. Coffee’s for closers. (Glengarry Glen Ross.)

Thankfully, that’s not what we got.

Instead, what we got was Susan Scott, author of Fierce Conversations, speaking truth so powerful, you could hear a pin drop. Ten thousand people hung on her every word for ninety minutes. And she didn’t just provide truth and motivation — she brought a conversational model, so we could take action.

All these years later, I recognize that the Fierce Foundations Susan shared were building blocks for the kinds of conversations that would help me create both a business and a life I love. What I remember turning over and over in my head was the definition of a Fierce Conversation: it is one in which we come out from behind ourselves, into the conversation, and we make it real.

It’s the part about coming out from behind ourselves that wouldn’t let me go! Even though I was one of the most assertive communicators I knew, I still found places to hide in some of the more stressful conversations.

• Sometimes I hid behind “armor” — especially when previous conversations of this type or with this person had conditioned me to expect the worst. Clearly, being weighed down with a hundred pounds of metal isn’t a helpful starting point for a conversation about a challenging topic.

• Other times, I hid behind my image, shaping my response based on what I thought my reputation was with others. I edited what I said based on what seemed “on-brand” for me.

• Occasionally I hid behind Accountability (notice the Capital A there). I centered my high hopes and expectations regardless for the situation, in blame mode and not in solutions mode. This made it difficult for me to engage in the conversation that needed to happen, instead of the conversation I wished we were having.

In a Fierce workshop, we dig deep into all the things we hide behind in a typical conversation, as well as the unfortunate prices we pay for not being real and not getting Fierce. One of the best things about Fierce Conversations is that we don’t just talk about the models — we talk about how they exist in the real world. Join us in September and October as we dive deep into Foundations and three conversational models that help us create the businesses and a life we want.

2024W29: Fierce Conversations Workshop in Zoom

Friends, I’m thrilled to share: after 17 years of facilitating Fierce Conversations workshops, I’m co-facilitating my very first one in Zoom!

Fierce Conversations — the book and the workshops — has shaped so much of my life the past 20 years. It’s how I’ve built a business I love. How I move through the world with excitement and confidence. How I’ve deepened all my relationships, especially the relationship I have with me!

This workshop is not limited to any single company — everyone is invited. It’s a complete experience at a sampler price. Happy to answer any questions here or 1-1.

And you’ll get to hear about Fierce through the experiences of my co-facilitators, Bill Weidacher and Brian Armstrong. We are ready to rock your world in the very best way with Fierce!!!

2024W28: Mermaids And Other Summer Fun

A couple months ago, probably on one of those sick days in May, when I took six naps a day and found myself occasionally awake, I fell deep into mermaid brain. The blues, purples, and silvers. The smooth textures of the insides of shells, and the rough textures of coral reefs. The enchantment of a deep sea world humans would never know. Now it’s July and I have a whole mermaid (snail mail) campaign nearly ready to go. This goes along with my 365 Notes project for the year. TBH the full mermaid suite is a lot of work and a lot of time, so I will need to figure out a smaller and more sustainable mini-ensemble. And all of these will go out before end of August, which to me is an official end to mermaid season LOL.

While I am glad to be off the road for a few weeks, getting things done around the house and home office, I’m just as busy. I have so much content to finish writing and producing, more admin and marketing work to support the workshops and courses I’m developing and delivering, and of course recharging the creative battery that gets it all done.

Also I am determined to binge watch The Bear, Season 3, before I accidentally read spoilers and get angry at the world for it, haha.

I’ve had two big revelations recently.

1. I have heard all year several things I have said (in some cases, ten or more years ago) that are now being published in popular books or otherwise said to me. In some cases it’s clear that I said a thing, someone heard it and internalized it so much that authorship got fuzzy, and now it’s coming back to me as someone else’s thought. In other cases, it’s not clear whether my saying something was original authorship, but it’s still annoying that an idea I developed years ago is now enjoying popularity being uttered by others who don’t even seem to have business models, lifestyles, and products that align with whatever their wise words are. All this to say: I keep thinking I need to wait till my thoughts are fully baked, but I don’t. Neither do you. So I plan to start sharing more wild and random thoughts here, even if I haven’t had “enough time” to process them fully.

2. I am at a point in my career where I might kick back and phone it in, but I don’t. I’m wired to keep pushing. And also, the people I work with and for are important enough to me to always do my best and try to be my best. But I am realizing that a lot of people at similar stages of their career do phone it in more often than not. It makes my work stand out even more, not just because of the quality, but also because of the effort, care, and purpose.

Anyone else feeling these things? And / or have you had any big revelations recently? Drop some thoughts in the comments if you wish, and let’s dissect them together.

2024W27: Don't Mean To Alarm You, But It's Q3

My friends, we are halfway through the year. !!!!!!!

I’ve been taking stock of my 2024 goals. Here’s my typical process for midyear review:

1. What is each goal, and what is my current progress toward each goal?

2. How far behind am I, for the goals in which I am behind? Is it reasonable and does it otherwise make sense to raise the short-goals for the rest of the year, to “make up” for a deficit and get back on track?

3. How far ahead may I be? Does it make sense to lower these goals so I can make space for other activities.

4. What adjustments do I make to my goals for the second half of the year?

I struggle the most with #4, which is adjusting my daily schedule to accommodate changes in my focus. It always takes me longer than I want! But I usually get there after a month or so.

When I coach people on their goals, I find that most of the struggle with #1! Many of them don’t want to know the truth, so they put off looking at the reports or doing the math to see what reality is at this point in time. When they are able to do that, I find that a number of them who are behind on a goal are hesitant to adjust their Q3 goals up, thinking that market corrections (summer seems to be a more optimistic time for everyone, regardless of their business) will take care of any goals in which they are behind. Ultimately I wonder if it’s because they are afraid of #4, which is changing the daily routine. It’s not easy for many of us!

Here are a few real life examples. I am way behind on my 365 Notes project. I fell off that routine in April, when travel and project volume cranked up. I am about 70 notes behind! It’s a lot, but I can catch up. I have a “campaign” coming up that uses a lot of creative juice, so I’m confident I will make that deficit up over the next 3 months.

I also did not work out 3xweek for the entire months of May and June. I’m not entering a bodybuilding competition so there’s no sense increasing my workouts to “catch up.” However, I am playing a lot of mind games to get back to 3xweek workouts. I really don’t want to do them. lol

I’m on track for revenue, so I’ll stay on that track and pace for Q3.

I am definitely ahead on creative output. I picked up crochet again and am working on an afghan blanket (tho I needed another craft like I needed another hole in my head). I am relegating crochet to breaks and winding down before bed, and channeling illustration and writing to the aforementioned “campaign” that will feed the 365 Notes goal deficit.

That’s a lot of analysis. Better get back to work, haha. How are you doing with your goals? What’s ahead for you in the second half of the year?

2024W22: When Illness Strikes

I missed two weeks of posting — lots to catch you up on — but in the spirit of giving you “right now” info, I am about 10 days out from a bad bug. I tested negative for covid, but I came back from my last trip with something that did not want to let me go!

I’m so much better, with just a lingering runny nose and cough. This whole week is about getting back on track with life, starting with this blog.

Irritating things about being sick!

1. Living life one day out —figuring out from moment to moment what meeting I can or can’t handle; keeping the throat lozenges handy to stave off coughing fits; deciding a day ahead whether or not I’m still contagious and thus can’t attend a variety of Memorial Day events.

2. Thinking I’m getting better, only to have the virus retreat and level up into something to draw out the illness a few days longer.

3. My Apple Watch, insisting I “can do this! Just a brisk, 26-minute walk and” I can close my move ring! NO, I AM SICK SO LEAVE ME ALONE.

Sweet moments despite being sick:

1. Finally moving at the same speed all day as my elderly canine BFF. Taking lots of naps together, so his FOMO was at an all-time low.

2. My family cooking for me and making sure I was eating and resting.

3. Gratitude for the many more days I am well. Chronic illness is not a thing I want to trifle with.

I’ll catch you next week! Stay well, my friends.

2024W19: A Different Kind of Presentation

I spent the weekend in New Jersey for my dear friend Brenda’s memorial. Luckily, I was able to also catch up with other friends, including Kyle of Vacuuming the Lawn and general Princeton community fame. (She took the pic of me above, among shockingly bright azaleas.)

I don’t think I was purposely avoiding finishing the short talk I had been asked to give at the memorial, but I’d never written anything like this before. And even though I’d had about 3 months to work on it, all I had was an outline. Most of which I ended up scratching.

The morning of the memorial, I felt clear that:

• The point of the talk was not to say every single thing I wanted to say about this person. In fact, five minutes or less was probably a good time benchmark, so I had to be very focused.

• The fact I’d known this person for less time than anyone else in the room shouldn’t matter. My best addition would be to highlight was was special about her from my unique POV.

• One way to honor an entire life is to summarize her contribution to the world, through me.

I went with a structure based on “three lessons about friendship in the second half of life,” and it came out quick! I read it through once and made very few modifications, which is unusual for me. (How I write and how I talk can be so different.) In practice, it clocked in between 5-6 minutes depending on how quickly I could abate tears and get back on track.

I got to meet family and other friends Brenda had told me about over the years, and bonded with them over our mutual loss.

2024W18: Making A Living While Making My Life

I have random thoughts to share on a topic, also realizing that I didn’t post last Monday, so here is the Week 18 post of the year, 6 days late…

There’s a saying that we can get so caught up making living that we forget to make a life. I’ve been lucky to have been able to do both at the same time. I’ve been able to live comfortably and had the time and energy to nurture personal relationships that are so fulfilling.

But I sense something novel and electrifying happening this year, as I round the corner into a new decade: I’m engaged in activities that both make my living and imbue my life with such purpose and drive. I didn’t know this was coming, and I feel both wholly unprepared for the new velocity of life and entirely awestruck by the serendipitous arrangement of opportunities before me. I’m standing before life’s all-you-can-eat buffet, I haven’t eaten all day, and I have no idea what tomorrow will bring.

And with that, I bid you adieu until next week’s update comes out, tomorrow.