The other day I read a blog post written by someone I know and respect and like. The post was titled, Scatterbrained People Can Succeed in Major Gifts. It was about how people who can't stay organized... people whose thinking is not linear, can still be successful if they're managed well. While I understand my friend's point, the word "scatterbrained" stuck in my craw. It's just so negative and implies that people whose thinking is nonlinear are somehow less … [Read more...]
On Race and Fear: The Power of Context
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I've been reading the new, thought-provoking book, Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It's a long letter that he wrote to his teenage son. It's not easy reading, and I don't always understand what he has in mind. But this book has me thinking about race differently than I've ever thought about it before. Lack of Fear: An Unearned Privilege Coates comes back again and again to the effect of pervasive racism has on people of color. They, unlike people who … [Read more...]
Finding Common Threads Among our Differences
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Most every morning, I visit St. Mary's Park in the South Bronx where I walk and run and work out. It's a lovely park with big trees arching over a wide path and big natural rock outcroppings on the hills. A running track tucks into the back of the park with slant boards and pull up bars in its center. The park is beautifully laid out, but it's not well-maintained. Litter isn't picked up regularly. The grass is poorly cut. Weeds grow through the pavement here and there. And … [Read more...]
Are You a Member of the “Me Generation?”
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I have joined the “ME generation.” I know that phrase is generally used to describe so-called Millennials — people now in their 20’s. Samantha Raphelson, in her piece for the NPR New Boom series, cited them as “self-absorbed, self-centered, selfie-snapping-20-somethings.” Today’s 20-somethings are just stepping into adulthood. They may not have steady jobs. They sometimes seem uncaring in their independent and individualistic ways. Many of them don’t have families to … [Read more...]
What’s the Gestation Period for Your Ideas?
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Being pregnant isn't limited to one's child bearing years! I woke up this morning in the mood to give birth. Not to a human baby, of course -- those years are long gone -- but to the actualization of an idea I've been stewing about for many months. Last year, I started thinking seriously about creating online courses about capital campaign fundraising. If I am an expert anything, that's it. I've written books on capital campaign fundraising. I've lectured and given … [Read more...]
Do You Set Goals or Feel Your Way Through Life?
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I confess, the question of setting goals has long puzzled me. How can you set goals if you're not sure where you're going? And how in heaven's name can you really know where you want to go? As you may guess, I'm not a goal setter -- mostly, that is. I confess that recently I did set myself a goal of losing 10 pounds. (Yes, I succeeded. :)) But that short-term simple goal stuff is not what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about setting bigger goals in life and then … [Read more...]
Life’s Third Third
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I've reached a milestone. Today is my seventieth birthday. I'm in the midst of what some people have called the "third third" of life. For me, this third third is the very best! The stresses and strains of growing up are over. The challenges of building lasting relationships have eased. The anxiety and responsibilities that come with raising children have receded. And, most wonderfully, the need to prove yourself mostly evaporates. In this third third, it's easier to be … [Read more...]
Throwing Spaghetti at the Wall
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As you may know, I'm super frustrated by my propensity to leave things unfinished. In last week's post, I came up with several ways to get things 100% done. But I left out the one strategy that has now gotten under my skin, and solidly planted itself in my brain. That's the strategy of simply getting stuff out without worrying whether it's done. You throw stuff against the wall to see if it's done, and cook it some more if it's not. Spaghetti on the Wall Years ago, … [Read more...]
Five Tricks to Help You Get Stuff 100% Done
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Ever been victim of a time suck? I was cleaning up my desk, going through the overflowing inbox and assorted piles that had grown tall and unruly over a couple of months. My work space had been compromised by unattended to dribs and drabs and it was time do something about it. I sorted the piles on my dining table until every paper found its rightful place. Now, you might think that I felt great by the time it was all done. But you’d be wrong. I was sorely … [Read more...]