Small Acts Of Kindness Matter

Time to read: 17 seconds

Mid-Century Sterling Bird Brooch

As Operation Metro Surge continues in our beloved city, I've noticed something as I go about daily life.

People are being extra kind.

I'm a transplant to Minnesota, and can attest that Minnesota-Nice is a real thing. We (They?) are genuinely nice people.

Lately, I've noticed people going out of their way to be kind. Here are some things I've observed this week (beyond the kindness of delivering food, showing up for our neighbors, and all the ways Minnesotans are giving generously):

• Letting people into traffic
• Giving other passengers hot tips to avoid the lines at the airport
• Stopping for pedestrians
• Talking to strangers
• Lots and lots of smiling
• Playing music on street corners

When the going gets tough, get kind.

Consider all the small ways you can show up in your workplace, family, and neighborhood with small acts of kindness. It takes zero effort and has a huge impact.

It's Been A Lot

Time to read: 5 seconds

Option 1: "Forget" to write my newsletter and write about making mistakes next week.

Option 2: Tell you the truth.

I chose Option 2. It's been a lot. Like a lot, a lot. I'm tired. I prefer to write when I feel like I have the creativity and brain space to say something meaningful or helpful or funny or useful. I just don't.

You don't have to worry about me. I'm ok. Just tired and taking a break again.

Love to all of you!

What's Your Split Screen?

Time to read: 5 seconds if you choose the 2-sentence option; 56 seconds if you read the whole thing

Candlelight vigil after the killing of Alex Pretti

The main message for today: Two things can be true at the same time. If that's all you need, feel free to stop reading here. If you want more stories and color, keep going.

When Renee Good was killed, I was with my daughter at the spa where I teach in Mexico. We were having a marvelous time in a place that creates the world I wish we had - human, kind, slow, healthy, connected, caring. In a place where people generally don't talk politics, Good's death was the main topic. Still, we ate dinner, made new friends, and went hiking. The experience was a strange split screen. One reality in front of me. Another reality was when I talked to my family and friends at home. Still another when I landed back in Minnesota.

My best friend and I had a TV date when the announcement came out that there would be candlelight vigils all over the city to honor Alex Pretti. We bundled up, took our grief and our candles, and headed out to the frigid intersection near my house. We sang and stood in community. Then we returned to the finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty. (You can't get more shallow - and fun! - than that.)

Two things can be true at the same time. You can lose someone and still enjoy a friend's birthday party. You can be disappointed about something at the office and enjoy your children that evening. You can grieve, protest, and support your neighbors and still watch shallow TV.

Actually, you must. You know from years of working that too much of anything will burn you out (too much work, too much horror, too much Christmas, too much giving, too much stress), and when you are burned out, you aren't able to show up with your gifts.

We need all our gifts. And the dog still needs a walk

Where Are We In This Story?

Time to read: 1 min, 16 seconds

Singing vigil in Minneapolis last weekend

Before I say anything about current events in Minnesota, here are a few important things for you to know.

• I am not a political pundit. Although I read extensively and listen to many experts, politics is not my area of expertise. Other people do this work well.
• I don't have answers. If I did, I'd be a political pundit. :-)
• My lens is personal responsibility, ownership, humans, and process. I help humans become more effective humans. To me, effective means connected, responsible, honest, transparent and kind (that is a short list).
• I believe in the possibility of world peace... if we humans would just get out of our own and each other's way. That's why I do this work.
• I have a lot to say. It's gonna take a few weeks.

I appreciate all of you who reached back to last week's newsletter with notes of solidarity, expressions of overwhelm, and questions. I'm going to take things in bite-sized pieces. Here is what I want to say today:

We are not at the end of this story.

We are still in the middle. We are in the middle of events in Minnesota, our nation, this administration, world history, and human existence. Part of (perhaps a big part) of this administration's current actions are to create despair and powerlessness. Or to create overwhelm so you can't pay attention to one.more.thing.

When it all feels like too much, overwhelm and despair follow. This is true in politics, work, and family life.

This is not the end. The story is being written every day by humans who stand sentry outside schools to protect students, drive their neighbors to work, protest brutality and aggression, and show up in their daily lives to tend, care, love, and spread joy. You are not powerless. You always have agency. No action, prayer, or connection is too small.

I've said this many times over the years of writing this newsletter. You matter. The energy you bring to your life and work matters. What you do matters. And all of this matters even more now.

Email me anytime. Many of you learned last week that I reply to every email, and sometimes you get a big download to your serious question. I'm always happy to hear from you.

Love to you!

Taking A Beat

Time to read: 15 seconds

An amazing quote and beautiful art at Rancho La Puerta in Mexico

I was teaching out of the country last week and came home to the tragedies that are unfolding in Minnesota.

Many people have asked me to share some wisdom. I'm still processing and thinking about what to say that hasn't already been said eloquently by many others.

I paused the final newsletter in the series about your career and will come back to it later. And I am listening and thinking and considering what to say in this moment in time.

I'll be back with more next week. As always, please email me and tell me how you are feeling and what questions you have. I always love to hear from you.

Who You Are Matters In Your Career

Time to read: 1 min 25 seconds

My son, growing his career

Welcome back after the holidays! I hope you are adjusting back to "real life" smoothly and easily.

We're continuing our "How to Grow Your Career" series into 2026.

You are a whole person. Who you are at work and at home is (surprise) THE SAME!

That doesn't mean you bring all your personal stuff into the office or bore people at parties with your vast technical knowledge.

It means growing your career has as much to do with who you are and how you show up as it does with what you do. Of course, to be successful in any career, you need training and skills. You want your financial planner and surgeon to know what they're doing.

And, very few people get away with being jerks. People want to hire, work with, and support kind, thoughtful people. Promotions happen because people have great relationships and reputations, along with their skills.

The good news for you is that you can develop yourself no matter where you are and what you do. Developing more patience at the giant family vacation = more patience with your team. Being resilient and calm in the face of aging parents makes you resilient in the face of corporate reorganization.

Your entire life is a playground for your development, and that development supports you at home and in your career!

If you know someone who could use a solid dose of career advice, they can sign up here.

If you have specific career questions you'd like me to address, email me and tell me all about it. You'll see your question in an upcoming newsletter.

I hope this helps!

Should You Work In Your Passion?

Time to read: 1 min, 3 seconds

People tell me, "I want to work in my passion," or "I'm not passionate about my current job."

Oh dear. Finding your passion and working in it for the rest of your life is a lot of pressure.

Young professionals feel like they must find their passion and then turn it into work. My opinion? Passion is bunk.

That said, everyone has passions…many, many of them. Those are the things you enjoy, get lost doing, and love to think and talk about. A friend of mine likes to say, "You might have a passion for kitten snuggling, and that isn't going to make a career." I have a passion for making charm bracelets, and that isn't going to pay college tuition.

It's high pressure to expect to feel passionate about your job. Some people do. Others love their job and don't feel passionate about it. Still others enjoy their job well enough and satisfy their passions outside work.

It's ok for a job to simply be a job, something that supports your life and works in total.

Relieve yourself of the pressure to work in your passion. That's a recipe for being dissatisfied with what is, and maybe what is looks pretty great once you release that pressure value.

If you know someone who could use a solid dose of career advice, please forward this newsletter to them. They can sign up here.

If you have specific career questions you'd like me to address, email me and tell me all about it. You'll see your question in an upcoming newsletter.

I hope this helps!