If you could make improvements to the way your workday goes, what would you change? Actually, where would you start? More importantly, what’s kept you from already making those changes? I know, I know — time is of the essence and there’s just not enough hours in the day, right? You’ve got other things to […]
Essays from over the years
Blowing up my world and seeking out new adventure
“In my mind, I just put in my resignation letter to the leadership team at the company I’ve contributed to for the past three years.” In January 2016 I was preparing to leave my job and set out to forge my own path. Here’s what I wrote to myself just before setting out.
2018 Year In Review
Taking an honest, holistic look at my year as it was, and extracting what lessons, experiences, and memories I can.
The Future of Work is Independent
Some thoughts about what work may look like in the future, as I come up on my three-year mark as an independent professional.
Digital cleansing and making space for creativity
Lately I’ve had a burning desire to reduce everything down to its simplest form so I have space to make and create, but things have been getting in my way.
It’s worth mastering this one essential life skill
Solve any problem, at any time, with this one skill. As a person, a team, or an organization, here’s what it takes to flourish.
Living in a Digital Age: Your attention is leaking
Your attention is your most valuable resource, and everyone is vying for it. How will you resist temptation?
On Instagram, depression, and anxiety
Regardless of what my Instagram feed looks like, life is not all infinity pools and explorations through Asian cities and exotic markets. This is me exploring my thoughts on the intersection of Instagram, depression, and anxiety.
Design thinking is a way of being
Things I don’t ever want to hear again: “Let’s do some design thinking.”
Working without distraction
It’s time to be thoughtful about how we work, both by ourselves and in collaboration with others.
The Human Workplace
The organizations leading the way are the ones that are embracing the messiness of life and work, and learning to use our humanity as a strength, instead of a weakness. Here’s how.
Workplace experience as a foundation for customer experience
The experience that a customer has with an organization’s products, services, and people, will be an embodiment of the organization’s workplace experience, and will reflect back the principles, values, and beliefs of that specific organization. (I think.)
Here Comes The Human Era of Work
It’s time to redesign life at work, and the role of work within life.
Mental consequences of endless connectivity
Sometimes, I just want to be me.
Living with uncertainty
It’s tough to embrace fear and uncertainty, but they’re necessary forces in life that we cannot escape, so we might as well learn to live with them. Right?
How Being Human Can Help You Thrive In Today’s Complex World
We as humans have lost our way, amid the world of connectivity and complexity. Luckily, our humanity can bring us back to life.
Making work more human in 2017
From workplace experiences to habitual interactions, here are a few ways we can each individually improve ourselves and our organizations.
Asking for help in 2017
As I move forward along my journey of self-employment, I’m tapping into my vulnerability and doing something I don’t typically like to do: I’m asking for help!
On being comfortable with ourselves
Some words on insecurities, anxieties, and fear. Oh—and awesomeness!
Making space amid chaos
Some quick thoughts on dealing with the stress and chaos of life
Doing the thing
Do good work, with good people, and the rest will take care of itself.
Making up stories that get in our way
Sometimes it can be hard to notice what’s right in front of us. To see things as they really are, and not as our biased brain wants us to perceive them.
Chasing life
Life is about the people you share experiences with, and the memories you create.
Why It’s Important To Make Workplaces More Human
It’s becoming crystal clear that more human workplaces lead to more successful organizations, and it’s time for leaders everywhere to focus on making work more human.
Creativity — Why Gap Time Is So Important
In this always-connected environment we live in, it’s more important than ever for us to set intentions and make sure we’re making space for our brains to disconnect, unwind, wander, and connect dots.
On doing, trying, and making ideas happen
As we move about our days, we spend a lot of time and energy trying. Trying to do something. Trying to be someone. Trying to achieve. Trying to create. We put such an emphasis on “trying” that we pull ourselves away from “doing.”
Mindset — Grow Your Potential With Positive Perspectives
This piece will explore how our mindsets can be key to creating our best work, and offer up a practice you can explore that may help shift your thinking and get out of those ruts.
Vision — What It Takes To Be Where You Want To Be
By bringing new perspectives, mindsets, and practices into our daily routines, we unlock our incredible potential and empower ourselves to approach life in new ways so we can create the changes we want to see in our world.
Why We Must Reconnect With Ourselves, In Our Always-Connected Environment
If we can envision our futures to be more enjoyable, enlightened, fulfilling, and intentional, we can begin to transform ourselves, our working habits, and our lifestyles. Instead of letting technology overrun our days, our workflows, our habits and our livelihoods, we can get ahead of the tech and make sure we use it all with intention; with purpose.
An Introduction To My Essay Series On Mindful Working
We’re getting in our own way by operating based on institutions, organizations, and structures of a world that once was. It’s time to create changes that usher in and fully support the new, modern, 21st-century workforce.
On being kind to ourselves
Too often we beat ourselves up over the little things. We compare ourselves to others and experience judgments, fears, anxieties and more, often forgetting these are all part of human nature.
On gratitude, change, and fresh perspectives
Each of us has something to be grateful for in our lives, regardless of the noise we’re dealing with during our daily operations. It may be hard to find, and it may take a bit of searching, but I know it’s there, and I want you to know it too.
Are You Creating Forward Motion or Stop Energy?
Ideas are halted. Creativity has nowhere to go. It’s almost as if a wet towel has been thrown on a spark that’s about to turn into a flame. So what will you do?
Life Is For The Living
We don’t know how much time we have on this earth, but we damn sure know we’re not here to grind our days away working jobs we don’t like for companies we don’t believe in with people we don’t particularly enjoy.
To reinvent our organizations we must first reinvent ourselves
People are not connected with their work because they’re not able to truly focus on their work. With all the distractions, interruptions, and complications of getting stuff done, so many people feel as though they’re not having an impact — no wonder we’re all disengaged!
Global Love and Human Connection — Envisioning a More Inclusive World
We’re currently in a period of major transition, thanks to the advent of the internet and global connectivity. It’s up to you to go out there and be a beautiful human being.
A Manifesto for Emerging Leaders
My thoughts on what it takes to be a leader.
Mindful in a Digital Age
Connected technologies are amazing innovastions that open up a world of possibilities, but must be used carefully in ways that improve our lives yet don’t pull us too far away from living in the physical world that surrounds us.
Fighting the pull of connectivity
We resist as strongly as we can, telling ourselves we’ll be better off. But resistance is futile and eventually we’ll give in and check. We must know. Something happened, somewhere, and we long for insight and updates.
Digital Distraction and the Future of Connectedness
In the midst of writing about distraction I got distracted and forgot my train of thought. How fucked up is that?!
Always Wired In – The Culture of Modern Devices
We’re so connected to connection that we always focus on filling our mental capacity and stimulating sensors in our brains that we’re detached from what it actually feels like to have real world feelings and interactions.
The Paralysis of The Internet
Bombardment of information; never ending messaging with friends; constant onslaught of attention-stealing notifications. These are a few of the time sinks of the modern world.
Connected Culture
Our connected culture has effects on people, relationships and societies that we haven’t begun to fully understand yet, and it’s the most awesome and most scary revolution the world has ever seen.
It’s Ok If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going
One man’s (extended) thoughts on why we should slow down, take life one day at a time, and become comfortable perpetually exploring our identities, passions and lifestyles. Told through a life story and personal journey, so buckle up!
How Do You Spend Your Days?
I’m sick of people asking the mundane, “so what do you do?” immediately upon meeting someone new. Here’s how a 92 year-old man I barely knew shifted my perspective and gave me a great conversation starter.
Life Isn’t About Working
There’s no path of least resistance. There’s not even a path. We’ve been placed in the middle of a giant forest, with very few tools for navigating, and told to survive.
Creativity & Community in Philadelphia
As I spend my time exploring Philadelphia I’ve noticed our city has a vibe unlike anything I’ve felt in the past. As such, I’ve recently identified a personal mission: Make cool shit while helping construct a better world.