Occasionally my youngest child asks me to send her a poem. It can be for any number of reasons. Typically, it is a quick text poem to hopefully brighten her day. In this case, she was challenged in a new role while working with colleagues who were 30 years her senior and feeling like she…
Building human connections starts with one small act of reaching out. You must go first to take that action. Ask a room of 1,000 people if they like being complimented, and you will get 1,000 hands raised (if they are being honest with themselves). That’s because receiving a compliment primarily triggers a dopamine release in…
The loneliness epidemic is not isolated to the United States. It is global. The World Health Organization revealed that 1 in 6 people worldwide are living with loneliness. That’s over a billion people. Further, loneliness is linked to an estimated 100 deaths every hour—more than 871,000 deaths annually. Your heart doesn’t know the difference between…
Social isolation is an objective condition, and loneliness is the emotional state that arises from it. According to the Surgeon General’s report, the lack of social connection poses a significant risk for individual health and longevity. Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk for premature death by 26% and 29%, respectively. Further, lacking social connection…
We have a design conflict. Humans are designed to connect for survival, and ultimately, to thrive. Technology, particularly social technology, is designed to keep you engaged with your full attention on the screen. As a result, you cannot pay attention to or connect with anyone around you. This is most evident with children. The handheld…
Our brains enjoy novelty. It is good for us and helps us create new neural connections. What do you enjoy? Seek variety in your life. Consider peppering your life with some high-excitement activities to spice things up. For some, this may be skydiving or bungee jumping, but you can also reach new heights on the…
Something is healthy when it is in an optimal state of well-being. We strive for healthy relationships, a healthy diet, a healthy body, a healthy mind, healthy emotions, healthy perspectives, healthy conversation, healthy awareness, and healthy finances. With all this focus on healthy everything, we asked, “What about healthy leadership?” There are far too many…
Comfort certainly has its advantages—our comfy chair in the living room, a comfortable routine at work, a comfortable relationship. With all the advantages of comfort, here are some things you should know about the comfort zone before you explore the edge. The comfort zone is where most of life is played. It is certainly where…
The feeling of satisfaction from watching a child grow. The feeling of mystery from watching a garden grow. The feeling of success from watching your business grow. The feeling of hope from watching your faith growth. The feeling of accomplishment from watching an employee grow. The feeling of love from watching your relationship grow. The…
Who is standing in line to become a people manager? Well, that line is short! Getting promoted to a manager was once a key career milestone. Today, many early-career professionals consider it a punishment. A survey of 10,000+ LinkedIn users revealed that 69% of them would leave their job if they had a bad manager.…
