Hold That Thought
3 useful things every other Thursday to help overthinkers say and do less.
Anthem for the Apocalypse
”I think that we [are] going to need ways to understand what we’re going through, and that means our idea of mind, too, is going to reinvent itself for this age.” — Umair Haque Image by Alfo Medeiros from Pexels. Hello Reader, These past two weeks I've been thinking about anxiety. My own, but others', too. With multiple catastrophes happening globally and locally (the word we're looking for here is polycrisis), I've strung together three things to turn overthinking into expert thinking…or...
Appreciating the role of the first pancake and other imperfect circles
We're all pancakes. Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash Hello Reader, These past two weeks I've been thinking about models – as lenses, as metaphors, as roles I look up to. Here are three things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking: On Copernicus, First Pancakes and Early-Wave Catchers — my thoughts as we chart a path through the universe of neurodivergence All Models Are Wrong (and Some Are Useful) — by Tom Geraghty at Psych Safety Appreciate Everything Endlessly — a delightful...
Getting a good heart unstuck
Leadership is about so much less than changing the world. Photo by alleksana from Pexels Hello Reader, This week I've been thinking about leadership and lollipop moments. Here are three things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking: "As long as we make leadership about changing the world, we give ourselves an excuse to not expect it, from ourselves and from each other.” — Drew Dudley on Leading with Lollipops (6 min YouTube) “You start by realizing that nobody can clean up...
Getting back to the game
Free as a birdie Photo by Sóc Năng Động from Pexels Hello Reader, This week I've been thinking about what we need to get unstuck and get moving. Here are three things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking: “Analysis happens in the realm of abstraction and infinite possibility. Action happens in the realm of the concrete and the constrained.” — How smart people stay stuck, by Joan Westenberg Whether or not you have kids, the struggle is real. Michael Thompson offers five...
Slightly off
Working While The Ground Shifts Underneath You The Presentable Slices: refreshed website, evolving book, half-painted office. Hello Reader, This week's newsletter is a bit different. Lots of change happening, mostly positive but nonetheless stressful. Maybe you can relate? For example, I'm working in an office that is currently half-painted; moving objects to one side while improving the other, all the while making sure the visible half looks presentable. (And that the chaos-side isn't too...
Reed-like
Are you the spaghetti, paperclip or reed? On becoming more reed-like. Photo by me. Hello Reader, The new year snuck up on me. I didn't do the usual reflection or writing. Instead, I wondered, what would be useful here? For me, and to share with you: As a person with a bendy body and an overactive mind, I've been thinking a lot about stress, strain, and resilience. So the question I've been asking is this: What do I need to become more reed-like? “I do it to myself—turning the volume knob of...
This space…
[intentionally left blank] Hello Reader, In this last newsletter of the year, I wanted to share something different, simple, and self-contained. Because it’s possible to stay calm and find some peace and quiet while the chaos and buzz of the season swirls around you. To be unflappable against the demands of a dwindling year. Here are three things that might help with that: I was having dinner last night with my friend, Ben Sauer — he’s a public speaker, coach, and the author of Death by...
Remembering for the future
Hold That Thought Hello Reader, This week I've been thinking about storytelling — how to do it, how it's changing, and what it means for our future actions. Here are three things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking: “Between a natural aversion to discomfort and awkwardness, and devices that offer infinite novelty, we tend to go wider, rather than deeper.” — There Are Many More Worlds Than These by David at Raptitude “A story is something else entirely. A good one changes...
For love and honor…and money, too?
Hold That Thought Wall mural painted by the Friends of Crosby Beach. Photo by me. Hello Reader, There is much less cardboard in my life and I'm starting to feel settled in the new house. While I'm still not writing as much as I'd like, I'm slowly making space for creativity and thinking. I'll get there. Maybe you relate. Here are three things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking: “To do something different, or meaningful, or human, is messy. Creativity is accessing the part...
Unpacking boxes and ideas
Using What You Already Have Illustration by Europeana on Unsplash Hello Reader, These past two weeks I've been unpacking boxes and ideas (see what I did there?) Here are three things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking: “Communication is about what is received, not what is intended. If there is a gap between what you are saying and what they are hearing, you have to find a new way to say it.” — James Clear, author of Atomic Habits Long before I became an underthinking...
3 useful things every other Thursday to help overthinkers say and do less.