Turning To Your Network in Challenging Times

A hill covered with fall foliage next to a lake, deer a bright blue sky with white clouds

Every now and then, I have a recurring dream that many others have experienced as well.  I’m in a classroom, and it’s the end of the semester.  I had enrolled in this class but had forgotten about it.  I haven’t been there in weeks.  I haven’t done any of the reading.  I know none of the material.  It’s almost time for the final exam, and I’m panicking.  I’m completely unprepared, and I’m going to fail.

When this dream appears, it’s an obvious sign that I’m feeling overwhelmed.  I usually try to take it as a cue to reassess my priorities, remove a thing or two from my schedule, and maybe set aside some time to meditate, exercise, or otherwise relax and regroup.

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Quote of the Week

“Some years ago, I was lucky enough [to be] invited to a gathering of great and good people: artists and scientists, writers and discoverers of things. And I felt that at any moment they would realise that I didn’t qualify to be there, among these people who had really done things.

“On my second or third night there, I was standing at the back of the hall, while a musical entertainment happened, and I started talking to a very nice, polite, elderly gentleman about several things, including our shared first name. And then he pointed to the hall of people, and said words to the effect of, ‘I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They’ve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.’

And I said, ‘Yes. But you were the first man on the moon. I think that counts for something.’

“And I felt a bit better. Because if Neil Armstrong felt like an imposter, maybe everyone did. Maybe there weren’t any grown-ups, only people who had worked hard and also got lucky and were slightly out of their depth, all of us doing the best job we could, which is all we can really hope for.”

Neil Gaiman

Pencil sketch of two people standing a few feet apart

Why You Need a Vacation

Hazy sunset over pier and trees, from my recent vacation

I just returned from a lovely beach vacation in the Florida panhandle, so this seems like an opportune time to talk about the value of vacations.  A recent survey found that just over half of U.S. professionals don’t use all their vacation days, and the number is even higher among Millennials (especially Millennial women).  That’s despite the fact that Americans already have fewer paid vacation days than Europeans.  But taking a vacation isn’t a luxury.  There are very good reasons to take some time off and get away (aside from the fact that not taking your paid vacation days means you’re leaving money on the table and essentially volunteering).   Read more