It first takes people (you, predecessors, friends) to put their hard skills to work.

Unfortunately but also fortunately we must often earn opportunities.

Once those hard skills are utilized, something is built from it.

We use soft skills along the way but it may feel as though they are distant friends.

Im looking for way to use my hard skills to make room to use more of my soft skills.

We are unable to comprehend, experience perfection…at least the full amount of it.

Bits and pieces of life show a glimpse of perfection but overall, we must have some skeptic in us.

Not a skeptic that assumes the worst of others or expects nothing positive to result but a skeptic that is open to a plan not going ‘perfect.’

Clear expectations should carry humility where the other can state where your expectations do not line up with the current state. Dialogue can continue this path

or clear expectations can carry humility where the one receiving the expectations can realize their lack of perspective and change a state.

Either way, everyone benefits when humility is carried by all and expectations are expressed.

At what cost do we diet, choose to not to use paper plates, give up Netflix…

These causes can be ‘noble’. We think because they are ‘noble,’ we have no need to consider the cost.

We should be alright with not dieting if it will create too much stress in our routine…using paper plates if cleaning the dishes will make us bitter towards our house guests…not to stop watching Netflix if it is one thing our partner looks forward to at the end of the day…

Being comfortable with choosing balance rather than hiding in the extremes is a key to lasting joy.

Sacrifice is better than gold.

Compromise is equal to gold.

Sacrifice has an immense cost. It’s value is high but it’s cost is also high.

Giving up something you hope for, planned on, desire, is easy if you expect to get back what you put in. Sacrifice is not an exchange like this.

When we sacrifice, we give up entirely what we once had.

Lately I’ve thought I was sacrificing but actually was settling for cheaper compromise.

Maybe sacrifice is a totally different system than gold or silver

“1) Nobody owes us anything (no, not even a thank you). 2) It is actually you who owes the world and its denizens. You take up space (physical and emotional). And you better have something good to show for it.” -Rohan Rajiv

When life is rough, we can think we are owed something different.

We are not.

Appreciating these points makes understanding life hopeful.

A rough start is just that. Rough.

Maybe we feel our life started rough, maybe just this morning had an expectantly poor start.

The feelings we have in these moments define how we react to them. Our conscious mind can dictate which feelings come in the forefront and the subconscious is impressed by those feelings. See this book for more.

I feel like I am no good at____…can be transformed to change the outcome.

I didn’t succeed at____…but I am____(insert positive truth about self).

This positive truth can overcome the negative and impress our subconscious with positivity rather than negativity.

We don’t ignore the negative experience, rather accept it, and overcome it with a positive.

Another danger is moving towards thinking we are owed something when we have a rough start…that’s a whole other idea.

How often do we say yes when we actually did not want to or think we were not the best for it?

Theres a balance of yes and no.

It is not simple. We want to be passionate and say yes whenever we can but we must be cautious to say yes to the important matters.

We can neglect the important by saying yes to the urgent.

I still hope I say yes more often than I say no.

What is leadership?

I believe leading is art.

This answer has depth of meaning because it is something we each find on our own. We have our own way to display and interact with leading.

Leadership is not easily defined and yet is something we can call out when we see it. Leadership is art!

When we embrace this, leading makes much more sense. We have more room to fail, more visible opportunity, more passion to create, more desire to bring others in. I’ve never thought of my self as an artist until now. I like how that title fits and I hope you do too.