Serendipity: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.

If we want our best ideas, projects, interactions to come to, we must hang out in the right spots.

Maybe that’s physically but right now for most that’s not possible due to COVID. More importantly we need to set up our environment for opportunity.

Creating rhythms and routines with “open doors.”

Maybe this is a meditation or mindfulness practice each morning or a habit to read before bed or a weekly walk at a park or a newsletter from a trusted source…

Structuring our space so it allows for hanging out with our thoughts, projects, resources.

Maybe this is an actual cabinet of curiosity or a stack of your favorite books next to a comfortable chair or a desk dedicated to drawing or writing…

It’s a lie that good ideas, meaningful work, powerful relationships find us. We also don’t have to always actively seek them out but we must set ourselves up to be encountered by them.

Empathy isn’t something you either have you don’t. It’s a learned way of thinking and acting that is driven out of our habits.

If you hope to be more empathetic, add a habit or practice in your day that puts you in someone else’s world or sets you up to serve them.

Each morning I prepare coffee, breakfast, and pack lunches for my wife and I. If I did it just for me, I don’t think I’d be as thoughtful towards others throughout my day.

How can you add a routine of other orientation, leading you into more empathy.

We can’t become more empathetic by thinking it into existence. We must change our actions.

First in this idea is to know and claim what you do. Who are you? What are you best at? What passions guide you?

Maybe “what you do” isn’t what your job is. Maybe it’s what your aspiring to do. Ramping up. Building into. Growing towards.

Once you have clarity of “what you do,” get good at it. Get better at it. Continue to hone.

Don’t get stuck in a single direction but as you refine, stay curious. Drive that curiosity into refinement.

We can’t expect people to follow us or to make the difference we dream of if we don’t get good at what we do.

For me, curiosity is a consistent catalyst in continual cultivation.

Entering this weekend ready for a break from the routine and seeking to sit in the weight of this thought.
The rain today is perfect timing. Reminder to sit in the sorrow of where we are. Don’t flee from it and also don’t get stuck there but let it hit.

Found this through Austin Kleon’s weekly newsletter. Check him out.

Image Credit: Ryan Thacker at Might Could Design

How we describe what we do matters to the people who hear but more so to us. The person describing.

Austin Kleon in his book Show Your Work says to keep it short. Don’t pontificate. Don’t use words that aren’t factually true. Be honest and clear.

Who we are and what we do don’t always match up but answering this question with succinct clarity might move you to do more of who you are.

Mine right now:

I do coaching and training within a large scientific company. On the side I am looking for more ways to coach and am designing a coaching framework to guide mine and others coaching.

I remembered the power and generosity of this question today. Generosity on both sides of the question. The asker offering for the answerer to provide insight. The answerer offering feedback.

I ask it when I finish a coaching conversation or a training. It helps stop the forgetting process by reminding them what was valuable and gives you clues into how your message or conversation resonated.

This question comes from Michael Bungay Stanier’s book The Coaching Habit

He also adds that it’s sets up a positive environment to end on.