Today on my way to Philadelphia the SEPTA regional train was full of American citizens on their way to do citizenship work. Citizens looked cheerful. Citizens were looking at each other’s eyes. Citizens were reading each other’s creative signs. It was a rare but refreshing sense of trust in the air. These weak but emerging…

The key to finding value (friends, relationships, projects) is to offer value. We live in a culture of consuming, of expecting, of receiving. Before consume, produce. Before expecting, deliver. Before receiving, give. Before asking for value, offer some value.

Penn professor Angela Duckworth recently delivered a commencement speech at Bates College. Her advice to graduates? Be judicious on where you leave your smartphone. Trivial at first, but surprisingly insightful on closer look. After all, it has been found that the mere presence of a phone within reach significantly diminishes your brainpower. Americans are now…

I’ve been thinking about lines recently. The one thing to learn from Europe in the 1930s is that people made excuses not to leave. They rationalized their decision to stay. “My real estate agent is busy and I can’t sell my house.” “I will leave when my kids finish school.” “I have parents to look…

Today I spent the afternoon inventorying books, journals, and catalogs in a new work environment. It was a productive and focused afternoon. It is surprising how the room you choose to do work influences the character of your experience. To be stuck in the same cubicle every weekday flattens the work life and ultimately dulls…

Things are bad. And they are getting worse by the hour. The most powerful person in the world and the intelligent people behind him are brewing a new Reichstag Fire. Institutions that were supposed to keep people safe are now creating unsafe and violent conditions. Agencies meant to ensure the rule of law and due…

Today I spent the day inventorying books, magazines, and other materials. It was hard to begin, but once I got the groove of things, it became evident to continue. I had planned splitting the day with other projects, but it became evident to ride the wave of flow. It is very difficult to land in…

Last Wednesday, on my way to a conference in Minneapolis, I stumbled upon at the airport a neat series of books on emotional intelligence published by Harvard Business Review. These pocket books cover many topics: influence and persuasion, difficult conversations, confidence, focus, authentic leadership, and my favorite: dealing with difficult people. I have a strong…

Consistency is the mother of “easier said than done”. It is the ultimate test of commitment: of being serious about your calling. The days where it is hardest to show up are the most important. This past week I hardly wrote my daily entry. Instead of whipping myself on the back, I chose to forgive…