Work Life

You would have to be living in a cave not to have heard about ChatGPT. It is on everyone's minds these days.

You can ask the AI platform to do just about anything. For example, it can write an article, a speech, or a report on any subject, and you will have it in seconds. Undoubtedly, this will aid humanity in all kinds of fascinating ways.

But make no mistake, in a world of machines – where people are already craving authentic connection, emotional intelligence, and psychological safety – the…

"Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets." – W. Edwards Deming

What do you think of when you hear the word "design"? Most people think of graphic design, interior design, or art design. But if you look at anything around you… the clothes you are wearing, your home, your car, your phone, your computer, and all the hundreds of thousands of little details that make it all work have all been designed by a human mind. And beyond that, if you look out into nature, every tree, bi…

"Every time I'm tempted to complain about the difficulty and unfairness of life, I remind myself that I knew it was going to be hard before I left home and that there is no victory without struggle." – Josh Kaufman

Do you ever feel like you are fighting a Hydra? For a bit of background, the Hydra comes to us from an ancient Greek legend, and it refers to a gigantic mystical water serpent-like monster with multiple heads. Anyone attempting to behead the Hydra found that as soon as one head was c…

"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you." – Deepak Chopra

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your ability to be "the calm in the storm"?

Being calm in chaos is a defining factor of being a great leader. Ironically, the calmer you are, the faster you can move and the more decisive you can be. I think of it like riding a 10-speed bike. Most people are riding in either 1st or 2nd gear, pedaling furiously yet moving slowly. However, the few people in 7th or 8th gear a…

"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." – Soren Kierkegaard

Before we leap into the new year, I hope you will join me in reflecting on 2022. Have you taken time to look back? If you have not, let's hit the pause button and take a mental rewind to uncover your greatest hits (and misses) of 2022. It is time to create your own Personal Top 10 List for the past year. As you prepare your Top 10 List, keep these questions in mind:

• What were your highlights? Moments …

"Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal." – E. O. Wilson

I am fascinated by the Amazon! No, not the company, the rainforest! It has intrigued and enticed adventurers for centuries due to its expansiveness, and it still holds many mysteries waiting to be revealed. Here are just a few reasons why it is truly amazing:

• The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% of the world's oxygen.
• 25% of all pharmaceuticals come from rainforest-based i…

"Nothing in life is more exciting and rewarding than the sudden flash of insight that leaves you a changed person." – Arthur Gordon Webster

Have you ever noticed how one thing can change everything?

Four thousand years ago, in ancient Mesopotamia, a group of people started to experiment by adding heat to sand, soda, and lime, and they created glass for the first time. Today that one thing has allowed us to invent microscopes that see down to the building blocks of life and telescopes allowing …

Do you have the influence you want in your career, life, and relationships?

The old school of influence comes from force. This is where people must be commanded, put in their place, and punished if necessary to get them to comply or get on board. But history has repeatedly shown that whether it’s your nation, your coworkers, or your kids, force takes a lot of energy and, in the end, almost always fails against our human nature to resist.

Influence, however, is power WITHOUT force.

What carrie…

"Massive Change is not about the world of design; it's about the design of the world." – Bruce Mau

The Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 250 acres in Singapore. It was part of the nation's plan to transform its "Garden City" into a "City in a Garden" to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery in the city. The design firms behind this epic project, WilkinsonEyre and Grant Associates, definitely lived up to the vision. The expansive park is full of remarkable architectural and …

"It's easier to disintegrate an atom than a prejudice." – Albert Einstein

The artwork of Salvador Dali is not everybody's cup of tea. He was heavily influenced by psychoanalysis pioneers like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. That being said, Dali's work has to be looked at from so many levels, and hidden themes can be discovered everywhere you look. Whether you are a fan or not, you most likely have seen one of his most famous paintings, The Persistence of Memory (on display at the MOMA in New York…