Tag: empathy

Languishing

Fabrizio2 Comments

We are fourteen months into a major health crisis.

Again.

We are fourteen months (for some, even fifteen, sixteen, or more) into a major health crisis.

It is ok to feel down. It is ok to struggle to find motivation. It is ok to feel stuck, to have the impression that nothing is worth taking on, to think that this is never going to end, to believe that we will be in the middle for the rest of our days.

This is called languishing.

And a good antidote to it, is to give ourselves uninterrupted periods of doing. An even better antidote to it, is to give ourselves uninterrupted periods of doing something that matches with our broader sense of purpose. Arguably the best antidote to it, is to give ourselves uninterrupted periods of doing something that matches with our broader sense of purpose, and then talk about it with other people who share the same interest, with our loving ones, with the community we belong to.

We might feel like this is never ending, yet it will end.

We might feel like nothing matters anymore, yet most things still do.

We might feel like we are alone, yet we are not.

Here are three links to check out to help us manage languishing.

In or out

FabrizioLeave a comment

You are free to set some rules, to decide where the boundaries are, and what game you are playing. Actually, it is your responsibility. You should do that.

And once that is done, the next step is for you to figure out who is in and who is out, and for others to figure whether they are in or out.

You can’t be everything to everybody.

Take ownership of the process.

Shortcuts work

Fabrizio3 Comments

One problem with shortcuts is that they work.

If your sales are flatlining, a discount will probably boost them.

If you are nearing the deadline, cramming all the info you have in a format that is difficult to read will probably allow you to make it.

If you need more visitors, a catchy headline will probably get you more clicks.

If you want that bonus, you will probably get it with a good enough job.

If you want to be noticed, blabbering for 20 uninterrupted minutes in the next meeting will probably make people remember you.

Shortcuts work. And that’s pretty much where their utility ends.

They are not a basis for your next leap, a foundation on which you can build your future, a stone to step on to get closer to the change you wish to make.

Shortcuts are in the moment. And living one shortcut at a time can be an exhausting addiction.

Time to stop now.

Each and everyone

FabrizioLeave a comment

Change cannot be imposed.

You can force people to do certain things instead of others. You can persuade them to think in a certain way. You can threaten them with punishments or incentivize them with rewards. You can get compliance and meet standards. You can shout, cry, beat, chase, restrict, and silence.

None of that is change.

Change can only start from within.

And if you want to direct change towards what is good for the community, you need to involve each and everyone in the process.

Weakness

Fabrizio1 Comment

When you abuse your power and take advantage of those below you, you put your weakness on display.

When you pay someone one third of a fair salary just because they don’t know any better or they have no other choices.

When you share news that have negative impact on the receiver with a dry note.

When you ask for more despite knowing that a “no” would have negative consequences for the other.

When you point your finger towards someone who does not have it in them to counterargument.

Power is a responsibility towards those who don’t have as much.