May 2023 Top 3

Top 3

May 25

May so far has been full of evolution in my orbit. Kids are changing, career is evolving and growth abounds.

All of these recommendations this month found me by the bountiful people in my world. I am inspired daily by the greatness around me and am deeply grateful for the many teachers in my life. GAH - I am a lucky duck.

Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood

This book had me nodding my head emphatically. Here is an overview of the chapters:

Totally Competent except when She’s Not
Allergic to Questions
I’m Upset, Now You’re Upset
The Inner Compass
Sleep vs Technology
Nodding without Listening

I love that this book mixes good old psychology with practical lessons and stories. I read 10 pages of this book and immediately bought 5 copies for friends. All my people raising little ladies need to read this.

STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie, On Apple.

Women of a certain age will remember Alex P Keaton first and foremost when thinking of Michael J. Fox. He was dreamy in a Team Edward type of way. His story has only become more interesting and admirable and this deeper look brought back so much of my 80’s nostalgia and brought a much deeper message. This was a beautiful reflection on grit.

“The sad sack story is, Michael J. Fox gets this debilitating disease and it crushes him.”

“Yeah, that’s boring.”

Integrity, interview of Michael Jensen by Karen Christensen

I had been thinking a lot about contracting and the ethics of the work we do as agents and wrestling with the notion of professional diligence, integrity and how that intersects with personal mission. I often feel a deep commitment to the success of my clients and it has becoming a defining, near haunting thought pattern for me. Living a mission-driven life is of great importance to me on the personal front as well as my professional life. I say it all the time, it’s an honor to do this work- because it really is.

A client turned friend, friend turned client…. Sent this to me. We are kindred spirits on the career, mom journey and I respect her greatly. When she said that this was life changing, I took note.

It’s pretty great.

"You simply cannot be a whole and complete person if you do not honor your word to yourself. "

"For most people and organizations, integrity exists as a virtue rather than as a necessary condition for performance. When held as a virtue rather than as a factor of production, integrity is easily sacrificed when it appears that a person or organization must do so to succeed. Integrity is a necessary condition for maximum performance. That is, if something is in integrity (is whole, complete, unbroken) it has maximum workability. But because it takes more than workability (a product of integrity) alone to realize maximum performance, integrity is not a sufficient condition for maximum performance. The proposition is that if you violate the Law of Integrity, the opportunity set for your performance will shrink and therefore your actual performance is likely to suffer. As with the gravity analogy, this is just a plain fact: if you attempt to violate the Law of Gravity without a parachute, you will suffer severe consequences. We argue that if you respect the Law of Integrity you will experience enormous increases in performance, both in your organization and in your life. "