Life occurs in modalities. At times we’re in a mode of performance and effort. Other times we’re in a mode of rest and renewal. Both modes are equally important. The space in-between, however, can be uncomfortable.

Last year I found myself stepping back from having been in performance mode for an extended period of time. (more…)

I’ve recently had multiple people tell me that things at work have gotten so bad that they’ve cried on the job. This breaks my heart. It kills me to hear about twenty-something year-olds who really want to care, but are already giving up hope. It breaks my heart to hear about grown men whose jobs cause them so much pain they can barely get out of bed in the morning. It makes me sad to hear about competent, hard-working women being spoken to in ways that are unprofessional and frankly, inappropriate.

It breaks my heart, because I know what it feels like. I distinctly remember when a month into a former job, a colleague showed me where her “crying spot” was. At the time I found this odd and disconcerting, but I soon adopted the hiding spot myself. I was on a difficult project that made every single person on the team cry, including my boss. It was a toxic situation and even though it was many years ago, I’ve never really forgotten it. (more…)

I took this picture in a bonsai garden when I was a senior in college. The night before I’d caught a flight on a whim from Pittsburgh, PA to San Francisco. Graduation was just around the corner and I was deeply questioning my direction. It struck me as ironic that even this exotic garden was telling me to Please Stay On Path. It was my first time in Northern California. In part the trip was for a boy, but in part it was fueled by something more subconscious. It was about something more primal. It stemmed from a deep need to believe that life could contain possibility and that my path could be meaningful.

Over a decade has passed since that spontaneous, late night, cross-country flight and I now live in San Francisco. A lot has changed, but one thing that hasn’t is my thirst for life and my pursuit of discovery. Over the years, I’ve found that this perspective flies in the face of convention. To this day I’m often reminded to please stay on path.

Life doesn’t have to be linear.

There’s this widely held notion of how we’re meant to progress in life. We all know the drill: college, job, promotion, marriage, mortgage, children, repeat, etc. The problem with this cultural narrative, however, is that we’re living in a time where change is both constant and necessary. Staying on path is not particularly authentic anymore. In fact, it’s pretty limiting. (more…)