Can you hear me?
“Communication works for those who work at it.”
- John Powell
Communication is one of the most powerful tools available to a person. It’s no coincidence that oppressive regiems limit their citizen’s ability to communicate between one another and attempt to be the only outlet for any information. Communication is how we interact with the world and each other. The picture above was taken at Lakeshore Drive this morning. There were hundreds of dump trucks lined up end-to-end to ensure that the communication happening at the NATO Summit wouldn’t be disturbed.
So if this is one of the most important skills, then why is it then that there are poor so many communicators out there? In the business realm, I feel pretty good about my ability to communicate in an effective and direct way. But with friends and those close to me, I start to feel much less so. When emotions are high, everything starts to get fuzzy. Maybe it’s the clarity of goals at work. I know that X needs to happen to reach the goal of Y. So I’m able to understand and work towards Y, helping others see and work on what needs to be done.
But I become much less sure of what to do in my personal relationships. This is something I’ve always struggled with. Whenever I let someone down, or my expectations aren’t met, I have real trouble knowing what to say or do in order to make things right. This is on my mind today because there was a recent miscommunication with someone I care about, who I disappointed. And I’m not sure what to do. In the end, I’m sure I’ll learn from this experience and be better for it.
And that’s all we can do, right? Take each experience, learn what we can from it, and continue working to be the best person we can be.
Thanks for reading and make it a great week, all.
Comfortable?
“Somewhere along the line we seem to have confused comfort with happiness.”
- Dean Karnazes
The picture above was taken somewhere during the second half of Berlin Marathon in 2011. Three years ago, if you would have told me that I would be running a marathon, much less one on another continent, I would have said you were crazy. But, here I am, having run two marathons on two continents and planning my third in the fall in South America. In fact, I just signed up for this summer’s CARA marathon training a few minutes ago. More…
The Man in the Arena
It’s been an exhausting few weeks. And I’m not going to be slowing down anytime soon.
A New Start
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
- Walt Disney
Howdy from Happy Valley!
“Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world.”
- Susan Lieberman
Ready for some action?
“Just do it.”
- Nike
The picture above is from the whiteboard over my desk. I put this quote up to remind myself not to put things off. I used to be a terrible procrastinator. And still am with some things. Like writing this post at 11:44 pm for example. But I am doing it.
Changes Ahead, Behind, and All Around
“Twenty years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
-Mark Twain
Adventures in Eating – Chef’s Week
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
- Virginia Woolf
One of my favorite things about Chicago is the food. I joke with friends that I’ve been eating my way through the city since I’ve moved here, but that’s not far from the truth. Chicago is a city where you can throw a rock in any direction and hit a handful of good restaurants. Of course, everyone knows about the deep dish pizza. But there’s far more than that to be found here. And special events like Chef’s Week - when many restaurants have a special prix fixe menu at much lower cost – make exploring new places easy and affordable.
Happy St. Paddy’s from Chicago!
Hope everyone had a safe, fun St. Paddy’s Day!