We love to keep things locked up in our minds where only we can see it. You have this great idea, and you let it sit there and marinate. You think about it quite frequently and you know in your heart of hearts that it is a good idea. Except that it never leaves your head.
I’ve heard a lot of people say “I hate small talk, it’s the worst!” I totally get it. There are many times when you just don’t feel like striking up a conversation. Especially those of us who are more introverted. Let’s be honest, we’re talking about networking here.
When I was in graduate school in Hawaii, there was no shortage of ways to embrace nature. It helped that I had a group of friends that was always pushing each other to get out there, go further, and challenge ourselves to do things out of our comfort zone. One of my friends kayaked around the circumference of the entire island of Lanai.
Why are we so afraid of asking for something and being told no? We worry and obsess about the possibility of rejection so much that it often freezes us from asking for something in the first place. The reality is that the consequences of asking for something and not getting it are virtually zero in most cases. Still, we worry about how people will perceive us, or maybe more importantly, how we will perceive ourselves.
Last week, the agency that I work for, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) lost over 27,000 years of experience when about 1,000 people voluntarily retired early. Among those were several of my mentors that helped me to get where I am today. Each one brought a different perspective and gave me new tools to put in my toolbox.
I recently heard a clergy member describing how we think about things that are 100 years old. In the context of people, he said, we think of someone who is 100 years old as frail and brittle and perhaps of little relevance. When we think of organizations and buildings that achieve 100 year status, we celebrate them as being strong and standing the test of time and valuable.
Nothing has taught me more about life than my time spent traveling and living in different places. By staying in our routines and continually seeing the same things over and over we become less open to the possibilities that are out there in the world.