some thoughts for january helping you be productive and well |
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HELLO 2021! I'm so glad you're here. I don't think I've ever been so excited and relieved to welcome a new year as I am this year. Last year was challenging on so many levels, but now we have the promise of a fresh start with 2021! Reflecting on 2020 got me thinking about change and chaos theory - the idea that out of randomness comes interconnectedness, patterns, and self-organization. That led me to read a wonderful book, Life is in the Transitions, by Bruce Feiler, that chronicles the life stories of hundreds of people. Feiler suggests our lives are less linear than we believe them to be, impacted more by disruptors that sometimes lead to "life quakes". These life quakes can be big or small, positive (a graduation, birth of child, a new job) or negative (death of loved one, getting fired, illness). Life quakes propel us into the uncomfortable states of transition and transformation. The events of 2020 were the mother of all life quakes. My hope is we are transformed for the better. I hope we value what is truly important. I hope we love more than we hate. And we use our strength and resilience to embrace the messy chaos and carry on. That said, I don't want to overburden us (or 2021) with unreasonably high expectations. We're still in a pandemic. We're still emotionally exhausted. If we consider each new day as another opportunity to show up as mindfully as we can with an eye on those transitional opportunities, then we are living our best life. That's enough. That's everything. Be well. Be safe. Be hopeful. |
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“It is when we are in transition that we are most completely alive.” -William Bridges |
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“I don’t know what’s more astonishing, the range of stories Bruce Feiler has found in asking people about their lives, or the wisdom he extracts from them." —Charles Duhigg, author of bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better |
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FEATURED PODCAST It's my pleasure to share a brand new podcast, Fresh Leaf Forever with Vai Kumar. You'll want to listen to Vai's conversations around lifestyle, education, health, nutrition, gardening, sports, cooking, fitness, integrative medicine and so much more! I was fortunate to be Vai's first guest on Fresh Leaf Forever. We had so much to talk about that we needed to record a part two. You can listen to Part I and Part II of Modern Day Student Life, Parental Influence, & Achieving Balance here. |
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I wrote The Disintegrating Student: Super Smart & Falling Apart to provide an updated roadmap to navigate the daunting journey through today's high-stakes, high-stress achievement culture. My goal is to start conversations between students, parents, educators and other stakeholders to be more astute at recognizing the early signs of struggle and intervene before students fall apart. |
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