The starfish story.

Strolling along the edge of the sea, a man catches sight of a young woman who appears to be engaged in a ritual dance. She stoops down, then straightens to her full height, casting her arm out in an arc. Drawing closer, he sees that the beach around her is

What's this thread for?

If you are not sure, look at the title. That's what it's for after all. But that's not what happens with our threads, does it? One thing leads to another and a thread (whether it's email or Slack or AI) goes from

Filling in the blanks.

We don't create the blank because we don't know what we will fill. But we won't know what we will fill unless we have the blank. Create the space for your work. The work will start showing up.

Pay attention.

What do you mean by paying? And does giving attention differ from paying attention? And what if it's stolen, not paid, not given? Attention is the torch you carry in a dark storage room. Wherever you point it, that thing gets the spotlight. Everyone wants your torch pointed

If you do this...

...then you are loved. Then you belong. Then you matter. This is false love. You are loved. You belong. You matter. Now go do what you need to do.

Nervous system regulation.

When we are anxious, one thing that helps is the company of people where we feel calm. The body responds. It becomes lighter. The breath becomes deeper. Our nervous system mirrors theirs and we move from a fight-flight state of mind to "I am safe, I am loved&

Angry solutions.

They are rarely effective and mostly not even solutions. Angry voices tell us where the problem is, not how to fix it. See what the problem is. Then calmly design a solution. Without anger. Whether the voice is outside your head or inside.

Context-switching cost.

AI can work on multiple things at the same time. Open a new session and off it goes. But you can't. Every time you switch context, your brain gets drained. Multiple rounds and your mental capacity is significantly reduced. It's better to focus on one thing,

The gift of suffering.

"What? Gift? Suffering is not a gift, it's a curse." - You might be thinking this as you read the title. And I'd agree with you, for some part. Suffering isn't pleasant. It's the absence of joy. So how can it

Smallest shippable project.

There is always something more you can do before your work goes out. This is how our work becomes a series of never-ending projects. What if, instead, you found the smallest version of your project you could ship? How would it feel to ship it rather than trying to

Yes or no?

It's a simple question with a simple answer. It seems harsh. But it is kind. A 'no' helps everyone move forward. A 'maybe' or 'later' doesn't. As Brené Brown says, "Clarity is kindness".

Caught in a loop.

Breathing happens in a loop. Thankfully. Every out-breath follows an in-breath without needing much from us. Same with the heartbeat. Virtuous loops that keep us alive. But there are not-so-virtuous loops all around us as well. Some by default, many by design. You eat one processed

Missed workout.

If you miss a workout, what do you do? How do you make up for it? Should you do three workouts in the week instead of your usual two? Should you work out harder in the next one? The answer is to simply do the next one, as if you

What if it was a gift?

What if the work you do was a gift? How would you show up then? What if the payment you receive was also a gift? How would you show up then? Transactions don't delight us. Gifts do.

One thing at a time.

That's how it works. We all know that. But a reminder helps every now and then. What's the one thing you are working on?

Angry dogs and bears.

The fight or flight (or yellow) mode is like an angry dog running after you, trying to hurt you. And you are either running or fighting it to get to safety. (This is also called sympathetic activation in the polyvagal theory of the nervous system.) If that's the

Good, bad, ugly...

...and beautiful. Everything happens if we let it. Sometimes if we make it. And when it happens, we can let it. Instead of fighting it. Or wanting it to stay forever. Joy is there if we allow it.

A hundred times over.

If you eat a pizza daily for a hundred days, you will soon become sick of pizzas. Not so much with eggs. Exceptions seem harmless because we think they are one-offs. But then the one-off can happen a hundred times. We are what we do over and over

AI ping pong.

Ping pong is fascinating to watch. So much happens so fast. But also, nothing gets done. It's brilliant as a sport, not as a workflow. Async long-form writing beats instant messaging every time. Whether you are working with humans or AI.

Feet in the air

When we learn to cycle, we focus mainly on getting our feet back on the ground... not so much on moving forward. Not to fall - that's what we care about. But once we get good at it, we don't even think of not falling. We are

Finding lions.

Take a deep breath and slowly scan your surroundings from left to right. Did you see a lion? If not, slowly exhale. Now, close your eyes and do the same thing again. Keeping your eyes closed, scan your mental surroundings from left to right. Lion? No? Exhale. A zebra'

TMM (things on my mind)

Take a sheet of paper or open a new note. Keep noting down things that come in your mind in a numbered list. Don't analyse. Don't do anything. Just keep noting them down. The first step for tackling overwhelm is to make it visible.

Rent without living.

Guilt is the old frame collecting rent. ~ My Possibility Coach (powered by Claude and The Art of Possibility )! What a beautiful way to put it. What's collecting rent where you don't even live? Or don't want to live? How can you move out?

A recurring yes...

...is not one yes. It's infinite. Same with a recurring no. Which recurring yes do you want to say no to? Which recurring no do you want to say yes to?

Sunset mode.

It's easy to confuse a sunset with a sunrise. The view is similar, but the feeling isn't. Sunset is about shutting down, ending the day, going home, getting rest. It's not the time for beginnings. It's the time for endings. A wave