I’ve been gripped by a lot of ‘doing’ lately –executing, planning, checking boxes, getting it done. For all this ‘doing’ to amount to anything, I know that it needs to be anchored in intention – connected with a bigger idea of what matters and where I’m aiming. If that isn’t known, then when I stop running, there’s no guarantee that I will be at the right destination. I might simply be sweaty.

After a few years of not seeing old friends, the life stories accumulate. The challenges of life that pull on our bodies, hearts, minds had gathered and pooled. All that to say that everyone with whom we reconnected had a tale to tell. Some fear. Some loss. Some strain. And yet the joys and the exuberance were also palpable – and contagious.

You’ve said it. I know you have. Maybe you even said it to me. “It’s important to me to make a difference.” “I want my work to have an impact.” And you may have quietly thought…..“it doesn’t currently,” “I’m not exactly saving the world” or even “I think it does matter but it doesn’t really feel like it…” 

Are you a part of the Great Resignation? 4.4 million people quit their job in September. Maybe you haven’t hopped, but if all the news headlines are correct, well, you sure might be thinking about it. So I want to remind you of something that is easy to forget: the win isn’t getting the job, the win is getting the job that is a match. A mutual match. 

Looking for a little more happiness in your life? May I suggest a Moai (mo-eye). Neither food nor drink, I am talking about a circle of friends. Moai are a longevity tradition on the Japanese island of Okinawa, one of 5 Blue Zones – areas of long life and health. It seems that prioritizing social connection is a superfood. And one way to do so is in a Moai.

The best way I can explain the current mood is to say that it feels like we’re all at a construction site that is breathing back to life after a long pause. Maybe the work had been stalled due to an environmental issue that needed addressing (this is a rather straightforward metaphor, no?). Last week a horn sounded signaling a return to movement.