How to Stop “The Drift”

“I used to be fierce,” she said.  ”I don’t know what happened.”

“I fell into a career I didn’t really want,” he said.  ”It’s too late to change now.”

Have you, like my two friends, ever woken up one morning wondering, “How did I get here?”

American philosopher and writer, Henry David Thoreau, said, “Our life is frittered away by detail.”  As task oriented people, it’s easy for us to move from one “thing” to the next until we wind up in a place we don’t recognize.  Or even like.

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It’s “The Drift.”  And it can happen to any of us.  And it usually happens slowly.

Like a boat tied too loosely to the dock, we can drift away from our moorings.  Slowly, slowly, the waves of life rock us, push us, nudge us . . . and eventually the knot pulls out and we drift gradually out to sea.  Eventually, we can drift so far out to sea that shore is no longer in sight. Continue reading

Why I Hate “Rudy”

I hate the movie Rudy.  Really, I do.  Mostly, I hate what the movie purports to teach kids about setting goals and what it takes to succeed.

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Disliking a movie like Rudy, where an underdog triumphs against seemingly insurmountable odds,  makes me almost un-American, doesn’t it?

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The Voice Inside Your Head

The other day I was talking to a friend about a project I’m working on.  This project is important to me–it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.  We talked about my progress and then I reluctantly shared the fear that my work wasn’t good enough.  Then I waited for her reaction.  It was swift and certain.

“Your work isn’t that good,” she said.  “This project is beyond you–what were you thinking by taking it on?  You should stop now.  Just admit you can’t do it.”

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This conversation happened with a friend I’ve known my entire life.   She’s my very best friend.

Or is she?

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