Enlarge The Box

“Every problem, every dilemma, every dead end we find ourselves facing in life, only appears unsolvable inside a particular frame or point of view. Enlarge the box, or create another frame around the data, and problems vanish, while new opportunities appear.”

— The Art of Possibility, by Benjamin and Rosamund Stone Zander

Empathy

“Traits like humility, courage, and empathy are easily overlooked – but it’s immensely important to find them in your closest relationships.”

 – Laura Linney

Accident and Discipline

"You must walk a tightrope between accident and discipline. Accident by itself... so what? Discipline by itself is boring. By walking a tightrope and putting down something on canvas coming from your guts, you have a chance of making marks that will live longer than you."

-Fritz Scholder

Something You Love

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”

-Maya Angelou

Why You Turn Up

You turn up because of the people around you.

You know, the ones with common interests and sense of ambition.

The ones who want to invent new things and do old things better.

The ones whose distortion of reality present challenges that stretch you.

The ones who give you freedom to do things differently.

The ones you trust not to drop the ball (there are no ball droppers here).

You even turn up for the ones who grate on you (they’re also brilliant).

You turn up because the people around you value what you do.

They believe in you and give you what you need.

Together you create something more than a job.

Don’t settle for anything less.

Originally appeared on Medium and Swiss Miss

Dare Greatly

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, 

because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly...”

-Theodore Roosevelt

Trust Your Compass

The sailor cannot see the North but knows the needle can.
Trust your compass.

-Emily Dickinson/Carl Kurtz

Creativity

"'I'm not very creative' doesn't work. There's no such thing as creative people and non-creative people. There are only people who use their creativity and people who don't. Unused creativity doesn't just disappear. It lives within us until it's expressed, neglected to death, or suffocated by resentment and fear."

-Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection