What’s your desired superpower? Mine has always been flying. I often fly in my dreams and it is exhilarating.  I wish I could experience this freedom, expansive beauty and soaring escape in real life.

But today I realized I wished for a new, different power. I wish I had the power to extend my days, to increase the number of  available hours to match the number of tasks on my To Do list.

Is that sad?

 To trade the beautiful dream of flight for the satisfaction of a tidily checked-off To Do list?

Or is this the 2010 version of the age-old human desire for immortality? With the near-endless pressures of modern life,  perhaps we wish for endless days, rather than endless years or endless youth.

At any rate (for any supreme beings that might reivew my superpower request), I’d like to quickly qualify that I would not over-rely on my new power. I would only invoke it on a shortterm basis during extraordinary, busy, pressing times. Like now–when a few extra hours today would make a difference to my organization or family tomorrow. I wouldn’t abuse it, I promise, Fairy Godmother, and during ordinary times I would employ all the tried-and-true time management tips we all know and love.

 But for now, I could use a break.

I wonder: what’s your dream superpower, and what does it say about you?

photo by oddsock

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Soon my family will be leaving for a two-week vacation to Costa Rica. It’s going to be amazing!

But the preparations for this amazing trip have been arduous. At home, virtually all my leisure time is spent figuring  out dog-care, cat-care, yard-care, arranging for some international students to house-sit….not to mention all the details of our travel itinerary and related finances. I Read the rest of this entry »

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Last Saturday, my nephew, Tristan, and his friend Josh embarked on an eight month trip across the continent—on skateboards– to raise awareness and money for Multiple Sclerosis. You can see his blog Long Way to Skate or find his group of the same name on Facebook.  The two young men are traveling from Virginia Beach, VA to San Diego without a support vehicle. They camp by night and haul all their gear on their backs by day.

Tristan is, what, 26, and taking off on this adventure of a lifetime!  And not just a carefree pleasure cruise but a journey involving a lot of hard work. A quest he hopes will make a difference to a cause for which he cares deeply.

I’m blown away. I’m so proud of him!

As I think about his journey, I find myself asking:

When was the last time that I did something truly amazing?

When was the last time I dove into a cause, lived it, breathed it, became it?

Have I dared to truly live my dreams, whatever those might be?

Have I taken on something magnificent–big or small–despite naysayers’ attempts to discourage me?

Am I fuly, as Tristan and Josh are?

We aren’t all going to purchase longboards and set off cross country. But that doesn’t mean the lessons don’t apply. We can contribute and give back in other ways. Including at work, those HR pros among us. How can we bring Tristan’s level of passion to what we do?

When the world asks, “What have you done for me lately?” what will you say?

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My friend, Shennee Rutt and I are talking about learning Spanish in 2010.

As I think about learning another language,  memories flood my mind.  I think back to my somewhat defensive reaction when a dear friend mocked my fledgling French on a business visit to Ottawa. My feelings were hurt.   “You’ll never get better until you try,” I told him, somewhat irritated to be called on my gauche American accent.

Defensive or not, I think my reaction was spot-on.  If you don’t stick your neck out, go out on a limb, if you don’t try, you don’t get better.

In a related vein, I think of all the formulative years in which my siblings and I accompanied my parents to the tennis club where we “Hit the Ball.”

Decades later, I’m still pretty darn good at hitting the ball. I can hit the ball ad nauseum.

What I’m not good at–in fact, what I’m completely lousy at– is:   Serving. Strategy. Playing a set.  Winning a match. The real world of tennis.

In other words, somehow, I never made the transition to real life.

Similarly, I took French for much of my academic career, but at this point, I couldn’t carry on a French conversation to save my life. Too many years were spent hitting the ball en Francais, in the classroom and in the lab, instead of playing the game, being out in the real world conversing with French-speaking folk.

And now, as I think about learning Spanish, I think about playing the game versus hitting the ball. Living as I do just outside of DC, I am surrounded by diversity; ethnic establisments including Salvadoran and Tex-Mex (and many more) abound. So tonight I went out to get a margarita. I ordered pupusus sin carne, con queso y frijoles. When I got my food,  I said:  Muchas gracias. And hey, when I finished my margarita, I said: Una mas, por favor!

I stumbled, it felt muy awkward. I made mistakes. But I went outside my comfort zone and did it anyway. I decided that if I don’t try, if I don’t risk, I won’t learn. It’s that simple. Some of what I said was wrong, ungrammatical, incorrect. If you are a Spanish whiz and you pick up on this, I urge you to keep your critiques to yourself. The point was that I put myself out there and I tried.

The lessons go far beyond learning a new lingua.  When we  learn new skills (whether a new software, new  job, application, industry, niche, etc.), we are essentially learning a new language. If we stay academic, in our heads, in the lab, we are at a disadvantage. At some point–and probably sooner rather than later–we need to jump in, branch out, and put our budding skills to the test in a practical way.

In the real world. Isn’t that what matters?

What new language will you learn and try and practice in 2010?

Image by Don Hankins

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How’s 2010 treating you so far?  Good, I hope!

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A few years ago, a friend’s offhand comment made me think. “I hate it when people leave their Christmas lights up all year. It’s my pet peeve.” Never having thought about being irked by this particular aspect of life, I started to pay more attention to the phenomena of quirky irritations.

What is a pet peeve? Before I consult Webster, let me take a stab at my own definition. It seems that when we admit to having a pet peeve, we are essentially saying: “I have this special thing that bothers me.” Something that doesn’t seem to annoy others but bugs the heck out of me.

Checking myself here, Merriam-Webster online defines the term as ”a frequent subject of complaint.” But whether it’s a special thing that bothers me or a frequent subject of complaint, tell me, do we really want either? To be peeved is to be offended or irritated. And when we add “pet” it seems like we are cultivating the irritation, making it ours, expanding the opportunities to be offended and attracting more of the same.

Lest you think I am being holier-than-thou, let me share  my own: when the person ahead of me rolls their cart into the grocery store entryway, only to come to an sudden and protracted stop so that I have to swerve into the citrus display to avoid a  rear-end collision while a growing clump of shoppers congeals in the traffic jam behind me. Argh, I’ve tried to abandon this pet peeve, and I’m not there yet.

If you have a pet peeve, what is it? And more importantly, could you consider putting it aside, leaving it behind?  Could you give it up for New Years, for Lent, for your own greater sense of peace?

photo  Morgan Wise

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This year, the HR Twitterverse enjoyed an awesome unconference, HRevolution,  brainchild of Trish McFarlane and  Ben Eubanks.  On his blog, Ben called an unconference “basically a conference with much less formality and structure.”

It’s the time of the year when people traditionally start thinking about New Year’s resolutions.  We’re all acquainted with the short but passionate lives of  many resolutions: what was started with such enthusiasm on January 1 is forgotten weeks later.  Moving into 2010, I’ve decided to have unresolutions.  I’ve come across a few other people doing unresolutions, like Nancy Shanteau or Stephen Shapiro and others,  each with their own unique spin.

My unresolutions will simply be resolutions with “much less formality and structure. ” Some might call them intentions, since it appears that intentions are the new resolutions in the world of goal setting.

My unresolution for this year is to make the absolute best use of a three month paid sabbatical (woot!) I have coming to me. My time off can be used in increments of two weeks, so the sky is the limit! I will travel to exciting places. I will read, I will relax, I will write. I will visit family. I will save time for myself and regardless of my activities, I will savor every minute of the wonderful gift of time.

In addition, though it might sound like I’m working at cross purposes, I am also currently doing some pretty in-depth personal strategic planning.  I will set actual goals (not un-goals) for myself, but to maximize chances of success, they won’t be tied to the calendar year. You’ll be hearing more as the process unfolds.

But for now, what about you? What (un)resolutions, (un)goals or (un)intentions do you have for 2010?

Image credit:  Virginia Zuluaga

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Be careful of your thoughts; they may become words at any moment. –Ira Gassen

“There’s nothing worse than weak coffee,” I observed gloomily, watching the stream of tea-colored liquid splashing to fill my mug in the office kitchen.
And then I caught myself. There’s nothing worse than weak coffee: Really?

Nothing?

How about war, drought and starvation, murder, rape, or the exploitation of children?

Okay, I think I can think of a few things worse than weak coffee. And then I wonder: why do we do this? Why the drama, why the exaggeration?

For the rest of the day, I am more careful with my language.

What about you, my reader: What are the areas of exaggeration or drama that you fall back on? What lessons do you have to share?

Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs. –Pearl Strachan

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In the current economy, charities encounter a double-bind: increased need coupled with lower donations. You may want to support a favorite cause but have fewer financial resources. Good news: contributions of time and professional expertise are also valued. My top suggestions:

Program Services: Staff the hot line, counsel youth, build houses.

Administration: Wearing multiple hats, nonprofit staff are stretched thin but many donors shy away from financial support of overhead and administration. It still needs to get done, of course. Do you know how to get a mailing out? Manage an event? Archive, organize or file? Answer the phone? Edit a newsletter? Solicit donations? Come on in!

Technology: Regrettably nonprofit hardware, software, social media strategies, and technology budgets may lag years behind the corporate world. This slows organizational and mission effectiveness. If you are technologically adept, nonprofits will gratefully welcome your help with every aspect of managing and furthering technology.

Training and development: A charity’s professional development budgets may be a fraction of that in the for-profit sector. If you love to teach, share your expertise in team-building, wellness, leadership, reading financial statements, employment law, emerging technologies, etc. HR professionals, help a charity update their employee handbook or improve their performance management system.

Supporting charities doesn’t solely mean writing checks or ladling lunch at a soup kitchen–as appreciated as both of those actions are. Your professional skills go a long way toward supporting the necessary infrastructure to do good in the world. And if you are between jobs, why not lend a hand to a good cause while also preparing for that later interview question, “So, how have you been spending your time?”

To find volunteer opportunities, try Idealist or Volunteer Match. Good luck and have fun!

Image credit: vpickering

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Lucky Dube was a South African musician whose name some might say failed him; he was murdered in 2008. But while he was alive, he was fully engaged in his art. Incidentally, it was said he eschewed coffee, alcohol, and drugs; the energy and passion you see is all from inside.

He was passionate, alive, full of joy and energy! He was in his element on stage.

And notice from these videos that his back-up singers and musicians are smiling and dancing and loving every minute.

And his audience is in heaven: thrilled to be there, fully in the moment.

We could all ask: Do I have half the energy, passion, playfulness, self-expression, love of life that Lucky Dube had? Can I find joy in each performance, each day, each task? Can I share the stage, inspire harmony, coordinate to make beautiful music with others? Do I give people their money’s worth–and then some? Do I leave my customers thrilled and happy and always wanting more? Do I inspire others and leave a lasting legacy?

Lucky Dube was an artist, a performer; I am not suggesting that we dance and sing around the office, though that has some appeal. But wouldn’t home and work might be happier places if we could find ways to translate such passion and energy into HR, teaching, parenting, social work, management, or nursing?

One final video. The quality is not great, but I chose to include it under the theory that engagement does not require perfect circumstances.

Thanks for indulging my tribute to a favorite artist and role model. Now, go engage with life!

(Lucky Dube, RIP–if you wish to rest, which I doubt. You’re probably dancing and singing in your afterlife.)

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