I’ve been thinking a lot about keeping my mind open and energy clear to remain open to the opportunities trying to present themselves. I picture anxiousness as static that blocks my view. It’s all busy, busy, busy in my mind’s eye until I refocus and get clear.
While this week’s shares are a hodge podge, there’s a common thread around getting clear, focused, and flexible so you can see the good that’s pushing its way to you.
Remember, we all get better as each of us gets better, so here are my shares for reaching and sustaining your best self!
Curated Shares
Curated Shares- OpenAI recently announced it’s created an advisory council focused on its users’ mental and emotional wellness. It’s good to see proactivity here….
- To thrive in a world powered by AI, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman advises people to stay fluid and nurture career skills that morph and adapt as opportunities emerge and shift. Those who thrive will: use tools as force multipliers; possess creativity/adaptability/high EQ; leverage the skills/assets AI doesn’t/won’t have (personal touch).
- When humans feel threatened, they don’t receive and process information optimally. Negotiators and therapists have discovered that asking someone what they need to feel safe is a question that dramatically accelerates progress, from hostage negotiations to marriage counseling. How can you apply this in your work and personal life?
- Would you like to see a list of 65 children’s books experts believe every child should read? I did too, here you go.
- I wasn’t familiar with the terms “Tin Man Organization” and “Octopus Organization,” but I am now thanks to this article from Harvard Business Review. Here’s a link to the full article, where you’ll learn more about both and why the Octopus model is a good one for now and the near future.
- While only 11% of the F500 companies have a woman CEO, 18% of the Fortune 50 AIQ Companies are women-led. Adaptability and flexibility are cited as factors helping these organizations build winning use cases for AI. Lots of interesting data here beyond the AI stats, take a look.
- I’m fascinated by negotiations and this short video talking about weaponizing cognitive dissonance made me sit up straight. What do you think?
- GenZ is helping pave the way for new thinking about integrating our careers into our lives instead of the other way around. This article on micro-retirement is filled with great ideas for people of all ages. If you’re not familiar with the term, micro-retirement is a self-funded break somewhere between getting your career going and deciding you’re done. It’s a purposeful pause used to take care of yourself, reassess, and potentially reconstruct your career. Is micro-retirement in your cards? If you’ve taken one or are in the midst of one now, do you have tips I can share in a future issue of Niki’s Notes?
Kindness is Contagious, Pass It Along! School Days Style
Kindness is Contagious, Pass It Along! Here are two easy ways to make the world a little kinder right in your own backyard.
- Anonymously pay off, or pay down, a student’s lunch debt. You can contribute as much or as little as you want and you’ll give a surprise boost to a family in need. Just contact your local school system to see if they have a program in place, and if they do, follow the instructions to make your donation. If they don’t have a formal program, most will give you an address for their finance office to which you can send a check with a note that you’d like to anonymously pay down/pay off a student’s lunch debt.
- Most teachers pay for supplies for their classrooms out of their own pockets. They also quietly help kids whose families don’t have the resources to pay for classroom extras. Ask a teacher if their classroom needs anything and then either buy it for them or give them some cash to help. Anything is appreciated, so you don’t need to do a lot for it to mean a lot.
Go ahead, make someone’s day brighter and watch yours light up too!
Do Good Spotlight: One Simple Wish
A new bike. A bed. A smart TV. These are simple wishes that could tremendously help a child in foster care. One Simple Wish works tirelessly to amplify the voices of children in foster care by helping them and caregivers by granting their often simple, yet always meaningful, wishes. Go ahead — see if there is a wish you can fulfill: One Simple Wish.
⏳Until Next Time…
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and only about a month away. I’m feeling grateful for so much this year despite the turmoil around us. I’m choosing to believe this disruption is showing us what’s broken and why, so we can work together to fix it.
We all win when we work together.
Niki