Curated Shares

• According to a new study of 3,063 people by Flexjobs, 43% of respondents said they had too much work to be able to take PTO, with 30% saying they feared falling behind if they took off. Almost 30% of those taking the survey said they’d feel too guilty, or be worried about looking like a slacker by going on vacation. NONE of the data in this Inc. article is positive. OMG, this has got to turn around!

• Jay Shetty has identified 3 kinds of leaders. ““There’s purpose-driven leaders, who focus on impact. There’s performance-driven leaders, who focus on goals, and then there’s power-driven leaders who focus on themselves. Purpose-driven leaders are the most effective, according to Jay Shetty. ‘Purpose-driven leaders are building from a place of what they didn’t have,’ said Shetty. ‘They’re trying to create for other people what they wish they had for themselves.” He added, “When they failed, the purpose driven leader never changed their purpose. They just found a new way.’”

• Did you ever wonder why some people gravitate to relationships that aren’t healthy? It could be that they’re trying to work through a childhood challenge being attracted to someone who seems “familiar” and desiring to fix what they couldn’t fix when they first encountered this type of person in their family. Sharing this interview with Elizabeth Gilbert by Oprah Winfrey because it says so much so succinctly.

• Sharing this great article called “Should You Just Give Up” by Joshua Rothman from The New Yorker talking through the when’s and why’s of throwing in the towel. I love it because I have often walked away from endeavors that weren’t working and never thought of it as a failure. But I’ve encountered so many people who will keep at something until it nearly kills them rather than step back and say, “Hey, I don’t think this is for me.” Jobs, a bad first marriage, relationships with not-so-great-friends, boards, businesses…all on the list of things I tried, tried more, and then stepped back to reassess when the results were not positive. So if you or someone you care about is hesitant to walk away rather than “quit” and have access I highly recommend the read.

• Are you familiar with 996? I’m seeing it everywhere these days. It means a 12 hour work day (9 am to 9 pm) 6 days a week. I think it’s dreadful, but some people seem to thrive on the grind (see first bullet, take a vacation!). In case you cannot see the full article in Fast Company, here’s a snippet: “If a 72-hour workweek sounds all-consuming, that’s precisely the point. The 996 schedule—which became popularized in China, eventually leading to protests and even claims that it led to a handful of worker deaths—is meant to foster a eat-sleep-work lifestyle. Keith Spencer, a career expert at FlexJobs, told Fast Company that the trend is most commonly being seen across AI startups that ‘are embracing this approach to accelerate growth and remain competitive on a global scale.’”

• Are you sure you’re pronouncing that right? I’m a notorious mispronouncer because I learn a lot by reading and, well, you know, phonetics only gets you so far. Here’s a fun list of commonly mispronounced foods.

Kindness is Contagious, Pass It Along!

So often we get stalled out by the pressures of the day, so I’m so impressed with people who rise above the day-to-day to do something nice for others. It’s even more impressive when they are so encouraged by their first successes that they launch something even more amazing. Case in point: Letters Against Isolation. 

It started with Shreya and Saffron Patel calling their grandparents to help them combat their loneliness during the Covid crisis. Then the Patel sisters decided to spread the joy by sending handwritten letters to residents of assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The demand for letters quickly outpaced them, and Letters Against Isolation was born! The organization now services thousands of seniors in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.

What little thing can you do to brighten someone’s day? Bonus: yours is going to light up too!

Do Good Spotlight: Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents

 I learned about Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents during a presentation called Living a Legacy of Kindness by Jenny Haase and Brad Aronson.  It was started 7 years ago by a young girl named Ruby Kate Chitsey who was saddened by the lack of resources for residents of a nursing home to purchase simple personal items. Ruby has gone on to grow an amazing not-for-profit and she is still a teen. Need to be reminded there’s a tremendous amount of good in the world? Here you go, read about Ruby and her phenomenal successes on behalf of others. 

⏳Until Next Time…

Did you know most Americans say they wouldn’t mind buying a haunted house? I’m not one of them, just sayin’. 👻

Niki