Curated Shares

• I can’t link to the story that inspired this note because it’s from a private account on Facebook but let me summarize it. Two lifelong friends were baffled by the other’s opposing views of someone in the news. Each is a good person, so they couldn’t reconcile each other’s social posts. However, when they stopped texting and talked with each other, they were amazed to learn that their perspectives about this celebrity were shaped solely by what each had been shown in their news and social feeds.
  
  Going point by point, each discovered from the other information that had NEVER been presented to them. They had been 100% manipulated by what showed up in their feeds. And if you believe that what you have seen is the truth, it doesn’t occur to you that someone else is being served a different truth.
  
  I was so blown away by the exactness of their point-by-point discoveries that I had a conversation with a friend who sees the world very differently from me. Our conversation 100% aligned with the story shared on Facebook. She never saw what I had been seeing and vice versa.
  
  PLEASE don’t automatically assume that people who think differently from you are ill-informed, mean spirited, etc. In these challenging times, I suggest you FIRST ASSUME they have been fed completely different information and, dare I say it, your information is probably skewed, too.Please consider when someone surprises you with their extremely different views that you’re both operating from different “truths” and work together to find reality through rational discourse.

• We’re all expected to live much longer than our grandparents, and this TEDTalk made a point I hadn’t considered: many of us will spend a third of our lives retired. It’s never too early to watch this short (less than 15 minutes) talk that suggests we reframe how retirement will work for us to get a head start on how to optimize it. Thanks to Sue Colie for the share.

• Heading into a difficult conversation? This infographic provides easy tips to make the conversation go smoother and be more productive.

• I like to think I’m aware of how we’re surveilled publicly, but I learned a lot of (scary) stuff from this NY Times article written by Elizabeth Daniel Vasquez, who ran a practice inside Brooklyn’s public defense office focused on the police department’s use of science and technology. Eye opening! (The link gets you the full article.)

• I learned a new word this week. It’s “nunchi,” and it’s Korean. It means the art of reading the room. It’s taught to young children to help them learn to observe and listen before speaking so they are cued into situations better. We could all learn a little from this, I think, so here you go…

• The Executive Unlock is a new service from Adam Connors and NetWorkWise that you may want to check out if you’re looking to make a pivot in your career or with your business. Surround yourself with people who surround themselves with the right people and make things happen for you.

Kindness is Contagious, Pass It Along!

I saw a home security video of a UPS driver moving garbage cans in front of a box containing a large toy he was delivering. He took time to cover up the gift so that it was hidden from potential thieves. Less than a minute of his time helped ensure the child received their gift. Way to go UPS dude!

Do Good Spotlight: Doctors Without Borders

Working ceaselessly around the globe to bring medical personnel and supplies to those in need, Doctors Without Borders is one of the organizations I’ve supported whole-heartedly for years.

Until Next Time…

Now more than ever, before reacting, choose wisely. Leverage the strength of “the pause,” and seek to understand why the other person is feeling/expressing what they are. Are they operating from a truth deficit? How trustworthy is your source? This is our crisis, and we need to revoke the trust we’ve put into our sources and reassess everything.

Niki