May 2021

“Never complain, never explain.” -Katharine Hepburn There is a Chinese saying, “chi ku” which translates to “eating bitterness.”  It’s a Confucian concept meaning that one should suck it up.  And, in our family, we do, but not in silence.  We have lifted up complaining to a high-art form.  I come from a long, illustrious line […]

I recently saw a talk that showed the way to increase influence is to recognize the difference between what you want to say and what the other person needs to hear.   For example: Your partner complains, “You NEVER do the dishes.” In that moment, you can react emotionally with a quick retort with what you

Human beings are uniquely remarkable for our ability to tell stories.  We are not the fastest, strongest, fiercest species.  What we lack in tooth and claw, we make up for in imagination and the ability to create stories that move us.  It allows us to believe in ideas like love, faith, nations and companies. While

We create so much mind drama about the fundraising process (Guessers, anyone?), but it really boils down to a simple equation. Asks-no’s = yeses. I’m no mathematician, but it seems pretty simple to me. The more asks we put out, the more rejections we will get, but the more yeses we will get too.  I’ve