Consistency + Surprise
“Three and one!” That’s my fitness instructor, calling out a change in tempo as we lift weights to music. We’ve been doing bicep curls “two and two” … down two counts, up two counts. Now it’s time to adjust the rhythm. Why? Because our bodies [...]
Ask me another one
I’ve been thinking about questions, mostly about asking them. We were in Nashville two years ago for a long weekend and took Lyfts everywhere we needed to go. Every trip was $6.15, no matter how far we went. Sitting in the backseat I was relaxed and [...]
Is it smart or shameful to manufacture Q&A?
Dear Corporate Poet & Cutter of C.R.A.P.: After all these months of practice, we’re finally pretty comfortable with virtual meetings. Everyone has figured out how to join a call on almost any platform, most have full command of the mute button, and only a handful [...]
We’re Not Just Playing Around
The thrill of dumping 2020 and starting a new year has us looking for new ways to refresh. This means refilling our creativity buckets and using a sense of fun and play to get there. Story Mode programs are crazy fun because we believe that [...]
Make this your mantra
Back in olden times, when gyms were open and we could sweat together in person, I was a regular at my local Y, showing up most days of the week for some kind of group fitness class. As much as possible, I opt in to [...]
What Can You Do Right Now?
Katie doesn’t know what to do with me. There are seven of us here today and as she rattles off assignments, I hear everyone’s name but my own. “Randy, you’ll be in the loading dock. Sue, you’ll be a shopper.” Everyone gets up to start [...]
How Does That Make You Feel?
Raise your hand if you’ve been in therapy. Thank you, everyone. Put your hands down now. Like many of you, I am no stranger to psychotherapy and owe my life to some amazing therapists. However, their insistence on talking about emotions makes me crazy. I [...]
My first draft of this article was a mess of Post-It® Notes
If you write at work, your first draft need not look anything like the final product. Rather than jumping into a full page or screen, start small. Bit by bit and with surprising speed, you can build strong messages with Post-it® Notes. In many ways, [...]
On Giving Up
It begins with love at first sight. Maybe the thought surprises you, waking up with you in the morning after a night of heavy dreaming. You date for a while and the words flow easily. You have finally found your story. But then little things [...]
A creative entrepreneur’s pandemic journey: an illustrated tale
(inspired by Laura Numeroff, one of my favorite children’s book authors; illustrations by yours truly) If you give a creative entrepreneur a moment—say, a few months of no travel and reduced client demand due to a global pandemic—she’s going to get an idea. Maybe even [...]
Hold That Pose: Looking In and Looking Out
You do not want to have me next to you in a yoga class. I’m terrible at it. No flexibility or grace. In fact, I don’t even like it all that much. Give me some dumbbells and the world floats away while I count reps [...]
Monotony got you down? Take up this boredom-busting challenge.
I poured one last cup of tea, propped my iPhone against the empty teapot, kicked my feet up on my desk, and FaceTimed Jill. For weeks on end, we’d been in one virtual meeting after another, simulating “eye contact” and making creative progress with [...]
Are You On A Mission?
MISSION STATEMENTS SUCK. At least that’s what I thought until recently when Beth and I had to coach our leadership development students to write their own personal mission statements. My job was to help them to decide what their statement should be. This entailed long discussions of [...]
Words to say & stifle: a cheat sheet for workplace conversations
Things are a mess right now. I’ll spare you a detailed description of “these challenging times” and instead offer a litany of key words so your creative brain can fill in the blanks: division, unrest, virus, politics, restrictions, distance ... But wait, there’s more. In [...]
What’s a Meta For?
Who doesn’t love a good metaphor or simile? They may not be as fun as a barrel of monkeys and perhaps you find them dull as dishwater. Now because time is money...I’ll move on. (See what I did there?) We talk about these two language tools [...]
Torch these trigger phrases in these trying times
The other day I was lacing up my shoes to take my favorite podcast for a walk. The episode was one I’d started earlier, having left off at a commercial break. So when I pressed play, an advertiser began: “In these challenging times ...” Nope. Before [...]
Stuck? A little alphabet soup will help.
You have something to say. Well, you’re supposed to have something to say. “They” expect you to have something to say. You sit down to write. Nothing comes. A few words finally trickle out. They’re awful! &#%!@?! You are stuck. And being stuck sucks. Being [...]
A litany of life lessons, just one at a time
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned …” It’s a phrase that makes you want run, right? Typically, those words are followed by someone’s hard-won wisdom. The kind of advice the giver is determined to share, regardless of how heavily the receiver sighs or rolls her [...]
Having trouble reading in isolation? Me too.
Books are my jam. I read them for pleasure, focus, enrichment. Books capture my attention, inspire my imagination, and comfort my soul. They teach me. Because my default learning mode is “on,” I’m always consuming books in various forms: a physical book to savor at [...]
For now, let’s look beyond that Magic Football
Who’s on your mind right now? In this uncertain time of the coronavirus, the people I’m thinking about are: Striving to stay fit and sane while honoring social distancing rules in a crowded metropolitan neighborhood Navigating a new “workplace” from a makeshift home office, having [...]
4 books that will change your creative life
“What are you reading?” It’s the question I love to ask when I meet others who value great stories, good writing, and creative thinking. When the answer strikes a chord, I add the title to my Goodreads “want to read” list. And when a friend [...]
No joke: serious questions for smart storytellers
Ann, Barb, and Chuck walk into a meeting room. Sounds like the start of a joke, right? Actually, it’s the start of a storytelling project. These three managers have been designated “storytellers” for an event their company is hosting next month. A crowd of their [...]
Get unstuck: 10 ways to banish writer’s block
A note from Beth: I first published this advice on the Spencer Grace website and LinkedIn, way back in May 2015. Though I do sometimes change my tune, this remains one of my loudest anthems. If you're tired of singing the sad song of writer's block, [...]
A creativity wish list for grown-ups
We finish a season of wish lists and enter a phase of resolutions. We’re always wanting something, aren’t we? I’m writing this post in that strange and wonderful week when Christmas Day has past, Hanukah is in progress, and New Year’s Day is soon to [...]