I’ve been thinking a lot about defiance lately. Actually, because I’m very much a contrarian at heart, I’m always thinking about ways to defy. That’s what contrarians do; they defy conventional wisdom (among other things). (By the way, it seems pretty clear that we need a lot more contrarians in the world.) I guess you could also say that I’m part of the resistance against … Continue reading Repost: Napping as an Act of Defiance
I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. The day I say goodbye to my room. We’ve been together for 25 years. Even longer if you count the time we spent together before we made things official. Continue reading Ending In Divorce: A Vocational Love Story
I have a serious beef with some of our tried and true inspirational sayings. It’s bad advice! In fact, I’ve discarded it for most of my life and that seems to have worked out pretty well so far. But, I’m tired of seeing others suffer needlessly as they cling to this nonsense, believing they’re doing the right thing. Continue reading Bad Life Advice I’m Tired Of Hearing
I’ve been forgetful lately. I’m talking like, I’ll be in one part of my house, decide that I need something from another room, head to that locale, and as soon as I arrive there, I can no longer recall what I wanted to get. I know this is a near universal human experience because I’ve had numerous friends, once I’ve told them about this tendency … Continue reading Repost: Does Anyone Know Where I Left My Car Keys?
My friends, family, and former colleagues often ask me whether or not I miss flying. It’s been a year since I handed in my resignation letter and decided to divorce from a 12-year career. I’m incredibly fortunate to have had the time to decompress following all the political upheaval I was caught up in Hong Kong. When people ask me if I miss it, my honest … Continue reading Why I Miss My Job but Don’t Regret Leaving It
Its such a wonderful feeling when we attend a staff development session that ignites a fire, creating enthusiasm. It doesn’t happen very often, but that’s what happened last week. Its the start of the new academic year, and as always, we start off with some staff development. I can’t say I was thrilled with much of the mandatory routine coverage, but there were a couple … Continue reading Are we coping with the mix of generations at work?
If you haven’t already done so, you might want to have a look at part one. That one was mostly about work. This second piece will be more focused on money; although, work and money really go hand in hand because without the former, the latter is hard to come by. In part one, I mentioned (and linked to) “The Shame that Keeps Us in Our … Continue reading Repost: On Work and Money: Part Two
It would be illusory to think that we leave our personal culture, beliefs and values in the locker room of our workplace and work mechanically. It would be also boring, I think. Therefore, some questions about work popped up. I believe that most of us hope to have the opportunity, through work, to gain recognition of our personal worth, of our uniqueness, in short of … Continue reading Why Some Questions about Work Popped up on My Mind
Earlier this week I read “The Shame that Keeps Us in Our Jobs,” an article by Paul Millerd, one of my LinkedIn contacts. Millerd’s piece, about work, work culture, and money, got me thinking about a whole bunch of topics. This blog is the result of that rumination. I want to begin with something I’ve wondered about throughout my career as a college and university … Continue reading Repost: On Work and Money: Part One
I don’t think this is going to be anything like any of my other blogs. Actually, I’m not for sure what this is going to look like or how it might turn out. That’s why I’m calling it an “experiment.” I will conduct my experiment by asking a series of personal, self-discovery questions and then answering them. Each response will be used to generate another … Continue reading Repost: Experimenting with Self-Discovery in Real Time
I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do since divorcing from my career last year. I took some time. I went back to therapy. I started getting up at the same time every single day (something I’d not managed for more than a week in over a decade). I’ve got my evening and morning routines down to the letter! In the mornings, I get up before taking … Continue reading Smashing My Routine
Have you ever wanted to reinvent your life? Have you tried several times but failed? Reinventing yourself professionally or personally can be a challenge but also a great adventure. Follow these 6 steps to succeed. First step: find or wake up one of your passions. Concluding one phase and starting another one is not easy. Reinventing yourself requires more commitment than a simple change. Consequences may … Continue reading Reinventing Yourself Could Be a Good Idea. Find It Out How by Following These 6 Steps
Employers expect us to be loyal, but its not always possible for the loyalty to be returned. how might this imbalance impact the employment relationship? Continue reading Understanding the impact of loyalty
Son of a bitch… Are you kidding me? Again?!”
I stared down at the scruffed-up little kitten who had just crawled out from under my backyard brush. Continue reading Stray Kitten Karma- A True Story
One most often sees Right Livelihood, the fifth path factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, defined negatively, in terms of not causing harm. … This naturally may raise the question: Ought right livelihood to do significantly more than simply not harming and not impeding spiritual growth? Ought it not to go farther, and do something positively beneficial as well? Continue reading Right Livelihood: Is It More Than Not Harming?
Life is like a great meandering stroll through a vast wilderness of ever-changing scenery. Such a long tramp is bound to change us, so it’s highly likely we’ll undergo one transformation after another as we travel. I was an only child during the earliest stages of my “journey.” I spent the first few years of my life living in a quiet, rural setting where neighbors … Continue reading Repost: Others
How do you feel about dress codes at work? Are they necessary or outdated? That’s the question I’m exploring in this post. Continue reading Are employment dress code days numbered
A few days ago, I had a Zoom meeting with Omar, my nephew by marriage. It’s been a while since I last mentioned that I married an Egyptian woman—a truly beautiful person named Azza—a little more than twelve years ago, back when I was living in Cairo, Egypt, and teaching at the American University in Cairo. Omar is Azza’s sister’s son. He’s in his early … Continue reading I Wish You Well, Omar
Watching the news in the UK, it seems as though many organisations, particularly in the public and third sector are riddled with racism, sexism, homophobia and examples of bullying and harassment to such a degree that its embedded in the culture of these organisations. It does make me wonder just how widespread institutional discrimination might be in all organisations across our society. Twenty years on … Continue reading The role of Culture in organisations to perpetuate discriminatory practices
Dear, Readers, I’m speaking for all Wise & Shine writers when I say that we so appreciate your continued support of this blog. To show how thankful we are, we want to ask you to share a link to your blog or site in the “thoughts” or comments section at the bottom of this page. Please feel free to include a statement about what inspires … Continue reading Sharing is Caring
