Humans weren't designed to function like machines. The industrial revolution fueled this misconception, pushing for maximum efficiency at any cost. But the hard reality is that each person has limits and pushing beyond them leads to eventual burnout.
This season full of wonder, gratitude, and hope often tends to get overshadowed by the loss of someone very important who I loved deeply. I lost my dad unexpectedly 7 years ago around this time. Every time we reach the point in the year where Michael Buble’s Christmas album starts playing on the radio, it leaves me with the question: can gratitude and pain coexist?
Remember the days when someone asked a question and you actually had to use your brain to find the answer? Now we just Google it. It’s a privilege to have access to the information we have today. I can look up Premier League stats on the fly. I can figure out how to change my own oil.
Every experience with grief is unique and nuanced. These are some things I’ve learned as I’ve walked my journey. I hope they encourage you as you travel yours.
Strengths are our innate patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. These character traits and skills are often easily recognizable to who we are and how we operate.