‘Dis my month! I clipped my nails for this shit.
November is National Novel Writing Month. The challenge is to write a novel in 30 days. Good or bad. The point is produce. Just write.
For my challenge, I’m going to write something new here every day. No novel needed. May we brave forward.
Soft Skills
Soft Skills are personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people. There’s a lot of corporate speak behind the concept of soft skills. But it’s more. Soft Skills determine the quality of every part of our lives.
Imagine yourself deep into work. You’re famous, so there’s a meteor of pressure for perfection. Guitar in lap. You’re midway through recording your latest track. In the zone, and then…tap tap tap…you’re yanked out of flow.
Soft Skills is you go swimming.
What’s really important? Time is abundant. Soft Skills is about feeling abundant with our time. We can afford to be present. Acknowledgement. Not reaction. Oxytocin. Not adrenaline.
Being open with your time while managing the quality of your time spent are the foundations of soft skills. It’s why we love Dave Grohl. He literally breaks a leg on stage and comes back to finish the show.
Life comes at us from all directions. How we embrace it is all that matters. “Yes, and…”
I work in a thousand plus person company. I’ve networked with people across our industry and met with all kinds of managers, salespeople, recruiters, etc. I’m in communicato with people all around the world. Soft Skills are rare. Authenticity is less than common. At work, everyone’s corporate pretending. I’ve seen people stare at their phone’s blank home screen just to avoid acknowledging others.
Improv is about rolling with happy accidents. Have an honest moment. “Yes, and…” When improv goes well, the whole audience laughs. It’s good and fun together. We build connections where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. So, I’m improv-ing my life.
Cut the unimportant stuff out of life and focus on quality time. #sparkjoy