One of the things you learn as a teacher is to hold back.

You can’t share everything you know, no matter how willing the student is. You have to slowly drip out the information over time. It’s even better when you can structure the student’s learning such that they are taking actions that lead to growth and insight without you having to explain anything.

For a student who is hesitant or uncomfortable, giving them everything you’ve got will be overwhelming and frustrating. You serve them better when you do less and give less.

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I’ve observed that many high-achieving creatives, leaders, and business owners have a dirty little secret: They struggle with planning.

They rely on a clear vision, external accountability, or both in order to successfully navigate professional life.

And sometimes they pull all-nighters or all-weekenders in order to make up for the missing plan.

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She’s discreet and thoughtful.

She anticipates your needs. It’s almost like she’s reading your mind.

She’s happy to do the things that you don’t want to do, and she does them with style and flair.

She more than pays for herself with the time and money she saves you.

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I tend to have trouble sticking to a routine.

I thought this was a personality trait. Ironically, though, it’s a habit: a habit of not having consistent habits. I supposed it stems from personality traits, like my desire for novelty and my optimistic take on life. But the pandemic has shown that, when the variables are reduced, I can stick to a routine just fine. And in fact, I’ve really benefited from doing so.

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I’m learning where all of my tulips are.

It’s our first spring in our new home. There weren’t too many daffodils, sorry to say, but the tulips are plentiful. Interestingly, many are hiding in places that I wouldn’t have considered to be garden beds. There’s a few yellow ones in a cluster of weeds along the fence line. There’s a single purplish one in the very corner of the yard in the shade of a giant spruce tree. And there are a few lurking under a sprawling forsythia; most of these didn’t have enough resources to flower.

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