Idea Gallery

Three Steps to Overcoming Worry by Douglas Bloch

• Notice what’s happening: I’m worrying
• I’m in the present right now, worry is in the future, it can’t hurt me
• Bring yourself back to the present, a distraction perhaps, listen to some music

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Here’s a delicious quote uncle Steven shared with me: “Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn — and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People These are all perfectly natural reactions to something that you wish to improve, however they aren’t great strategies for actually improving whatever it is. When someone criticizes something you made, what’s the honest natural reaction?

My uncle Steven shared some workplace wisdom, complete with citations which I’d like to attempt to paraphrase here. Imagine the scenario, new manager Simon has a small team, lots of work is being done. The work processes are well defined and under control so he takes a closer look at some of the outlier work. One member of the team heavily under-performed on a particular task. Simon dutifully swings by and has some stern words.