Category Archives: leadership

Love Notes for Change for Good

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“Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better. But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” —Wicked: For Good

I have always loved a good play on words.
Daughter and I saw Wicked: For Good in the theater today–highly recommend!
As always, it’s the nature, development, and evolution of relationships that captures me.
Friendship, romantic connection, love of all kinds, as well as fear- and shame-based decisions and actions… It’s all on my mind a lot this weekend.

So here on the second to last day of my 11th thirty day blogging challenge, I will explore relationships that change us for good. I’m excited to see what emerges!

  1. Was it a teacher? A special childhood friend? Whoever has changed you and your life for good–why not let them know today? You may not always have a chance.

2. “Like a handprint on my heart.” May you be acutely aware of the mark you make on those you meet. And may the mark be one of love.

3. Even if our encounter is brief, I believe we can impact one another in significant ways. Human connection is so powerful that way. Wield wisely, please.

4. Please know how much you matter – Your posture, your face, your words, your actions – no matter how small. Decide how you want to impact others – then own it. Do good.

5. OH my goodness our potential to impact one another’s lives for good! It’s almost infinite, I think! 😀 May we all be reverent of this power!

6. Wishing you people in your life whose influence makes you a stronger, more aware, more honest version of yourself. I wish this for all of us!

7. I so admire you – for committing to your heart’s desire and trusting yourself to pursue success with confidence! You inspire me.

8. Worthy rivals. Respectful, energetic, alert, and engaging relationships that challenge us to strive, to reach, to grow. May you have at least one great one.

9. May we hold ourselves open and willing for experiences that will change us – that will teach us lessons we may not seek. Life is about learning. Let us all be students.

10. On the highlight reel of your life, may you see repeated and bright scenes of connection and meaning. And may those people remain in your life, in your heart.

11. You push me. You challenge me. I grow through the struggle of our exchanges. You make me question and solidify my convictions. Thank you.

12. Because I know you, I have been changed for good. You think and feel differently from me and I learn from you. These lessons are important.

Well, not as good as I had hoped, but a good effort.
We’re almost to 360, my friends. That’s cool. 🙂

Love Notes for Honesty

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This one will be a challenge, friends. How does one write love notes about honesty without sounding condescending? Most of these will be self-reflection, I think. So I invite my friends to join in exploration and aspiration. Let’s see what happens!

  1. May we always be honest with ourselves first, even and especially when it’s hard. Then we can be honest with others when it matters.

2. Let us hold ourselves compassionately accountable for our biases, prejudices, assumptions, and stubborn narratives. May we own our shit for all our sakes.

3. Telling the truth can be scary and painful. But let us step up and do it anyway, kindly, directly, humanely. Our future selves will thank one another for our moral fortitude.

4. When I show up honest and open, especially facing your passive aggression, I aim to both honor my integrity and earn your respect. It’s all I can do.

5. May your most honest self always have a strong hand on the wheel of your moral car. May the signals and headlights shine bright so others see your integrity clearly.

6. May you experience many times over the benefits and rewards of honesty more than the risks and costs. The net positives outweigh the negatives if we stick with it!

7. I assume you are an honest person. I know it’s really hard to tell the truth in many situations. I respect you for standing in your honesty however possible. Thank you.

8. Ugh, my biases are strong and steer me to the far lanes of human traffic sometimes. How ’bout you? May we be both firmly and gently honest with ourselves.

9. Let us all always combine honesty with empathy, kindness, and compassion, and deliver our truths from love before anything else. Easier said than done; worth the effort.

10. Even when we are honest (which we too often are not), our truths are still only stories we choose to tell. Even we ourselves must take them with a grain of salt.

11. Yes, always be honest. And attend to context. Not every truth is appropriate for every moment. Choose wisely. Protect relationships with kindness and respect.

12. Thank you (for) being kind and discerning in your honesty. It means so much when you take others’ feelings into account when you offer your truths.

Huh. Are they love notes? Do you feel loved reading them? I hope so. 🙂

Love Notes for Empathy

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OK friends, I am positively obsessed with the Crowns trilogy by Nicola Tyche, oh my goodness. After binging the books, neglecting all others for two weeks, I started the whole series over almost immediately. I never do this! I found the paperback omnibus on Amazon today and purchased immediately; I’ll mark it up according to my audio bookmarks and hopefully document everything I admire about it here after this 30 day challenge ends. The wickedly twisted plot, heroic character development, and gorgeous prose–I’m easily affected by books, but this is truly beyond. This is the third set of Love Notes inspired by Crowns, and I won’t be surprised if it’s not the last.

What books have affected you deeply? Hmmm, maybe I’ll convene a book club around that question and others one day. That could be different and fun.

  1. When I feel your empathy, I trust you. I open to you. Thank you for this gift of human connection. Please keep offering this to us fellow humans.

2. To the judges therapists nurses law enforcement officers and all who experience the burden of vicarious trauma – may your empathy prevail over burnout.

3. Empathy requires openness and vulnerability – all human connection does. This means risk. May your bravery be rewarded so lavishly that it becomes your nature.

4. Hey friend – I know it can be hard, but let’s try our best to offer our empathy equally to all fellow humans, yes? It’s what we are called to, no?

5. When we come across someone from elsewhere, alone among us locals, may we imagine their feelings and engage with open kindness. It’s the good thing to do.

6. When I lashed out at you in anger and you turned to me in empathy and kindness, you changed me. I am still humbled and convicted from that moment. Thank you.

7. To my friends who bring stories to life – your own or others – thank you for fostering empathy and understandin(g) in us all.

8. Why is empathy so scary sometimes? Seeing ourselves in others, especially in their pain, is painful – thus scary. Let us call forth courage to face all our pain together.

9. “I’ve known this…” sadness grief loneliness anxiety May we all attend to this awareness and honor it.

10. Let us all attune and attend to the empathy of others, let the connection saturate us, so we may offer it widely, every day.

11. Empathy Kindness Compassion Generosity Connection — Regardless where we start, we can land on them all, and we’re all better for it.

12. Are your intentions malicious and hostile? No? then why might you automatically assume another’s are? Let us all practice more generously, please.

Oh I like this set, my friends. Definitely helps to have specific people in mind for each one.
Starting to consider what to do with these 360 love notes at the end of thirty days. Any ideas?