Chip Conley

Being smart is about having insightful answers. Being wise is about having catalytic questions. Most questions start with Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How? My friend and author Simon Sinek suggests we start with Why, but sometimes a “Why question” can be seen as disrespectful or lacking in empathy, especially when you’re questioning someone’s motives.

I’d never heard the word “liminal” when I started writing “Wisdom@Work,” and then it seemed that life couldn’t be defined as anything but liminal (outlined in this blog post from November). Since then, it looks like the world caught a case of liminality, with profound questions now staring us in the face. What radical changes is Destiny calling us to undertake? What does this mythic moment signify?

Happy Father’s Day! In an ocean of data and podcasts, there are often purely puddles of insight. And when it comes to Wisdom, there are precious few well-regarded podcasts to be found. Of course, there are exceptions, and one of the best is called “On Wisdom.”

It’s Summer Solstice, a change of seasons. As such, we’re quoting Yoko Ono: Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.

I’ve never met author Wendy Lustbader, but I liked this 2011 book so much we named one of the sections of our MEA library after the subtitle. She’s a specialist in aging and caregiving, teaches at the University of Washington and her past books include “What’s Worth Knowing” and “Counting on Kindness.”

We’re coming upon the ten-year anniversary of the “stay woke” revolution dedicated to addressing social and racial injustice, although the idea of being “woke” has been around in the African-American community since the 60s.

Have you ever had a serious case of “gen-ling gap?” This week, I was texting with a Millennial friend, and our conversation went something like this:

Back in October, I wrote this blog post on why lifelong learning was an abstract concept that needed a physical home. This kind of adult learning seemed to be a DIY thing: it’s your responsibility to figure out how to adopt a beginner’s mind to allow curiosity to become your elixir for life. But, it didn’t feel like it was taking hold as a foundational way of being in adulthood.

People don’t want you to change. We have a “quid pro status quo” with most people in our lives. If I don’t change, you don’t change. Yet, comfort breeds apathy. And, if there was ever a time to experience some post-traumatic growth, this might be the time.

The whole MEA library is full of books that speak to the way of transition, but there’s one particular section called “How can I evolve?” that best captures the navigation of midlife transitions. William Bridges’ trailblazing book “Transitions” is there, but so is this book written twenty years later by Bridges which has the subtitle, “Embracing Life’s Most Difficult Moments.”