Appreciating the Beauty in Everyday Things

I don’t miss anything about the darkest days of the pandemic.

I do, however, miss appreciating the beauty in everyday things.

When every day and every moment was dangerous, our worlds became small. This forced us all to spend more time at home than we were accustomed to. For me, that meant embracing routines that our pre-pandemic lives didn’t leave time for. One such routine was walking around with my camera and finding things to take photos of.

close up photo of camera shutter
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Now, I’m under no illusion that I’m even remotely proficient when it comes to the art of photography. Mainly my approach is that when I see something I like, I attempt to take a picture of it. Or at least, that was my approach in the depths of the pandemic.

These days, my camera sits mostly unused on my desk, save for the occasional dusting. These days, I feel like I need a reason to take it with me, and even when I do, I tend to walk past what I used to take great care to notice.

While things have certainly taken a turn for the better in terms of the pandemic, and we have vastly more opportunities to get back out in the world, the noise of everyday life has also returned, crowding out the mindfulness needed to slow down and take in the world we were in such a rush to return to.

I never want to relive the difficulties of the last few years, but I do want to take what I learned into whatever comes next. And perhaps, all too simplistically, the first step is to grab my camera and start appreciating everything around me again.

5 Reads: Fighting Exhaustion, Fast Feedback, Using AI Responsibly and More

Here are five articles that have had me thinking over the last few weeks:

Gallup Workplace:

The Atlantic:

Harvard Business Review:

Prosci Change Management:

The Guardian:

Small Steps Lead to Big Goals

Think about a big goal or dream that you have. What’s one small action you can take today to move closer to achieving it?

We tend to think big things happen with big efforts that result in big steps toward big accomplishments. But that tends not to be true. More often, big things happen when we muster up the courage to take the first, often small, step. Then next and the next.

Strength is found in getting started, not necessarily in waiting for the perfect moment.

So where can you take that first step?

“A year from now, you will wish you had started today.” — Karen Lamb

Even if you’re unsure about the broader goal, there’s almost nothing to lose in taking a small action. You might find that that first step is painless, opens the door to new possibilities, and makes each forthcoming action easier and easier.

Big goals and dreams happen by committing to small actions. And if you string enough of those together, you will find yourself making real, significant progress.

So where can you start? What can you do today?

Do it.

Punk Rock HR: How Change Unlocks People’s Potential

I’m incredibly excited to share the conversation Laurie Ruettimann and I had recently, where we talked about work, change, pets and potential. It’s always an honor to have the opportunity to talk shop, but even more so with a great friend.

Give it a listen or read the transcript below!
And be sure to connect with Laurie here!

5 Reads: Why Your Ideas Crash and Burn, Aiming for Fulfillment, One Year After Uvalde, and More

Here are five articles that have had me thinking over the last few weeks: