Fuel Your Inner Drive
JoAnn is chief editor and content strategist at SheTaxi. She has an MBA from the Carlson School of Management, as well as an MA in Human Development from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from St. Olaf College.
Recently, I catch myself thinking about all the money I’ve spent in the last ten years. I look at the Under Armour running capris that I have not one, but three pairs of. I pause as I sling my Coach purse over my shoulder; a thoughtful lip purse adorns my face in replacement of the [...]
At a recent storytelling workshop, I met a very wise and accomplished woman, the sort of person I want to be someday. During the day, I was fortunate to pair up with her, and she told me, “I decided to spend time doing things that only I can do.” Her words have stayed with me, [...]
I wonder…what can a mileage cap teach us about our own physical limitations? Here’s the story. Two years ago, I signed a three-year lease for a new Toyota Prius. I love the car and love the gas mileage even more…to the tune of 50+ miles per gallon. But this lease came with a limitation…a mileage cap of 12,000 miles per [...]
Years ago, when I worked in the leadership development field, I came across a 2×2 matrix representing levels of skill. One dimension has to do with how skilled we are at something (competent), and the other dimension concerns how conscious we are about a given skill level. For example, think about riding a bike. Most [...]
It was raining, hard, as I drove from Duluth back to the Twin Cities. Road construction meant one-lane driving for miles. I was listening to “A Tale of Two Cities” on CD, with the volume on “high” to drown on the sound of rain and uneven pavement. Finally, the road construction ended at the same [...]
Is it possible to have fun at work? There are two ways to think about this. One school of thought says, no way. Think nose to the grindstone, pedal to the metal (although that could be fun, depending on the setting) or when the going gets tough, the tough get going. How many of us have [...]
Notice that “passion” and “work” are a popular pairing these days? We are exhorted to discover, follow and nurture our passions, and if we are really on top of it, we find a work setting where our passions and the organization’s mission or vision align. Managers are coached on creating a workplace where employee passions are [...]
Passion is about being alive. Our passions make us who we are, help to define us and fuel our joys. I love it when I hear people describing their passions…“I discovered beekeeping in my 30’s, and now I sell honey all over the country.” “There was just something about tax law I found so compelling…I [...]
Recently, I made a startling discovery about my attitude towards money. My epiphany arrived while I was speaking with a woman who’d spent her entire career working on boards of directors for non-profits. The conversation touched on salaries and wages that non-profit employees earn. “Doris,” I declared, “I view money as a form of energy. The more [...]
Today my horoscope hints at the disaster that will befall me if I do not attend to “every detail” to get it all “exactly right.” Uh-oh. To a recovering perfectionist, these words sound like bells ringing, signaling certain doom. I shrug off the horoscope with a little laugh. And yet, something about the horoscope rings true. Lately I’ve [...]
