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Stimulus Maximus

Monday, July 27, 2009

When the swirl of life pushes me toward overwhelm, my automatic response is to rush toward stimulus minimus. But there’s an error of perspective there. What I really want is stimulus maximus, just like everyone else on the planet. I want the maximum input that I can handle. I want Life, with a capital L. […]

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Book | Fitting in is Overrated

Monday, June 8, 2009

Leonard Felder’s book adds his sure, comforting, and erudite voice to the growing chorus of people championing sensitivity and oddness. Fitting in is Overrated: The Survival Guide for Anyone Who Has Ever Felt Like an Outsider proceeds calmly to dismantle inclinations to remain hidden, urging us instead to develop whatever it is that makes us […]

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Blind Dates Grow Up

Monday, May 18, 2009

My husband and I are both … hmm … how shall I put this? Let’s go with finely tuned and move on. We’re also products of different cultures. (I’ve often thought of charging admission to some of our entertaining conversations: the optimistic, anything-is-possible American (me) exchanging views with the pessimistic Cold-War-era German from West Berlin.) […]

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Stay Afloat with Healthy Boundaries

Monday, April 20, 2009

How do you keep a grip on the real you when the salty surf of a tense interaction smacks your starboard side? When the folks around you make waves with their alien communication styles, fervent demands, or weird displays of power, you need healthy boundary skills that pop to the surface like a life preserver. […]

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Training Missions for Eccentrics

Friday, April 17, 2009

“You can’t get to be a charming eccentric in old age without being weird in youth.” ~ Stacie, Idiosyncratic Daydream Pull up your striped socks, slip into your funkiest shoes, check your wild red hair in the mirror, and head out the door to spend the day making people gawk. Or … say what no […]

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Sensitivity, Curiosity, and Leadership

Thursday, February 26, 2009

I believe that being sensitive equips us to lead. Sensitivity, by definition, involves a greater than normal ability to feel or notice or think about what others do not. Do you see that whether you’re highly sensitive – embodying a range and depth of sensitivities, or sensitive in a single area, you sway at the […]

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Differentiation and Intimacy

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Differentiation is the process of holding on to one’s self while connecting with others. As a path to true intimacy differentiation is hard to beat. Which is not to say that the path is all shining sun and roses, but committing to being true to one’s self, particularly when there’s pressure not to, brings deep […]

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