Storytelling: The past is rich in narratives well told
A life lived well is a life narrated well The stories we create How many ways can we tell a story? The simple art of making stories interesting Show, don't tell The power of dialogue The curse of an uninteresting past The mystery of the past Discovering our questions about history Official histories Curious, even about our own past How our sense of the past shapes our sense of the future Animate a brighter future with a brighter past The distinction between truth and truths The two faces of prejudice The inadequacy of stories Feelings trump facts Real heroes Cultivating trust All beliefs are useful truths What experience teaches Past as problem Beyond regret Filling historical gaps in our personal circles The magic of archetypes Grieving with others The healing alchemy of humor Deepening appreciation Every day an interesting day
Spontaneity: The only time we ever have is the present
An improvised life Showing up in life as it unfolds unpredictably The soft structure of improvisation Improvisation is our nature The grace of immediacy Improvisation as freedom The palette of improvisation The calendar of improvisation Time as an assumption Intentional improvisation Trusting intuition What can we do right now that's unplanned? Feeling alive Reclaiming authorship of your time Habits and inhabitants Good use of our time together Don't assume others know what's best for you Transcending scripts What we gain when we lose the need to control Soft Time Feelings always matter Growing a growth mindset Strategic serendipity Random acts of interest Enjoying what we have to enjoy, now Improvised cooking On waiting The improvisation of the sharing economy Improvisation at work Agile plans Planning as talking and doing in the moment Optimizing the now
Significance: Our intentions in the present make good things more possible in the future
A life of intention The fact of our significance Everything is meaningful Beyond uncertainty The wealth of wishes Discovering the significance of your life Meaning not measured in units of busy Deeper meaning When our life lacks meaning Our life's meaning, by choice and chance What we want to make more possible The limits of significance Death as an assumption Begin small, but just begin The case against meaning The lie of insignificance Measuring significance in time Wasting time, less Giving back, paying forward Life purposes, plural Life as yes Our sense of capability What it means to care Spread and scale You can "do it all" only if you shrink your capacity to care Microcontributions Being unreasonable on purpose In praise of perseverance Sacrifice, in perspective Meaningful transitions Who inspires you? Raising the next generation for a life of meaning The stress-meaning connection Our natural sense of significance
In the beginning
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