It is common for crew members on cruise ships to hold a despedida (des - pee - dee - dah).A despedida is a farewell party. Friends come together, share stories, and say “farewell” to their departing crew mate. Food is eaten, and drinks are imbibed. The atmosphere is fun. Filipino crew, the ones who usually hold these parties, rarely miss their friends despedida. Why? The despedida symbolizes the end; it’s a memento mori. It is a way for people to happily grieve the metaphorical death of their time together while looking forward to the future. Through this event future relationships are forged. I have such friends, one of them is a subscriber. You and I need more despedidas in our life. When we leave jobs ,a project, or a meeting, we need some thing - some event - to happily grieve the loss while forging relationships for the future. We need a despedida before we end our day. Perhaps we make a tea or a nightcap and chat with a friend. Maybe we write in a journal. We need our time with our friends is up. A hug, a re-assuring sentiment, or a smile. I often think that life is more about how we end things than how we begin. Using the despedida as the vehicle to end can certainly help us be happier.

… it’s still the Toughest Time of the Year. I combatted my mind by continuing to slow myself down, to reflect on what I’m trying to do, and to think about what I wanted the next 5 to 10 years to be about. Hope brought me up and out. Keep hope in your sights.

If you are looking for others like you, then ask yourself: What do people like me do?Here’s one way you can use that model:When interviewing for a job, consider asking the hiring manager, “how do you handle things like ….” (insert the things that matter to you).Culture could be defined as a set of behaviors adopted by one or more humans. If you want to find your culture, find people who behave like you.

Have you met people who like to keep it 100? People who live for that hustle life? On one hand, I admire their drive and ambition.On another hand, I wonder how they manage when life demands more from them? How sustainable is keeping it 100? Hustling has its benefits. But I still prefer a thoughtful and mindful hike.

I spoke with my dad today. We talked about religion, life, and what it means to live in the moment. I told my dad, “you know, Dad, God doesn’t guarantee tomorrow.” My dad replied, “no He doesn’t. That’s why you have to earn your ticket today.”Wise words from a man who’s death looms on the horizon. Those words made me think about you. How are you and I earning our ticket for tomorrow? We don’t have to believe in a god to make that reflection meaningful. Tomorrow is not promised. The only thing we have, own, and control is the present.

You can be more creative by allowing yourself the space to be a fool. You need to create that space for yourself in the most serious manner possible. Key and Peele got it right.

Take the hit. Reflect for a moment - get your bearings. Get back up.Get back in.You and I weren’t made to sit around and be comfortable.

Effective musicians listen to many different types of music. The musicians I know and respect love all kinds of music. They listen to music that is similar and different from the music they play - a mosaic of influences. How might we become more like effective musicians? How might we listen to and absorb all kinds of ideas? How might we tolerate ideas that we outright reject on their face? You and I are not shaped in a vacuum, we are shaped by many colliding influences. If we are to keep growing, then we must keep ourselves open to the new and the different.

An effective musician plays their part, listens to others, and keeps the big picture in mind. You might think that these activities happen all at once; but they don’t.Effective musicians, like any effective professional, can only do one thing well at a time. Before they perform, they study the music. They ask what is this piece about, what’s my role in this, and what’s the goal. They imagine how others might perform their parts; they think about how they will support the others. They internalize the work before they action.Finally, a musician actions — they play. During performance, a musician will, like a submarine, surface to hear what’s going on. They make adjustments. They play.Great leaders are like great musicians.