20 great things about 2023

On By Alice StrathernIn Inspiration

A great year is ending. Since 2020, I’ve been posting 20 things that have been making my year wonderful.

I’m really pleased to see that there’s a little bit of everything. This time, even food made it. Whoa. At the end of the day, experiences are what matters most. I’m glad I could capture most of them.

So here’s 20 great things about 2023.

  1. Celebrating my son’s second birthday
  2. Having my mom around for two months
  3. Creating art with my mom
  4. Playing my mom’s favourite childhood game with her
  5. Writing 100 pages of my new book
  6. Having fun in my writing classes and meeting some great and inspiring women.
  7. Seeing Depeche Mode live for the third time in my lifetime.
  8. This specific video from the concert. You can actually hear me scream!
  9. Enjoying Memento Mori, especially My Favourite Stranger and Soul with Me.
  10. Reading Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
  11. Reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  12. Getting to know Kurt Kobain through his personal diaries
  13. Trips to the zoo on Sundays
  14. Paul McCartney’s lyrics
  15. Tuna and salmon poke bowl
  16. Janet Jackson’s music
  17. Rediscovering some old songs I’ve always loved: Happy Together, Kiss the Rain, I Can Dream About You, The Hustle, Reasons, Hold Me Now, Don’t You Forget About Me.
  18. Sade’s music. Anything she sings is powerful.
  19. Alicia Keys’ music
  20. Discovering Neo Soul and Nu Urban Jazz.

Layers of Feedback: Going Beyond Someone Else’s Comments

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset

Feedback has many layers. It’s easy to associate this word with what other people think about our work, our ideas, our performance and so on. It causes a certain level of nervousness as observations are presented in a way that you might not be ready to face yet.

I recently came across this illustrative quote:

Feedback is not a judgment of your worth or talent, but a way to help you grow and achieve your goals.

AI and the LinkedIn Community

One of my favourite authors once shared a comment someone posted on Twitter regarding his brand new book at the time. “This book is bad. I didn’t read it, but I just know it’s bad.” Yep. There’s always someone…

This example is a reminder that you always get to decide how feedback impacts you and whether you take it or not.

On the other hand, if you think about it, other layers of feedback can be found within you, and they can give you clues about yourself. It’s not always about someone else’s comments. It also involves the environment where you’re creating your best work. The times when you feel your best self or even your worst.

Feedback is also in the quality of the contents you consume everyday. It is in your recurring thoughts. It is in your own body.

Are you noticing what all those different internal aspects are telling you?

Continue reading “Layers of Feedback: Going Beyond Someone Else’s Comments” →

Failure Culture: Reframing Mistakes to Grow As a Professional

On By Alice StrathernIn Inspiration, Mindset

Failure culture is an uncomfortable topic in any professional setting. Even if you are an entrepreneur. There’s an inner voice that constantly says “you can’t afford mistakes”, “defeat is not an option.” There’s a constant pressure to succeed almost flawlessly.

If you were to reframe failure, though, your work would gain more depth. In any creative process, missteps, ups and downs, and losses are bound to happen. That’s the nature of any initiative.

I remember the time when I was discussing marketing strategies with a former manager. We were going to launch a new product, and we had clear goals to reach. As we were wrapping up our meeting, I said: “If some parts of the strategy don’t go as planned, then we’ll learn a lot.” His response was unforgettable: “Yeah, but let’s try not to make any mistakes. We can’t do that.”

Failure culture is almost taboo. After careful planning and investment of time and resources into a business, why would you welcome it? You are aiming for great results. However, it’s worth reflecting on two key factors: the input that learning experiences can provide and the idea of embracing discomfort to grow as a person and as a professional.

As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”

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Extraños #LetrasDesnudas

On By Alicia StrathernIn En Español

¿Y si no somos tan extraños?
Qué tal que nos teníamos
que volver a encontrar
en atmósferas adversas.

Para sembrar dudas.
Para cimbrar estructuras.
Para recordar
vidas inexploradas.

¿Y si desafiamos la inercia
para desentonar con el mundo?

Me das un no
con cara de “sí
pero no puedo.”
Y así yo no juego.

Yo juego
a desafiar
y a cambiar
de opinión.

Me extraña
que tú,
con espíritu similar,
te metas cizaña.

Extraño.

 

Los textos de este blog pertenecen a la autora Alicia Strathern.

Nocturnos #LetrasDesnudas

On By Alicia StrathernIn En Español

Búscame por las noches.
Abrázame a hurtadillas
para no despertar a nadie.
Los besos más discretos…

…son lo más ricos,
los más inolvidables.
Como tú y tus manos,
tu ritmo infinito.

Me penetras con palabras,
con tu imagen viva
en mi imaginación traviesa.
Eres incontrolable.

Eres omnipresente.
Por los siglos de los siglos.

 

Los textos de este blog pertenecen a la autora Alicia Strathern.

“Te Amo” #LetrasDesnudas

On By Alicia StrathernIn En Español

“Te amo”
como rutina.
Palabras perico
para rellenar silencios.

“Te amo”
como inercia.
Si no se pronuncia
algo se olvidó en el libreto.

¿”Te amo”
significa algo?
Más allá de la costumbre
y de la voz cansada.

Háblame sin enigmas.

 

Los textos de este blog pertenecen a la autora Alicia Strathern.

Paraíso #LetrasDesnudas

On By Alicia StrathernIn En Español

¿Pues qué no el paraíso es un instante?

Donde estás tú con nadie y a gusto.

¿Que debería ser permanente?

Sólo si ya partiste de este mundo.

¿Existe?

En la medida que lo creas. ¿Tú qué crees?

 

Los textos de este blog pertenecen a la autora Alicia Strathern.

Momentum as a Mindset: Make it a Habit and Become Unstoppable

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset

Momentum is a mindset. It goes beyond the sum of actions to produce a desired result. It’s a habit. It’s a commitment to create impact for the long term. At the same time, it’s hard to find a precise definition. Paraphrasing Solomon Timothy, this concept can be a broad term whose meaning varies depending on the context.

In sports, it’s a great play or a struck of luck. In music, it’s taking a basic idea and eventually turn into a structured song. The best example that comes to mind is Paul McCartney composing Get Back out of the blue.

While Paul makes it look easy, it is important to state that building momentum may take longer than expected. Dan Cumberland, author of The Meaning Manifesto, uses a great analogy to explain how the process works. I’m breaking it into four bits:

  1. Momentum is like a merry-go-round: it will take a good amount of force to get it moving.
  2. You have to push with everything you have to get the first few inches of rotation.
  3. As it gains speed, less force is required to keep it moving.
  4. Once you have momentum, it is much easier to keep going.

It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop, as philosopher Confucius once said. That’s why starting small is a great decision.

Continue reading “Momentum as a Mindset: Make it a Habit and Become Unstoppable” →