*Typing*

One mark of a good leader of men and women is poise. It's the ability to remain calm and collected while everyone else is losing their shit.

I can't think of a more remarkable example than Jackie Kennedy at JFK's funeral.

After having lost her husband in a very gruesome and public manner, Jackie personally oversaw his ceremony. When his funeral was broadcasted live on national television, she mourned his passing with tremendous composure. She walked in silence. She wore a black veil over her face. She gently held her children's hands.

She was a beautiful anchor for a country deep in the throes of mourning.

Jackie had poise. She possessed the uncanny ability to remain calm and collected while everyone else was, very understandably, losing their shit.

Hiraeth is a Welsh word. Some mistake it for meaning homesickness. But, it's not homesickness. It's much deeper and more complicated than homesickness. Hiraeth is a longing for a home that does not exist. It's an existential yearning. It's spiritual, in a sense. It's the feeling you have on the slow, quiet days when you are without any sort of distraction. You are hurting. Yet, you don't know why. This is Hiraeth. Language is powerful because it allows us to name the complicated emotions and experiences that are unique to being human. While language can't protect us from feeling our feelings, it removes some of the anxiety surrounding our feelings.

Duck, Duck, Goose is a fun game for the goose. Less so for the duck.

If you're the duck, you have to sit cross-legged in a circle alongside dozens of other ducks, waiting patiently to be chosen. Sometimes you get picked. Most of the time you don't. It's a silly elementary game that should remain in kindergarten. Unfortunately, it's a game that follows you into adulthood.

Dating apps are a game of Duck, Duck, Goose. So are job applications, promotions, social media algorithms, sports betting and trading stocks. You participate in games of Duck, Duck, Goose because every once in a great while, fate looks your way and you are chosen to be the goose.

For all intents and purposes, you want to avoid playing games of Duck, Duck, Goose. You only want to play games where you get to choose yourself rather than waiting to be chosen by someone else.

Inspiration is a non-renewable resource. When you have it, do not waste it.

‍

High performers will often disguise their obsession with an air of nonchalance. It’s vogue, after all, to give the impression that success comes naturally. Don’t be fooled. Despite the swan's grace, beneath the surface of the water a war is taking place. She is kicking against the tremendous current. She is working obsessively. She is working diligently. She is working beautifully. She is clawing at the devil. She is dancing with God.