I have a confession to make. For years, I thought some people had terrible timing. They procrastinated when opportunity knocked. They stayed in relationships that had long since expired. They said yes when every fiber of their being wanted to say no. They overthought simple decisions, people-pleased complete strangers, and somehow found remarkable ways to turn avoidable problems into permanent houseguests. I’d quietly wonder, “Why would anyone keep doing that?” Lately, I’ve become less certain. What if what looks like self-sabotage is actually an old survival strategy that never got the memo that life had changed? That thought has made me much slower to judge others. It has also made me much slower to judge myself. Last Tuesday at The Clarity Room , we explored self-sabotage. One idea has refused to leave me alone. Sometimes the behavior we’re desperately trying to eliminate was once the very behavior that kept us alive. Not physically, perhaps. Emotionally. Psychologically. Soci...
When Ordinary Days Become History There are certain news stories I no longer read the way I used to. No, I’ve not become indifferent. Quite the opposite. I’ve learned that headlines are astonishingly poor historians. “Six people killed in tragic road accident.” “Driver loses control.” We read the stories during breakfast, exchange sympathetic looks, and maybe say softly, “ That’s so sad.” Afterwards, we go on with our day. The headline doesn’t mention that someone packed an extra sweater because mothers expect you’ll feel cold, or that an uncle brought a cooler no one requested, or that two cousins argued over the window seat as if it were a matter of national diplomacy. Headlines report events. Life happens in the details. This story lives in the details. — Three families had escaped Nairobi for a long weekend in Naivasha. Nothing luxurious. Just a few days away from meetings that should have been emails, traffic that seemed personally offended by your existence, and WhatsApp...