Get curious. Explore your interests. Move around all you want.

If only our decision points had expiration dates like cartons of milk. It would make life so much easier…

We develop expertise and efficiency as we get older, so our developed brains are high functioning but think about it: that also means we regularly cling to and reinforce what we know. We lose the ability to unlearn things. To question things. To shed old habits and assumptions.

Binary thinking, by definition, is believing that there are two sides to an issue or problem, and you can only pick one. It seems useful initially because the two options tend to be the extremes, so they are clear, measurable, and convincing. But when deciding between two options, I push my coaching clients to find a third way.

We need better listening, and we need more of it. My thoughts on resisting the urge to let advice be your first response.

Holding on to the past is comforting. But holding on can also hold us back.

For me, asking for help means taking control even when you feel like you don’t have any — maybe, especially when you don’t.

If you haven’t picked up Rick Rubin’s book The Creative Act, I highly recommend it. Rubin argues that we are all creative in one way or another and that tapping into our more creative selves can unlock great power and possibility in business and life. I could go on about the merits of this book but let me share just one of the concepts that resonated as I think it’s pretty powerful: the Beginner’s Mind.

Bruce Feiler, one of my favorite authors, says about life transitions that “if we view them as openings, we just might open up to them.” I believe embracing this mindset of openness is the key to successfully navigating the threshold of change and making the most of these in-between moments.

After years of stumbling through professional and personal transitions, I recently came across a concept that almost perfectly articulates that middle space between changes and how and why it can be so unsettling but also so transformative.

Chip Conley calls those of us in midlife (ahem) who can think holistically and harness the emotional intelligence that comes with years of human experience “modern elders.” And I’m OK with this title because, like Conley, I believe more intergenerational learning can enhance and evolve our companies, networks, and communities. So in the spirit of knowledge sharing, I started reflecting on some of the most formative moments in my life.