Sarah M. KippSarah M. Kipp

Business

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Crockpot Relationships

Are you using a flash-fryer or a crockpot to connect with people? If you don’t know the difference, you might have difficulty enjoying the meals—and the kinds of relationships—you really want in your life. Let’s be clear. French fries and pot roasts are both delicious, but they are not the same.

If you say you are looking for pot roast style connections in your life, but you keep driving through McDonald’s to order fries, you might find yourself eating an extra helping of frustration. This is not rocket science. If you throw all the pieces of your meal in a large frying pan with a quart of oil and cook it on high for ten minutes, do not expect to sit down to the equivalent of a savory pot roast at the end. In most areas of life, the richness of flavor emerges over time. [Read more…] about Crockpot Relationships

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Writer’s Block

I wish I could talk to all the people who are afraid to speak their truth, or who are stuck in the mud of writer’s block, or overwhelmed with the fog of “I don’t know.” I wish I could tell them that is doesn’t matter what they say; they just need to say something to get started. That would be easier, right? If I told myself, “Anything is fine!” one would think that I would have an easier time of settling in and writing through writer’s block.

Unfortunately, this advice is hogwash. We’re too smart. [Read more…] about Writer’s Block

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The Three Bears Go to Work

Once upon a time, in a far off galaxy…wait a minute. Wrong story. Once upon a time, in woods near your home, Goldilocks spent a good deal of time with her friends, the three bears. Everyone had chosen to take the high road years ago. The bears had chosen to forgive the whole entering and breaking thing, and Goldilocks figured out that Papa Bear’s bite wasn’t as bad as his roar.

On this particular winter morning, Goldilocks was excited to share her newly finished Power Point with the Bear family. She had finished it in record time, and was proud of what she had completed.

The bears gathered in their repaired hard and soft rocking chairs and watched the slides projected onto the living room wall of their humble cabin. In the second slide, Mama Bear caught the first typo. She said nothing and let it go; after all, humans make mistakes. In the fourth slide, there were more egregious errors. “Oh my,” thought Mama Bear. “Did she not have anyone proof this?”  [Read more…] about The Three Bears Go to Work

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Getting Unstuck

What do you do when you are between a rock and a hard place? Homer dedicated a whole section of the Odyssey to the dilemma. In order to return to their home, Ulysses had to pass through the narrow Strait of Messina with his crew. On one side, they faced a rock with a man-eating monster. On the other side of the strait, a deadly whirlpool promised a fatal end to the entire crew. With not enough room to sail safely between, Ulysses had to choose between a rock and a hard place.

In epic tales, a narrow strait makes for a good adventure and we read with enthusiasm to see how it all works out. When the rock and the hard place show up in our own lives, however, we may have a different response.
When we are in our own narrow strait, we cannot see a good option. Others around us may be full of clarity, believing that the answer is easy and sometimes even offering to tell us exactly what we should do. Sometimes, in our desperation, we take the bait—or even go looking for it. “Just tell me what I’m supposed to do here!” we plead. [Read more…] about Getting Unstuck