Timeless Wisdom Archives - Page 3 of 6

Seek Your Flaws to Build Your Strengths

Posted on December 10, 2020December 10, 2020 by Todd J. Sukol

Build your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses. This two part formula will take you a long way toward becoming the best professional you can be. (Yes, I did say weaknesses, not challenges. More on that here.) Our innate abilities express themselves through hard-won skills. A college roommate of mine was a classical guitar major. An…

Polished Rocks

Posted on October 28, 2020November 11, 2020 by Todd J. Sukol

In a special space in my home, I keep a small collection of polished rocks. There are no more than eight or 10 of them. One is a crystal. Each landed in my hands from one source or another many years ago. One, the crystal actually, was given to me by a deeply spiritual and…

6 Musts for Reentry After Your Vacation

Posted on October 9, 2020October 12, 2020 by Todd J. Sukol

After a moving season of introspection, renewal and recommitment afforded by the Hebrew month of Elul and the Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it has been a great joy to sit for the past week in my Sukkah. I have felt a sense of closeness and celebration. Not to mention the…

Listening for Guidance

Posted on October 2, 2020October 2, 2020 by Todd J. Sukol

I believe that within each of us is an innate sense of knowing that I have long suspected gives us access to something deeper and truer than our minds could ever discern. I find a hint at this in one of the many metaphors for the Divine offered in the Biblical narrative. Among the many…

When is “enough” enough?

May 6, 2022

We work so hard to be the best we can be. To make our organizations the best they can be. When does our obligation reach its limits? Ours is a field where there is always something more that can be done more, or better. A system can be improved. A problem can be solved. A success can be made greater. Another dollar can be raised. Another beneficiary served. Another staff member assisted. There are so many pulls on you as a nonprofit organization leader – when is “good enough” finally good enough?

In truth, the real question isn’t “how hard” should we work, but “HOW” should we work. Please remember that there is a deep, divine spark inside of you. This same spark lives inside of every person, place, thing or circumstance you encounter. As a nonprofit professional and as a human being, your first obligation is to recognize, reveal and fan the flames of that spark in yourself and in those you work with. When you’re pushing so hard that your efforts no longer support this objective, it’s time to step back.

No matter how dedicated we are to the missions of our organizations, we cannot turn to our work for all of the meaning in our lives. You are uniquely special because you come from a divine source. We all need to step away from our work and take a break for spiritual and physical refreshment from time to time. We all need to remember and reconnect with the loved ones from whom we derive our identities and our strength.

Ask yourself: “In my work today, is my best self in the driver’s seat? Or, am I burning myself out by chasing “symptoms of success” rather than allowing my inner spark to express itself as I go about my work?”

Image above may be purchased as a print from https://www.hebrica.com/collections/torah-and-texts/products/you-shall-be-holy-jewish-paper-cut-art

Inside Job Archive