Being still v standing still

A story is told that Walter Massa, an Italian winemaker from Tortona, offered this distinction: “We shouldn’t stand still. We should be still.” A subtle difference. One you likely caught immediately. Standing still suggests paralysis. Frozen by...

Unhurried

We’ve confused speed with progress. The espresso in an Italian café takes thirty seconds to pull, maybe sixty seconds to drink. But the ritual? That takes thirty minutes. The barista who knows your name. The conversation that meanders. The observation of life...

Schedule snow days

Yesterday morning, watching snow fall. The world went quiet. Not the quiet where you’re waiting for something to interrupt – actual silence. It was beautiful in a way we’ve forgotten to notice. We’ve convinced ourselves that constant noise...

The December secret

The strangest thing happens in December. The same executive who spent October triple-booking meetings and responding to emails at midnight suddenly becomes… calm. Organized. Almost pleasant. Projects that were urgent in September can wait until January. The...

Maybe is your enemy

Maybe later. Maybe when the market stabilizes. Maybe after Q4. Maybe when we have more time. Maybe is the polite assassin of extraordinary outcomes. It whispers comfort while strangling possibility. We use it to avoid the difficult conversation, delay the bold move,...