Last week we talked about having the courage to ask the hard questions, questions that may make us vulnerable, but which may open up new possibilities and opportunities. This week, we are the person being asked. This week, we need the courage to listen.

The first and most important thing to do is to...Read on.

Generation Z has taught me the beautiful acceptance of making a mistake and taking responsibility in the simple phrase, “My bad!”

“My bad!” is often thrown off in a casual and light way. It means, “I made a mistake. I take responsibility.”

Growing up I internalized the message that making mistakes was shameful. Working in the theater demanded that I let go of this message and embrace messing up, without being derailed. I learned that striving for perfection only serves to block creativity.

AND, I still feel a twinge of shame and fear when I make a mistake. I can get defensive and rigid instead of being fluid. How I wish I had the good-natured acceptance I see in teens to acknowledge …read on for more on integrating mistakes…

In the wonderful Ken Burns documentary, Jazz, Albert Murray says that Duke Ellington had an “experimental disposition.” That phrase caught me. I paused the screen, startled. I want that! How does one cultivate an experimental disposition? How does one approach everyday events and tasks as if we are inventing them in the moment, so that everything feels alive, new, fresh, unexpected? This week, let’s cultivate an experimental disposition by consciously inviting in the unknown. Read on to hear how composers and scientist beckon the “cloud.”