Joy passwords

How many times a day do you have to type in your password? What if each time you wrote your password, you smiled? Passwords give us the chance to intentionally type out a message to ourselves that no one else will see.

Last summer, I started writing "joy passwords" (a term I made that I hope catches on). Each password of mine is a mantra to me—a message I want, or need, to hear dozens of times a day. We have the ability to make tiny, itty bitty decisions in our life like this that can make a big difference.

What do you need to hear from yourself a few times every day?

100mph

It's impossible to operate at 100 miles per hour all the time.

But, sometimes we get the chance to sprint. The chance to dedicate more time, more brain space, more excitement and energy to the good ideas we want to ship into the world.

It can feel overwhelming, but you have to remind yourself it's temporary. You won't always be sprinting. Rest is coming.

If a car operated at 100mph all day, every day, it would deteriorate quickly too.

The key is knowing when to sprint at 100mph and went to dial it back to 20mph.

Passing the ball

My dog has a little red ball covered in blue mesh. If he's lucky, I'll stuff some treats inside the mesh. That treat ball creates at least 30 minutes of entertainment for him. He gnaws at it trying to move around the bits of bone-shaped biscuits until they fall out. And, then, gobbles them up. Sharing a reference on someone's behalf is sort of like passing along their treat ball.

Let's say your colleague is applying to a new job and asks for you to speak to their potential future employer. They're passing you an unfilled-treat ball. You get the opportunity now to decide what treats to put in it. What about them will you pass along to this next person? What qualities of theirs would you share in the treat ball? The way they show up with empathy? Trust? Creativity? Getting the chance to add to someone's treat ball and pass it along is an honor and a gift. And, it's a cycle. Unlike my dog, who quickly eats his treats, this person's future employer will one day get the chance to add to the treat ball too. To build on what was already shared. What would you want someone to add to your treat ball as they pass it along?