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Collaboration

Working with others to achieve goals is one of the most challenging human endeavors.

Being a "star" is so engrained in us.  We're ranked and sorted so early in our lives that we feel a connection to survival regarding being adored and put on top of "the heap."  At work, it seems being a "top performer" is the end goal.

I remember reading a book about the "caterpillar pillar."  And there was something that always stuck in my craw: being the best, means a better life than most.  We become "layoff resistant," less likely to be cheated on by our partners.  And how we pride ourselves regarding being BETTER OFF than others.  Entire show lines get ratings around "at least my life is better than that."  Entire conversations at dinner sometimes revolve around ripping someone else apart: how silly they look, act, speak etc. and at least we're better than that. It makes it hard to look someone who we disregard in the eye and work well with them going forward.  We're more excited about collecting interesting sound bites for our next dinner with friends.

I'm done with it.

Every person's story is my story.  Every thing I pick on about someone else is a shadow characteristic of mine.  And we need ALL the people with their foibles, handicaps, and stories to make our world as rich and lovely as it IS.  So I'm done with the gossip, criticism and attacking others: the character assassinations.  No matter how privately the cutting is, it hurts me and my ability to collaborate with others.  So I'm done.

Instead, this week, I'm focusing on how to be helpful to others, and to myself, in collaboration.  That means with my fellow neighbors as we live together, my fellow commuters as we travel together to go to work, with my friends and family as we live well, and my co-workers as we work well together to achieve grand goals (with core values.)

This is worth getting out of bed about.

Work Well.  Live Well.

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