writings from Nathan Wesley Smith
When I was younger it never occurred to me how much the concepts of payment and attention were linked. Some of the more common phrases and questions I remember hearing in my childhood were, “pay attention” and “are you paying attention?” I guess I had a lot going on in my brain and in my world as a young man …
Focus is an important part of life and work. We are never able to accomplish anything whether it’s cleaning our rooms or building an organization unless we can focus. But is it possible to get too focused? When does productivity in one area start to lead to erosion in another? I think it happens more often than we like to …
My wife and I have three teenagers living in our home. We had four last year because we had the privilege of hosting a young man from Mozambique as an exchange student for his senior year. My oldest daughter graduated high school last year, our exchange student graduated this year, and my son graduates next year. Our youngest is starting …
Most everyone wants to feel they are making a difference and are contributing in a meaningful way. However, have you ever considered needing to feel as if you are making that contribution can actually short-circuit the success of the endeavor? Is true success “being the go-to-guy” or being the parent or leader that “has all the answers” and is the …
Thanks to algorithms and pop culture it is almost impossible for you to have not heard about the new movie Barbie in theaters right now. I doubt Ruth Handler ever envisioned the doll she created for her daughter back in 1959 would be the source content for a giant Hollywood blockbuster in the year 2023, but here we are. There …
I would imagine it is impossible to number the songs, poems or plays that have been written about love. The idea of love is ubiquitous in societies and cultures world-wide. Love is hardwired into our souls as being of the highest order and greatest importance. The challenge is, something of such power and value is wonderful when we possess it …