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February 🤔: Challenging the Status Quo

From our Remote Works Monthly Newsletter. Sign-up today here.


In Tam’s corner of the world, it’s been a snowy start to the new year—a nor'easter (which she can now properly say), snowed-in cars, and plenty of kids outside throwing snowballs. Maybe that’s why Ralph Waldo Emerson has been on her mind—a legend who happened to go to a school around the corner.


It can be easy to think of our current moment in history as the be-all, end-all, and if you frequent the news, perhaps the worst time on earth. But as Tam stomps upon the same ground as Emerson, she’s been reminded of the issues pressing during his time: a Civil War, an Abolitionist movement, a country still in its infancy. And a few of his wise words on standing firm in what you believe, even when the world around you seems on shaky ground.


“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment,” said Emerson. And how does that happen? “You become what you think about all day.”


In our companies and communities, there’s often a push and pull from outside forces to align us to the status quo or someone else’s agenda. Sometimes this is neutral to benevolent, other times less so. On a more micro-scale, specific to remote work, this might look like rushed plans to go Hybrid or a reluctance to use asynchronous communication. Each may seem like a small, isolated decision, but they add up to decisions that influence how we spend the majority of our lives after sleep (of course).


Reflection Questions:

  1. What does it look like to maintain your “me” while being a part of the “we”?

  2. What’s been on your mind this month—the good, the bad and the ugly?

  3. Where have you felt misalignment—to your values, your priorities, your gut instinct?

  4. What’s one small behavioral change you can test?

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