How many lives have you touched this week?
There are obvious ones: your partner, friends, family and coworkers. The people you interact with often.
Then there are people whose lives you only briefly touched. The person delivering your mail, the cashier at your supermarket, and the old lady passing you on the street, briefly making eye contact.
And finally, there are people you may never know about whose lives you have touched. They may be the owners of the coffee shop down the street who are struggling with the pandemic and whom you helped by buying that coffee-to-go and the chocolate muffin. Or the people a nonprofit can help because you set up monthly donations.
Think about whose lives you have touched.
Have you made a positive impact?
If you can't think of anything else, kind words and a smile can go a long way.
“What really matters are the lives you touch along the way and how you finish your journey.” — Nick Vujicic
Reading Recommendations
Unwinding Your Anxiety Habit Loop
“If you struggle with anxiety, it’s likely that anxiety has become a habit for you, writes Brewer. Many of our habits have developed to help us reduce stress or satisfy emotional needs, he explains, even if they don’t always benefit us long-term. Our habits exist in loops that consist of a trigger, a behavior, and a result. For example […]”
Active Listening: Why Empathetic Conversation Matters
“Resist the urge to fill moments of silence. There are different types of silence. Respecting quiet moments can a powerful tool for a deep conversation. It gives the speaker and receiver a chance to reflect and continue with this process. So often we rush to ‘fill’ silence, right before someone has a breakthrough thought to share.”
K8s Service Mesh Comparison: Linkerd, Consul, Istio & More
“Linkerd, Consul Connect, and Istio are top service meshes, but Kuma, Traefik Mesh, and AWS App Mesh are considerable contenders as well. This service mesh comparison explores the pros and cons of these solutions to the microservices communications problem.”
Weekly Mindfulness Practice
Here's a mindful music listening exercise.
Pick a piece of music to listen to. I like instrumental pieces for this, as lyrics add a whole extra layer.
Take a deep breath and pause for a moment, before listening to that song. Use headphones if possible.
While listening, you can focus on different parts of the experience:
- What do you notice in the music? Which instruments are playing, how fast or slow do they play?
- What do you feel in your body? Which parts of your body are you more aware of?
- Do any thoughts or feelings come up?
Just notice without any judgement. Afterwards, take a moment to check in with your body, breathe, and notice any changes to before the exercise. Did the piece of music feel right or would you pick something else next time?
End Note
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Have a great week
Simon
PS: If you found an article you think others might like, and that fits this newsletter, I’d love it if you write me an email. Just reply!