This was a great article by Ron Lieber…”How Much is enough? After necessities, consider quality of life”.  I was thrilled to see that Vicki Robbin, co-author of “Money or Your Life” was quoted. I read this classic many years ago, and still abide by its principles.

What makes this book different is that it doesn’t explain financial products. It is a very straightforward, no-nonsense way to think about money as it relates to your life.  Ultimately, people would like financial independence….to not have to work. The premise is this: we all can become financially independent, which means we don’t rely solely on our jobs for income.

It requires that we save and invest to generate income to cover our expenses. Everything you spend money on and how much debt you have will affect your ability to be financially independent. Not everyone gets there…but the book has inspiring stories of people who can take lesser paying jobs doing what they love.  Any amount of financial independence is good…it’s not all or nothing.

This made a lot of sense to me. When I read the book, I didn’t know when I wanted to retire, but I knew I didn’t want to have to work forever if I could help it. I wouldn’t say I was great at negotiating increases or bonuses, but I was great at managing expenses and going without.

Her definition of enough in the article? “Enough is the quality of having everything you need and want but nothing in excess, nothing that burdens you.”  Sounds about right.

Confession: I’m not good at this. Yes, I know you’re supposed to think about all the things you’re grateful for, but this always just seemed like a waste of time.

But it is Thanksgiving week, so here’s my list: Continue reading →

My worst habit…the one that hurts me the most is that I jump to conclusions…negative ones.

When something happens, I immediately jump to assuming the worst case, and get myself wound up….only to find out every time, I was wrong.

So I’ve decided to stop this. Every time I think I’m spinning, I stop and remind myself that historically, it’s always worked out.

If you have one bad habit that undermines your strength, focus on getting rid of it.

My father, whom I idolize, has Parkinson’s disease. It’s been slowly encroaching, and he has good days and bad days. He still lives at home with my mom at 83.  Here’s what I learned: Continue reading →

It took me too long to realize this, but I finally figured this out.

Women are women’s best advocates. Growing up, I saw other women as competition: for boyfriends, for grades, for parental approval. I would feel bad about myself if someone was prettier/smarter/more accomplished than me.  And that meant automatically I couldn’t be friends with them because they were better than me.  Instead, I was snarky, bitchy, and cold as the ultimate defense mechanism.

So when I saw this Instagram, I loved it. How great is it that these four accomplished actresses have figured out already that their friendship is precious enough to withstand the insecurities, the envy, the competitiveness of the world?

If you already figured this out, great.  If you were like me, change your perspective.  You’ll be the happier for it.

Welcome to my first monthly column post. I have always loved September…the beginning of a new school year, new beginnings, and the anticipation of what could be. Nothing personifies to me potential as much as the month of September.

So a couple of things to think about this month: Continue reading →

I’ll be moving to a monthly column on various subjects going forward. I’ve been dealing with a parent’s illness, which has taken more time than I expected….plus, now that I’m retired, I don’t have quite as many stories to tell!

The column will be longer than my usual blog, and will pick a particular subject that I’ll share some insights on. Hopefully you’ll find it interesting, and useful!

Thanks, Grace

This  is an interesting article on why you might be unhappy at work. It relies on whether or not you have a power motive (need to get things done, put discipline in place) or an affiliation motive  (make friends, feel like you belong, joy).  If you’re in a job that is the opposite (you’re a strong power person, but you’re in a job where everything is dependent on influencing others), you’re probably going to struggle and feel stress.

I never thought about it…I usually picked roles because 1) someone asked me to, 2) it was something new I hadn’t done and sounded interesting. But I think this provides another lens to view roles and opportunities.  It explains why I found it so hard going from Citi (power culture) to American Express (affiliation culture).  Depending on the predominant culture, your behavior might need to adapt. I found I needed to spend more time gaining consensus.

You’re always going to need both the power traits (ability to be credible) and the affiliation traits (likeability). But it might be helpful to know when you’re going against your nature.

I really believe in plan b. Too often, things don’t work out as you planned and then what?  When panic sets in is usually the worst time to figure out what to do next.

My lessons learned on the ultimate plan B? Continue reading →

There are times when you really hate your job and want to quit. Every day is a struggle, you’re unmotivated, you feel like you’re wasting time. Here are the things you need to think about. Continue reading →