From The Green Notebook

Happy Birthday to Exray! Mike Gnoffo has created an amazing company that From The Green Notebook is proud to partner with. I absolutely love my high-performance FTGN gear. Thanks to Mike's hard work, the time from order to shipment is unbelievably fast. Seriously, my entire family wears these shirts—not just because they’re repping FTGN, but because they genuinely love the quality and comfort. Here’s to one year of sweat, hustle, and success. Congrats, Mike! https://lnkd.in/eB5nBgrM

Getting Skinny Again Our egos have this uncanny ability to weigh us down. Sometimes, that weight becomes so heavy that it prevents us from moving forward, when we clearly have to. In the 2nd Century B.C., the philosopher Horace wrote a letter in which he told the story of a hungry field mouse who slipped through a crack in a chest of grain. Once inside, he went to town on the grain, eating it all up—until he realized he could no longer fit back through the crack. Just then, a weasel appeared and offered him a way out: “If you want to leave the way you came, you’ll have to slim down to the size you were when you entered.” The mouse didn’t understand the cost of his overindulgence until it was time to leave, and he found himself stuck. If we aren’t careful, we can become that field mouse. We step into our careers, and over time, our egos grow on a steady diet of achievements, accolades, and promotions. Like the mouse, we don’t recognize the heaviness of it all until it’s time to move on—and we find ourselves “stuck.” Our identities become so intertwined with titles and accomplishments that we lose sight of who we are. We cling to what we’ve done, unable to let go, and that prevents us from exploring new opportunities, reflecting on what truly matters, and moving forward. But moving forward means letting go—and that’s not easy. A few years ago, I had my own “stuck” moment. It wasn’t until I began to separate my professional identity from who I truly was that clarity emerged. The process was messy, humbling, and difficult, but in the end, it revealed what really mattered: the relationships I cherished, the talents I wanted to cultivate, and the opportunities I had been blind to. I got skinny. Eventually, we all have to hang up the uniform, give up the corner office, and step forward. And through my own journey, I’ve learned there’s only one way out: to “skinny down” the ego. To let go of the weight of the roles I once held and to remember they were just that—roles. We are so much more than the titles we wear—don’t let them define you or weigh you down. Click here to read or subscribe to #TheSundayEmail -----> https://lnkd.in/eZWNSndu

Failure and the Arena “There is only one way to learn how to survive in the arena. Fight in the arena” -Mark D. Jacobsen,?Eating Glass: The Inner Journey Through Failure and Renewal We all have an arena that scares the hell out of us. For me, that arena is the one I’m standing in right now: writing. I left a successful career to pursue this path in the hopes of helping others through my words. Some days, the ideas flow freely; on others, I struggle just to type out the next sentence. No matter how long I’ve been at it, there’s always that voice in the back of my mind, whispering, You’re not good enough. Few things are scarier than the fear of failure. It’s not the failure itself but the fear of failing that keeps us from stepping into the arena and learning how to fight and survive. Don’t get me wrong—failure can be a miserable ordeal. But, more often than not, I’ve found it to be a better teacher than success. It’s usually after getting knocked down that I take the time to examine what really happened.? It’s in those dark moments of personal failure, when ego is stripped away, that I can take a clear look at how I contributed to the outcome. Get honest about those things beyond my control and figure out how to improve myself. Each failure leaves a scar (some deeper than others), a reminder of where we’ve been. It’s tempting to wish those marks away, but what if, instead, they were something to value? That’s where the Japanese art of kintsugi offers us a powerful lesson. Kintsugi serves as a metaphor for those of us afraid to fail in the arena. Instead of using clear lacquer to hide the fractures in broken pottery, kintsugi celebrates those flaws by filling them with gold. This golden lacquer not only tells the history of the piece by highlighting its breaks but also reinforces it, making it stronger than it was in its original form. I’d like to say it gets easier—that the more time I spend in the arena, the less I worry about failing. But the truth is, it doesn’t. The fear never fully goes away. What has changed is my faith that every time I fail, I know I’m going to learn something and grow stronger. So, whatever arena you’re facing, step in—even if fear is right there with you. You’re not alone; we all carry that same fear. And know that if you stumble and fail, you’ll rise again, adding gold to your story and becoming stronger, braver, and more whole. Read From The Green Notebook #TheSundayEmail here ---> https://lnkd.in/efMaQatB

In this episode of From The Green Notebook, I sit down with Stephen Riggio, former CEO of Barnes & Noble, Inc., to uncover the personal journey that led him to translate?Sicilian Avengers, an epic historical novel set in 18th-century Sicily. But this is more than a conversation about a book—it’s a story of deep roots, personal loss, and a quest to rediscover purpose. Stephen opens up about reconnecting with his Sicilian heritage alongside his wife, Laura, after the tragic loss of their daughter. What began as a healing journey to learn Italian grew into a remarkable project: translating?Sicilian Avengers, a story that hadn’t been told to English-speaking readers.?Emerging from the dark streets and subterranean caves of Palermo, the?Beati Paoli—a shadowy, masked society of vigilantes—mete out their own brand of justice, countering the unchecked power of the aristocracy. For the oppressed and voiceless, they are defenders and heroes. Through Stephen’s translation, this forgotten tale of justice and intrigue, reminiscent of a Dumas novel, has been brought back to life. As he shares his experience, Stephen reveals the challenges, the rewards, and the sense of purpose this work gave him in a new chapter of life. He also reflects on his tenure at Barnes & Noble, where he and his late brother, Len, transformed a single Manhattan bookstore into the largest bookstore chain in the United States. For anyone curious about the enduring impact of stories, this episode is an invitation to listen in and perhaps be inspired to seek out the narratives that connect us across time, place, and family. https://lnkd.in/e-jhriCb

The Path to Mastery “Studying the work and intellectual habits of a ‘genius’ to learn from him is like studying the garb of a chef to emulate his cooking.” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb,?The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms How many hours a day do you write? How much time do you devote to reading? Do you go to a certain place to write or do you write in your home office? These were the kinds of questions I used to ask writers. I believed that discovering these ‘secrets’ would make me a better writer. As Taleb highlights, studying superficial aspects of genius doesn’t get you far. I know that James Patterson used to close his office door each day to write during lunch, or that Dr. Seuss clocked in before sitting down to create his children’s books. But none of that improves my writing. Whether we’re trying to become better writers, leaders, parents, or spouses, there’s a tendency to focus on the wrong things instead of what will actually help us improve. We can attend workshops, conventions, read books, and listen to podcasts on any subject. All that research might feel like progress, but only action truly is. Emulation is a step on the path to mastery, but a short one. Knowing how the masters do things can help at first, but ultimately, real growth comes from doing the work—not just learning, but taking action. It’s through action that we discover our true strengths and weaknesses and get the feedback we need to improve. I don’t ask those superficial questions anymore. Now, I just write. From The Green Notebook https://lnkd.in/e7czD5AJ

?? New Podcast Episode Alert! ?? Joseph McCormack returns to the show to discuss his latest book: Quiet Works: Making Silence the Secret Ingredient of the Workday. Together, we dive into the power of quiet time to enhance leadership, reduce distractions, and improve communication. We also explore: ?? The curse of the scattered leader ?? The problems of Too Much Information (TMI) and Too Much Collaboration (TMC) ?? Why leaders need short, intentional breaks during the workday ?? Practical steps to reduce noise and improve decision-making through reflection and quiet time ?? Tools like journaling, scheduling quiet moments, and setting boundaries for deep thinking If you want to boost productivity and lead with clarity, this conversation is packed with actionable strategies for today’s noisy world. #Leadership #Productivity #QuietTime #DecisionMaking #Clarity #QuietWorks From The Green Notebook The Quiet Workplace Michelle O'Hagan https://lnkd.in/ebyz4dCV

Killing Time “If you don’t consistently spend time in quiet, you run a high risk of not knowing what you want, changing direction often, confusing others, and zigzagging your way towards goals –assuming you even know what the goals are.” -Joseph McCormack,?Quiet Works: Making Silence the Secret Ingredient of the Workday For years, I perfected a well-choreographed morning routine. My alarm would go off, and I'd roll out of bed, quickly shave, throw on my Army physical fitness uniform, grab my lunch, and leave the house, not to return for another 12 to 14 hours. I was always busy, ticking off the weeks and months until my next set of orders came in, starting the cycle again in a new locale. Not once did I slow down enough to approach the day deliberately, let alone ask if I was living deliberately. In hindsight, I realize that time shouldn’t be killed; it should be lived. That’s the challenge with an action-oriented life—we don’t slow down enough to think. And when we don’t think, life just happens to us. Instead of living by our values, we let circumstances drive our actions and behaviors. We get stuck in living life unconsciously. During that time, I experienced blow-ups, backslides, and a constant hum of anxiety that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. It wasn’t until I made quiet time a priority in my mornings that something shifted: I found clarity. Those 20 to 30 minutes of quiet gave me space to read, write, and reflect. Among these practices,?journaling became the most valuable. It allowed me to capture, examine, and evaluate the aspects of my life I had previously been too busy to notice. It gave me the opportunity to focus on my struggles, make conscious efforts to prioritize what mattered most, and make key life decisions. By creating space for quiet, I started to take control of my life instead of letting life control me. That quiet time became more than just a routine—it became the foundation for living with purpose, making intentional decisions, and aligning my actions with my values. The clarity I gained transformed my mornings, my days, and ultimately, my life. Now, I no longer kill time; I live it. The Quiet Workplace Click here to read or to subscribe to our weekly newsletter, #TheSundayEmail https://lnkd.in/eyk-P83F