15 Comments
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Kern Beare's avatar

I love the shift from "I want to amaze people" to "I want to be amazed by people." It's a powerful reorientation, a ticket out of the misery of self involvement. Thanks for sharing this piece.

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Clay Jackson's avatar

Can't thank you enough for this piece. You're one of the true "helpers" out there focused on the honorable right side of history.

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Amanda Ripley's avatar

Thank you, Clay. I am so grateful to know that it was helpful to you. Thank you for saying so.

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Dan Ehrenkrantz's avatar

Beautiful! Thanks!

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Daphne Berryhill's avatar

Thanks Amanda for the insightful calm and love how you ended with clouds. I’m very much loving clouds lately. "Clouds in my coffee"—Carley Simon's famous phrase has been my motto these past few weeks, repurposed to describe the feeling of trying to stay clear-eyed and dreamily sane. Whatever works for now, works. Now is a great time to grow new connections to widen perspective, feel less scared, and absolutely, be amazed by people.

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Amanda Ripley's avatar

That's beautiful. I'd forgotten about that song! I'm playing it now. Cheers to staying "dreamily sane."

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Rob's avatar

Very timely. I am forwarding this to my brother in law who is going through the mentioned government situation. This hit me the day after a big shakeup at my company full of deceit and betrayal. High conflict abounds today. I can’t speak to your progress on fixing the country, but your input will improve the lives of at least 20 people in my reach through the country. Thanks!

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Amanda Ripley's avatar

Thank you for telling me this, Rob. I am so sorry you are going through what sounds like a real sh*tshow at your company. How are you doing today? How is your brother-in-law doing?

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Rob's avatar

Today things are looking up at my company, thanks for the follow-up inquiry. I managed to find a solution that got 1 of the 3 parties looking in the right direction. From there, he was able to help put together a solution that satisfies all parties. We need a key domino to fall about mid June and then the next one will follow in September. Everybody will get something they really want out of it. 3 out of the 4 should be quite happy. The 4th will depend on how much they put into it. I'm quite hopeful (which is a wonderful change).

My brother in law is losing some new hires because of the hiring freeze - they chose private sector or contractor route motivated by uncertainty. He has shifted his focus to be happy he still has a job and shrugs off the things he can't control aiming to make the best of it.

Thank you for your caring approach and willingness to share!

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Tobias Rose-Stockwell's avatar

Great piece.

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Amanda Ripley's avatar

Hey, thanks Tobias! Good to see you the other day in Brooklyn. Feels like a dream now, somehow, right?

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Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton's avatar

Amanda, Your framework for managing fear applies perfectly to the often emotionally charged world of pet care. Pet owners frequently operate from a place of deep fear about their animals' well-being, while veterinarians and other pet service providers deal with their fears about client reactions, medical outcomes, and professional judgment. Just as Amanda describes the federal worker's struggle with institutional changes, pet care professionals often face similar fears about changing industry standards, client expectations, and the emotional weight of caring for beloved family pets. Her four-step approach could help both sides move from reactive fear to productive dialogue. Bravo, my friend. WDPM wants you & Helene back to chat about this!!!

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Rebecca MacKinnon's avatar

Love this.

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Paul Batalden's avatar

Great start. Keep collecting stories of what worked, didn't work and why? Consider building community for learning more. thx

Paul

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Eli Gross's avatar

👏👏👏

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