The blog for all things Apochromatik.

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Gratitude | VOTW 112619

In time for Thanksgiving, this week’s Video of the Week is only three minutes long, but may just change the way you think about expressing gratitude. In her TED Talk, Dr. Laura Trice addresses the power of the magic words "thank you” and how they can deepen and repair relationships.

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Leslie Knope Likes Masterminds*

*OK, so maybe I’ve never had a direct conversation with TV character Leslie Knope of “Parks and Recreation." Or with Amy Poehler. But I’m pretty sure if I could, they’d both be in favor of masterminds. And, as we know, waffles.  

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Second to last month of...the decade!

The end of one month and beginning of the next is the perfect time to look ahead and reset where you are and where you’re going.  It’s less intimidating and overwhelming than the beginning of a new year, and much more manageable to think about how you’ll use the next month to have more of the things you want in your career and life, and less of the things you don’t.  And, as we enter one of the last two months of the decade, now is a great time to follow these six steps to set yourself up for a great month.  

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You are More than a Worm

Have you ever heard the expression, “to a worm in horseradish, the world is horseradish”?  

If you haven’t, it may take a minute to process.  (My first reaction was “why would a worm be in horseradish?  Is it like having a worm in tequila?”)  Another way to think about it is that when you’re in the thick of a situation – whether temporary or long-term – it can be impossible to see more than what is immediately in front of you.  That can be a reasonable perspective; if a bear is charging you, it’s a huge asset to be able to focus on getting out of the way without being distracted by thoughts of a long-term crisis.  But putting your head down and focusing on the things right around you it is not a good long-term strategy.  

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Future in Focus 2020 and Hustle & Flow | VOTW 101519

For this week’s Video of the Week, check out the newest episode of the Hustle & Flow podcast with Heather Hubbard. Heather interviews Apcohromatik’s Keith R. Sbiral and Amy M. Gardner. The trio discussed a range of topics, including Apochromatik’s Future in Focus 2020 Masterminds, specifically the two cohorts for attorneys who want to succeed as a partner or change jobs/careers.

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Stop Giving 110%

Stop Giving 110%.  

Picture it:  1993.  Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” is the song that proms are made of, and I’m interviewing for a college scholarship in my best dress from the pages of Seventeenmagazine with my hair freshly permed at Great Clips.  My high school guidance counselor is one of the interviewers.

He asks, “What is your best quality?”

I proudly respond, “I give everything 110%.”

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Perfection! | VOTW 070919

This week on the Apochromatik blog, we’re focusing on why perfection is not necessarily a good goal. For the Video of the Week, psychologist Thomas Curran explains why aiming for perfection can backfire and actually be dangerous. Check it out, and come back Thursday for a new blog post on why giving 110% is almost never the best approach to succeed at work and at life.

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Summer Starts Tomorrow

Summer officially starts tomorrow, and the second half of 2019 starts in just a few days!

True, at least in Chicago, summer hasn’t quite completely taken hold yet as it is 55 degrees out today. But the end of the quarter is a great time to take stock of where your year is going and to consider the balance between your vocation and avocation and personal and professional lives.

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