Michael Thomas Sunnarborg's Blog, page 2

Has the bell rung yet?

Things are still kind of wonky.

In my relentlessly optimistic mind, I really thought we’d find a semblance of “normal” by now, but not so much.

And then I realized why things are so strange:

The pandemic hasn’t disappeared as fast as it appeared in our experience.

And without an abrupt ending to an abrupt beginning, we’ve been left without closure.

As my Grandpa John would say, “Oi, oi, oi.”

Remember in school when the bell would ring? Bells told us when classes started, classes were over, and t...

Simply Said

The post Simply Said appeared first on Michael Thomas Sunnarborg.

Bored? Good. Use it as fuel.

With the “return to routine” going much slower than anticipated, the existence of frequent and substantive lulls is becoming more and more commonplace in our daily lives.

In other words, things have slowed down. A lot. And it’s no surprise. We’re just emerging out of a two-and-a-half-year pandemic. Cripes!

But the best part is that there were many gifts hidden within the rifts of COVID-19. The biggest gift is time.

Just like getting a fat tax refund or an unexpected windfall, our planet just got...

Turn off the Autopilot

Recently, I held the first face-to-face meeting of The White Box Club®—a career transition coaching group I founded in 2015—since the COVID-19 lockdown began in March 2020.

When I started to plan for the meeting, I went into autopilot mode. “I remember how to do this,” I told myself.

In the past, I’d always provided coffee and pastries at the live meetings. I called my favorite coffee shop closest to the meeting location, but the phone just rang and rang. No answer.

Hm. They must be busy. I’ll j...

Wordle: I’m breaking up with you

September 20, 2022

Dear Wordle,

I’m writing this letter to tell you that I think it’s time for us to go our separate ways.

When we first met in January, I was delighted to finally find a relationship that was fun, easy, and only required my attention for a few minutes a day. I was intrigued by your simple 5-letter vocabulary, the fact that you always gave me 6 tries to understand you, and especially those times when you told me my game was “Impressive!” I was so enamored of you I even introduced...

Breaking with Beethoven

It was my first concert at Minneapolis Orchestra Hall since COVID. And I was excited.

After all, it was Beethoven. And not just any Beethoven piece—his 5th Symphony. You know, the one with the opening rift [Dah Dah Dah, Dah!] that most people recognize in a heartbeat.

Yes, that one.

After finding our seats, I casually perused the program to read the show notes and backstory of this historical piece.

And then I saw it. An announcement that the first half of tonight’s concert would be featuring an...

Everything’s Going to Be All Right

This past week was one of those weeks.

You know the one where you end up stopping and reminding yourself that “everything’s going to be all right.”

Yep, that one.

It wasn’t like the week was full of any particular major life events or traumatic episodes. In fact, it was mostly a regular week (I stopped using the word “normal” since there’s no such thing…), but somehow I felt restless and antsy.

So I reminded myself that “everything’s going to be all right.” A simple phrase, yet powerful. And a g...

Whose Influence Are You Under?

We live in a time of influencers.

Influencer: a term that originated in the world of social media. According to the Urban Dictionary, an influencer may be described as, “Someone with a lack of intelligence and a lot of free time, followed by tons of idiots on some social networking site, usually Instagram.”

That about describes it.

Basically, an influencer is anyone who influences you to think, feel, or do something—and in the case of social media, BUY something. Influencers are paid to promote ...

I “White-Boxed” My Brain. Now What?

We all have various energies we manage daily—physical, mental, spiritual—and the thoughts, feelings, and intuition that go with them.

These energies form an internal team that guides and leads our decision making which, in turn, shapes our experiences.

When I was younger, my predominant life energies were ruled by my brain and body—my human doing—and my Brain was the CEO.

But as I’ve grown older and wiser, my creative Heart and Soul—the managers of my human being—have become better leaders of m...

Bigger is Better? Not Anymore

Have you ever been involved in an experience where you suddenly became an observer of the moment rather than a participant?

That happened to me this week.

I first discovered the idea of becoming an “objective observer” when I read the play Our Town by Thorton Wilder. This play uses several metatheatrical devices such as “breaking the fourth wall” (i.e., speaking to the audience) and adding an additional narrative to allow the audience to have a personal interactive experience with the story on s...