A while back, I started using the framework of Desiderata, the 1927 poem by Max Ehrmann, as a writing exercise. Sometimes it helps shape an article. Sometimes it’s all that needs to be said.
Go boldly amid the pings and the urgent slacks, and remember what peace there may be in simply doing what you do well.
As far as possible, without selling out, be easy to work with. Know your craft and bring it when it’s asked for. Make peace with not knowing the whole story. Your part can still be done well. Trust that the rest will get sorted, and let your work be the reason it does.
Bring solutions, not just a list of what can’t be done. Anyone can point at the fire. Be the one who walks in holding the hose. When the plan falls apart, be the voice that says “we’ll figure it out,” and then help figure it out.
Drama is inevitable wherever people care. People need a place to vent, so be an ear. Listen more than you fix, and let what you hear stay with you.
Be steady. People do their best work around someone they can count on.
With all its jargon, bloat, and broken process, this is still a good place to do good work. Be kind. People will always rally behind the one who makes their load easier to carry.
- Dacia, 2026