adam lafferty
@adamlafferty.bsky.social
Good is expected. Greatest good is chosen.
🔗 More at www.adamlafferty.com
🔗 More at www.adamlafferty.com
Someone asks "How are you?"
Your chest: tired, over-clocked, unsure.
Your mouth: "Great. Busy, you know."
You didn't lie. You performed.
The line arrived before you. It fits the role. Not the person.
Your chest: tired, over-clocked, unsure.
Your mouth: "Great. Busy, you know."
You didn't lie. You performed.
The line arrived before you. It fits the role. Not the person.
November 9, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Someone asks "How are you?"
Your chest: tired, over-clocked, unsure.
Your mouth: "Great. Busy, you know."
You didn't lie. You performed.
The line arrived before you. It fits the role. Not the person.
Your chest: tired, over-clocked, unsure.
Your mouth: "Great. Busy, you know."
You didn't lie. You performed.
The line arrived before you. It fits the role. Not the person.
Brian Setzer released two new songs for a comeback tour.
Three days later: canceled all 21 dates.
Months at Mayo. Hands that felt like gloves. Recovery signs. New music.
Then: "I've been trying everything I can… but it is just not possible."
Not failure. A system message.
Three days later: canceled all 21 dates.
Months at Mayo. Hands that felt like gloves. Recovery signs. New music.
Then: "I've been trying everything I can… but it is just not possible."
Not failure. A system message.
November 2, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Brian Setzer released two new songs for a comeback tour.
Three days later: canceled all 21 dates.
Months at Mayo. Hands that felt like gloves. Recovery signs. New music.
Then: "I've been trying everything I can… but it is just not possible."
Not failure. A system message.
Three days later: canceled all 21 dates.
Months at Mayo. Hands that felt like gloves. Recovery signs. New music.
Then: "I've been trying everything I can… but it is just not possible."
Not failure. A system message.
1/ Most “problems” aren’t problems.
They’re rules in disguise.
They’re rules in disguise.
October 26, 2025 at 9:31 AM
1/ Most “problems” aren’t problems.
They’re rules in disguise.
They’re rules in disguise.
September 28, 2025.
I read a bankruptcy headline about a company I'd never heard much of.
My chest tightened immediately.
Three weeks later, $2.3B had "vanished."This is the story of 30 seconds vs. 3 weeks.
I read a bankruptcy headline about a company I'd never heard much of.
My chest tightened immediately.
Three weeks later, $2.3B had "vanished."This is the story of 30 seconds vs. 3 weeks.
October 19, 2025 at 10:09 AM
September 28, 2025.
I read a bankruptcy headline about a company I'd never heard much of.
My chest tightened immediately.
Three weeks later, $2.3B had "vanished."This is the story of 30 seconds vs. 3 weeks.
I read a bankruptcy headline about a company I'd never heard much of.
My chest tightened immediately.
Three weeks later, $2.3B had "vanished."This is the story of 30 seconds vs. 3 weeks.
forced alignment 2 weeks = resistance
one question flipped it:
"how might you contribute?"
leaders stopped defending. started building.
same goals. different grip.
one question flipped it:
"how might you contribute?"
leaders stopped defending. started building.
same goals. different grip.
October 12, 2025 at 2:23 PM
forced alignment 2 weeks = resistance
one question flipped it:
"how might you contribute?"
leaders stopped defending. started building.
same goals. different grip.
one question flipped it:
"how might you contribute?"
leaders stopped defending. started building.
same goals. different grip.
Watch "Powers of Ten" (Eames, 1977).
9 minutes on YouTube.
It might just reorganize how you see.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKB...
9 minutes on YouTube.
It might just reorganize how you see.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKB...
Powers of Ten™ (1977)
YouTube video by Eames Office
www.youtube.com
September 29, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Watch "Powers of Ten" (Eames, 1977).
9 minutes on YouTube.
It might just reorganize how you see.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKB...
9 minutes on YouTube.
It might just reorganize how you see.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKB...
One line at a polo clinic ended a 20-year performance habit.
What I learned: admitting one live question changes a room.
Read the short practice: adamlafferty.substack.com/p/i-fell-off...
#leadership #vulnerability #Drift
What I learned: admitting one live question changes a room.
Read the short practice: adamlafferty.substack.com/p/i-fell-off...
#leadership #vulnerability #Drift
I Fell Off a Horse at 35 MPH and Finally Stopped Lying
Field Shift: From Intellectual Safety → To Courageous Vulnerability
adamlafferty.substack.com
September 22, 2025 at 5:47 AM
One line at a polo clinic ended a 20-year performance habit.
What I learned: admitting one live question changes a room.
Read the short practice: adamlafferty.substack.com/p/i-fell-off...
#leadership #vulnerability #Drift
What I learned: admitting one live question changes a room.
Read the short practice: adamlafferty.substack.com/p/i-fell-off...
#leadership #vulnerability #Drift
When Numbers Stop Being Numbers
Field Shift: From Conceptual Distance → Radical Intimacy
adamlafferty.substack.com
September 14, 2025 at 2:29 PM
I’ve always admired my friends who followed their taste — chefs, artists, musicians. Only later did I realize what I felt was envy: not of their path, but of their permission. I hadn’t yet given myself the same.
September 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
I’ve always admired my friends who followed their taste — chefs, artists, musicians. Only later did I realize what I felt was envy: not of their path, but of their permission. I hadn’t yet given myself the same.
Want to dissolve drift in 3 minutes? Try this:
1/. Bring one frozen decision to mind.
2/. Drop your shoulders. Breathe deep.
3/. Ask: “What do I have a taste for here?”
That’s how emergence begins.
Full story → [Substack link]
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
1/. Bring one frozen decision to mind.
2/. Drop your shoulders. Breathe deep.
3/. Ask: “What do I have a taste for here?”
That’s how emergence begins.
Full story → [Substack link]
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
The Ice Cream Counter Problem — And the 3-Minute Fix
Field Shift: From Rigid Determinism → To Emergent Sensitivity
adamlafferty.substack.com
September 9, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Want to dissolve drift in 3 minutes? Try this:
1/. Bring one frozen decision to mind.
2/. Drop your shoulders. Breathe deep.
3/. Ask: “What do I have a taste for here?”
That’s how emergence begins.
Full story → [Substack link]
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
1/. Bring one frozen decision to mind.
2/. Drop your shoulders. Breathe deep.
3/. Ask: “What do I have a taste for here?”
That’s how emergence begins.
Full story → [Substack link]
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
91% of plans fail. Not from bad ideas—because we grip too hard.
Rigid determinism exhausts. Emergent sensitivity regenerates.
The shift:
From “What’s optimal?” → To “What do I have a taste for?”
More here →
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
Rigid determinism exhausts. Emergent sensitivity regenerates.
The shift:
From “What’s optimal?” → To “What do I have a taste for?”
More here →
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
The Ice Cream Counter Problem — And the 3-Minute Fix
Field Shift: From Rigid Determinism → To Emergent Sensitivity
adamlafferty.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:35 PM
91% of plans fail. Not from bad ideas—because we grip too hard.
Rigid determinism exhausts. Emergent sensitivity regenerates.
The shift:
From “What’s optimal?” → To “What do I have a taste for?”
More here →
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
Rigid determinism exhausts. Emergent sensitivity regenerates.
The shift:
From “What’s optimal?” → To “What do I have a taste for?”
More here →
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
Ever seen a 6-year-old melt down at an ice cream counter?
Twenty flavors. Endless combinations. And no cone at all.
Ambitious adults do the same thing at the highest stakes.
Here’s how to unfreeze → adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
Twenty flavors. Endless combinations. And no cone at all.
Ambitious adults do the same thing at the highest stakes.
Here’s how to unfreeze → adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
The Ice Cream Counter Problem — And the 3-Minute Fix
Field Shift: From Rigid Determinism → To Emergent Sensitivity
adamlafferty.substack.com
September 7, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Ever seen a 6-year-old melt down at an ice cream counter?
Twenty flavors. Endless combinations. And no cone at all.
Ambitious adults do the same thing at the highest stakes.
Here’s how to unfreeze → adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
Twenty flavors. Endless combinations. And no cone at all.
Ambitious adults do the same thing at the highest stakes.
Here’s how to unfreeze → adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-ice-cr...
The night I found my kids' notes in a hotel room, I realized: I'd been performing so long, I forgot I was performing.
Managing personas burns more energy than the work itself.
What if coherence became your strategy instead?
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-night-...
Managing personas burns more energy than the work itself.
What if coherence became your strategy instead?
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-night-...
The Night My Faces Fell Apart
Field Shift: From Fragmented Authenticity → To Holistic Integrity
adamlafferty.substack.com
September 1, 2025 at 11:17 AM
The night I found my kids' notes in a hotel room, I realized: I'd been performing so long, I forgot I was performing.
Managing personas burns more energy than the work itself.
What if coherence became your strategy instead?
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-night-...
Managing personas burns more energy than the work itself.
What if coherence became your strategy instead?
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-night-...
Some time you measure.
Some time you feel.
Some time you never get back.
This week’s essay → The Calendar Prison Where Tomorrow Never Comes
👉 adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-calend...
Some time you feel.
Some time you never get back.
This week’s essay → The Calendar Prison Where Tomorrow Never Comes
👉 adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-calend...
The Calendar Where Tomorrow Never Comes
Field Shift: From Chronological Obsession → To Temporal Resonance
adamlafferty.substack.com
August 25, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Some time you measure.
Some time you feel.
Some time you never get back.
This week’s essay → The Calendar Prison Where Tomorrow Never Comes
👉 adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-calend...
Some time you feel.
Some time you never get back.
This week’s essay → The Calendar Prison Where Tomorrow Never Comes
👉 adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-calend...
Tactical brilliance achieves.
Visionary imagination becomes.
Which are you building from?
open.substack.com/pub/adamlaff...
Visionary imagination becomes.
Which are you building from?
open.substack.com/pub/adamlaff...
The Moon Landing That Killed Our Imagination
Field Shift: From Tactical Brilliance → To Visionary Imagination
open.substack.com
August 17, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Tactical brilliance achieves.
Visionary imagination becomes.
Which are you building from?
open.substack.com/pub/adamlaff...
Visionary imagination becomes.
Which are you building from?
open.substack.com/pub/adamlaff...
That moment when you realize you've been sprinting toward a finish line that keeps moving.
New piece on why exhaustion might be intelligence trying to get your attention:
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/why-i-fire...
New piece on why exhaustion might be intelligence trying to get your attention:
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/why-i-fire...
Why I Fired Time (And Hired Rhythm)
The Heart Monitor That Changed Everything
adamlafferty.substack.com
July 20, 2025 at 11:32 AM
That moment when you realize you've been sprinting toward a finish line that keeps moving.
New piece on why exhaustion might be intelligence trying to get your attention:
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/why-i-fire...
New piece on why exhaustion might be intelligence trying to get your attention:
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/why-i-fire...
I had 47 work notifications. Then I asked myself: When did I become addicted to other people's disasters?
What if every problem is just a possibility wearing a disguise?
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-proble...
What if every problem is just a possibility wearing a disguise?
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-proble...
The Problem With My Perfect Solutions
My thumb hovers over the phone screen. That familiar twitch. The muscle memory of importance.
adamlafferty.substack.com
July 13, 2025 at 12:17 PM
I had 47 work notifications. Then I asked myself: When did I become addicted to other people's disasters?
What if every problem is just a possibility wearing a disguise?
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-proble...
What if every problem is just a possibility wearing a disguise?
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-proble...
That moment when you realize you're not stuck IN the system. You ARE the system. This week's Substack: From PowerPoint prisons to actual agency.
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-miro-b...
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-miro-b...
The Miro Board That Became a Mirror
Tuesday. 3:15pm. Zoom strategy session. I'm screen-sharing, architecting connection.
adamlafferty.substack.com
July 6, 2025 at 11:44 AM
That moment when you realize you're not stuck IN the system. You ARE the system. This week's Substack: From PowerPoint prisons to actual agency.
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-miro-b...
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/the-miro-b...
What if your next breakthrough doesn’t come from pushing harder—
but from becoming the kind of presence things want to move toward?
This week’s shift:
From Pushing → to Inviting
Less force.
More field.
Let’s explore.
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/field-shif...
but from becoming the kind of presence things want to move toward?
This week’s shift:
From Pushing → to Inviting
Less force.
More field.
Let’s explore.
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/field-shif...
Field Shift: From Pushing → to Inviting
You've mastered force. Built through sheer will. Led with such intensity that people mistake your pressure for presence.
adamlafferty.substack.com
June 22, 2025 at 11:44 AM
What if your next breakthrough doesn’t come from pushing harder—
but from becoming the kind of presence things want to move toward?
This week’s shift:
From Pushing → to Inviting
Less force.
More field.
Let’s explore.
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/field-shif...
but from becoming the kind of presence things want to move toward?
This week’s shift:
From Pushing → to Inviting
Less force.
More field.
Let’s explore.
adamlafferty.substack.com/p/field-shif...
There's a conversation you're not having with yourself. Everyone else can feel it. Writing about it.
Field Shift: From Playing a Role → to Living Whole open.substack.com/pub/adamlaff...
Field Shift: From Playing a Role → to Living Whole open.substack.com/pub/adamlaff...
Field Shift: From Playing a Role → to Living Whole
You’ve built the identity. Mastered the script. Played the part so well, most people can’t tell it’s a performance.
open.substack.com
June 15, 2025 at 11:50 AM
There's a conversation you're not having with yourself. Everyone else can feel it. Writing about it.
Field Shift: From Playing a Role → to Living Whole open.substack.com/pub/adamlaff...
Field Shift: From Playing a Role → to Living Whole open.substack.com/pub/adamlaff...
The body remembers what the mind tries to outrun.
June 13, 2025 at 12:15 PM
The body remembers what the mind tries to outrun.
What if urgency isn’t strength, but paralysis in motion?
Real authenticity isn’t reacting fast—it’s bearing the pause.
Wisdom waits.
When was the last time you let meaning emerge without forcing it?
Real authenticity isn’t reacting fast—it’s bearing the pause.
Wisdom waits.
When was the last time you let meaning emerge without forcing it?
June 12, 2025 at 12:54 PM
What if urgency isn’t strength, but paralysis in motion?
Real authenticity isn’t reacting fast—it’s bearing the pause.
Wisdom waits.
When was the last time you let meaning emerge without forcing it?
Real authenticity isn’t reacting fast—it’s bearing the pause.
Wisdom waits.
When was the last time you let meaning emerge without forcing it?
Your urgency was never the catalyst.
It was the camouflage.
It was the camouflage.
June 11, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Your urgency was never the catalyst.
It was the camouflage.
It was the camouflage.
The future forms in the quality of now.
Even moments have beginnings and ends.
To originate from the edge of next,
Authentic aspiration becomes Being's expression—
Never possession's desperate grasp.
Even moments have beginnings and ends.
To originate from the edge of next,
Authentic aspiration becomes Being's expression—
Never possession's desperate grasp.
June 10, 2025 at 12:59 PM
The future forms in the quality of now.
Even moments have beginnings and ends.
To originate from the edge of next,
Authentic aspiration becomes Being's expression—
Never possession's desperate grasp.
Even moments have beginnings and ends.
To originate from the edge of next,
Authentic aspiration becomes Being's expression—
Never possession's desperate grasp.