The bridge between acting like a victim to life’s circumstances and taking a leadership role in our lives takes the form of a simple question. “What do I want?” It’s a powerful question. But it can be uncannily difficult to answer at times. Whether you’re creating goals for your year, grappling with a difficult challenge…

There are basically three ways we can respond to a given situation.  Resist it. Accept it. Feel grateful for it. The path we choose can completely change our internal state. As the saying goes: Suffering = Pain * Resistance.​ So when we’re in the first path of Resistance, we tend to suffer a lot. (“Why me?!?”​) And when…

I recorded a quick video to share the journaling practice I’ve been using every morning for over a year now. It’s called the Carpe Diem Journal.  When I start my day with this practice, I tend to: Feel more clarity about what’s most important for me to do in the day. ​Stay more consistent ​with my daily…

My dad is an architect. And one of the things I learned from him as a kid is the importance of foundations. If you wanna build a tall building, you need to build dig a deep foundation. (Otherwise, the whole thing’s gonna topple over.) The same is true in our lives. If we want to…

Every great book has a handful of Big Ideas that can change your life. One day you see the world this way. Then you learn a Big Idea from a great book. It strikes a chord. And the next day, you see the world differently.  As a result of that insight, you show up differently. And…

There’s a super-simple tool I’ve been using to get clarity on the toughest challenges I’m facing in life. I started experimenting with this last summer. And I’m realizing now just how helpful it can be. It’s called the Most Important Question (MIQ) exercise. It goes like this: 1 – Identify your MIQ. At the end of your…

Howdy! Welcome to the third installment of my Year in Review practice. (Past years here: 2018 + 2017.) Each of these years, since I left the comfortable nest of traditional employment, has been a wild ride in an of itself.  2019 was no exception. Actually, no. 2019 was an exception to a string of exceptional…

Congratulations! Another year has come and gone. You’ve made another trip around the sun on this little rock in space. And you’re ready to gear up for the next journey. But before we do that, it’s time to get present to the unique opportunity of this season. Planning your Best Year Yet is about…well, just…

A Year in Review has become one of the most important journaling exercises I do every year. (If not THE most important.) Your Year in Review sets the foundation for the rest of your year. As Jon Kabat-Zinn says: “If we ever hope to go anywhere or develop ourselves in any way, we can only step…

Most of us do whatever we can to avoid stress.  When something “bad” happens, we complain, get upset, and try to avoid it. But since Suffering = Pain * Resistance, the power of acceptance teaches us that we needn’t suffer unnecessarily. When we experience pain—physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual—acceptance is the all-healing salve that removes the suffering from our pain.…