YOU ARE A SCULPTOR

If we set our expectations or find ourselves in environments where expectations are set for us, make sure they lead us to the person or professional we want to become.  The opposite can also be true.  If we have low expectations of ourselves or allow ourselves to stay in an environment with low or no expectations, our performance will follow that leadership.

THE CYCLES OF GROWTH

We all go through cycles of improvement and growth. In the beginning it feels like it’s taking forever to gain traction and move forward. Then, as if a switch has been flipped, growth begins and snowballs. You experience years of ten percent growth, fifty percent growth, at times over a hundred percent growth. A new cycle eventually emerges and the growth may seem to subside or slow. 

I DON’T BELIEVE IN LUCK

I have often struggled when people refer to the role of good or bad “luck” in building businesses, meeting the perfect spouse, crossing paths with opportunity, achieving success or experiencing failure.

It has become a common conversation amongst CEO’s, venture capitalists, personal development gurus and others that the role of luck benefits us all. In fact ignoring it or not acknowledging it has been linked with ego and arrogance.

BE LIKE A DOG

A dog’s love and relationship with their owner is unconditional. It doesn’t matter what happens, they just want you to know that they love you, and they just want to be loved. Is there a more perfect relationship?

LET’S MAKE SOME JAZZ

Last week I spent some time in New York. For all of its frenetic energy - the traffic, the pace, the cab rides, the noise - it has always been a city that calms me down. There is something about New York that brings me some peace. It’s as if the cells in my body know I am home. It’s as if they know they were born just across the Brooklyn Bridge. Either way, being in the city is very similar to being in the woods for me. Both give me time to think.

RUNNING in PLACE

You have to connect with purpose to get through the running in place.

A LIFE WORTH LIVING

There is so much advice in self help books, from podcast hosts, in blogs, and now even on social media around how to create a “life worth living”. It has definitely been a catchphrase for the past few years, and I had almost subconsciously adopted it into my language and found myself saying it on more than one occasion.

ARE YOUR STANDARDS JUST STANDARD?

The word standard as a noun is often used to connote a certain level of quality or a way to measure or evaluate something. As an adjective it is mostly used to describe something that has become normal, even average.

BREAKING NEWS: THE EARTH ISN’T FLAT

I feel very ready for 2023. Not ready because I’m certain how things will play out this year. Not ready because I have all my plans set and goals set and targets set. Not ready because the wind is at my back and the road is paved in front of me. But I feel very ready for 2023 because I trained for this. All of us trained for this.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE ORGANIC

We often hear the expression that relationships are organic. And that is true. But incorrectly, that can cause us to believe that they will grow and develop naturally - that our relationships will continue to produce good fruit just based on time. It allows us to be passive instead of proactive when it comes to them. 

LIFE IS NOT A NOVEL

I have spent countless hours in the “Young Reader” section with my daughters, and have notice that the biggest sellers, and most popular books on the shelves, include hundreds of “series”.  The author releases a book, creates a strong following for the lead characters, and begins at times, a decades long and multi-book journey of writing and releasing. Some of the most popular book series have been going for 5, 10, or even 15 years.

GOING DOWNHILL FAST

As I watched how long it took the kids to get to the top of the mountain and then how quickly they got to the bottom of the hill, I couldn’t help but think of something I had read earlier in the week. Referring to the current real estate market, Stefan Swanepoel in his recent blog post wrote, “The ride down is faster than the path upward…” I’ve always found Stefan insightful, and this statement particularly stuck with me.

DON’T BREAK YOUR PIGGY BANK!

… the piggy bank was originally intended to be a real commitment device. The piggy bank’s origin began in the Middle Ages when clay pots and containers were used to hold coins and money. Those pots were originally made from an orange colored clay material called pygg. Those pots became known as “pygg pots”.

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO

This week I was cleaning out some bookshelves to make some room for some new books. I’ve had stacks of books on my home office floor for some time… I imagine myself as an old man living in a cabin with every wall being bookshelves, and stacks of books everywhere. We’ll see if my wife keeps me.

TIME IS A MEMORY

As you choose to spend uninterrupted time with your children, or choose to eat a meal with loved ones without interruption from phone or email, we confirm in our minds that this is who we are. We are the type of person that blocks out time for that meal or blocks out time for that movie with the kids or blocks out time to read that book. We are the type of person that has the time and makes the time.

LEARNING FOR DOING

So many of you who consistently read this weekly blog just love to learn. I appreciate you reaching out, commenting, and sharing your thoughts about each post. I come back to the keyboard each week to really recount what I have learned over the past 7 days and put in writing something actionable I can do based on that learning… your reach-out’s, comments, and shares allow me to continue to learn from your individual perspectives as well.

ON THE NIGHT AFTER THE MARATHON

“I had the worst competitive run of my life today.” … I had some time - and by “some time” I mean an extra two hours during the race - to think about what I learned through failure and thought I’d share those lessons with you today.

ON THE NIGHT BEFORE…

So tomorrow I finally get to run the NYC Marathon. The past couple months of training have been an awesome learning experience on quite a few levels. I am certain that most of the learning will be experienced tomorrow, but that will have to be left for next week. I spent some time this evening reflecting on what I’ve learned on the journey.

IT’S AN AND

When I got married, I never thought I’d love someone as much as my wife. And I didn’t want to. Then I had my first daughter. I realized that love allowed for an “and”. I could love my wife and I could love my daughter. I didn’t need to choose. Then I never thought I’d love a little girl as much as I did Kelanna. And then we had our second daughter. I felt the same love for Kaililly that I had felt for our first. Once again, I realized that love is an “and”. It was a lesson for me. 

5 LESSONS FROM A WEEKEND OF HARD WORK

… I knew nothing about grapes or vines or wine. But I’ve always believed that what we don’t know we can learn - if we want to. I also am convinced that we learn the most when we get completely outside of our skill set, think completely differently, and do new things. So I set about reading some books, talking to some vintners, getting my hands dirty, and then reading some more books.