I wandered the kitchen lethargically. My face was long. Jen asked what was wrong. "I'm exhausted." It was dinner time. I was starving and didn't feel like cooking. I avoided starting a meal for 10 minutes as I wallowed in my tiredness and "don't wanna-ness." Two hours later, Jen said she was exhausted and ready for bed. I told her I was wide awake. She was perplexed, "Two hours ago, you were telling me how tired you were." I said, "I was tired. I woke-up when I cooked … [Read more...]
Are you getting caught in the idea trap?
I remember stepping on the Lego piece with my bare foot. I screamed, cursing. A cubic, sharp pebble cutting into my foot. It hurt! Yesterday, I talked about how building ideas is like playing with Legos. "The ideas are the blocks. Putting them together is the execution." If you're an "idea guy" (or gal), like me, you have a bunch of blocks. They're everywhere! You're tripping on them, stepping on them, staring at them. Are you putting them together? Are you addicted … [Read more...]
One question to get the most use from your stress
Studies show that bad stress causes harmful reactions in us. It literally kills us slowly. A key distinction between good stress (Eustress) and bad stress (distress) is whether we see ourselves as capable of exerting ourselves on our situation to affect it. When we focus on what can't do, we create bad stress and get stuck. When we focus on what we can do, we create new options through or around our challenges. We look at what we can control. We cultivate good stress. … [Read more...]
Two Simple Steps to Move Closer to your goals
An object that's a rest tends to stay at rest. An object in motion will continue along the same course unless another force redirects it. It's a law of physics. It's also a law of life. Change your words, change your mind I've been at rest for several months. I've talked about how I need to exercise. And I need to write. I haven't done either. I realized last night that I was speaking in 'Need to'. I immediately changed my language. I moved to 'want to'. We put the … [Read more...]
All I want for Christmas is…
Jen's whispered, "C'mon. It's time to feed the babies." All I want for Christmas is for my babies to sleep through the night. I've told so many people that my Christmas present would be the twins sleeping through the night. These were typical responses: "Keep dreaming...." "My babies are a year old. They still don't sleep through the night." "That's not going to happen." "Good luck with that..." Not encouraging words. They're actually the complete opposite. The people … [Read more...]
Are you going broke?
I was talking with friend last night. She talked about how it's hard to keep priorities this time of year (Christmas time). She's busy going to 47 Christmas parties, buying gifts, spending time with friends, and somewhere in there ... she works. We talked about weight gain, staying on budget, and sticking to goals. They're all related. Have you gained 5, 10, 15 lbs lately? Check your finances. When your weight goes up, you're probably spending more money. Check your work, too. If … [Read more...]
Who do you relate to?
The word relationship is built on the root: relate. So a relationship is based up how we relate to others. When you build relationships do you relate to the other person or do you relate to yourself while talking to another person? You can't meet someone where they are when you don't relate to them for who they are. How do expect to sell them, support them, lead them or love them when you aren't even talking to them? Stop talking to yourself. Build a relationship instead. It will … [Read more...]
Out through the In Door
I was down in a depressive funk for the last few weeks. It tends to happen each year as approach my birthday. This year wasn't an exception. I was walking in the morning. Walking in the sunlight is a prescription for the funk. As I walked I prayed. I was asking for a way out. I received an answer. "Stop looking for a way out. Look for a way in." Looking for a way out isn't about finding something new. It's about leaving something old. You're not going anywhere. You're … [Read more...]
Would you rather be needed or wanted?
The exercise started. I was getting up to work the room. A thought struck me. "They don't need me." I was hit with a sense of deflation. It was a "What's the point?" moment. I was at Boot Camp. The irony, or hypocrisy, I'm working at a program built to help people find purpose and meaning. And I'm struggling with my purpose and meaning. We're human. It happens. I spent a few moments looking at the situation. The conversation with myself went like this: "You're right. They … [Read more...]
Who do you think you are?
"What if I turn into one of those really happy people who I can't stand?" My mom replied "What's it matter? You'll be happy!" I had a hard time with that. I was thinking about buying a self-improvement program that promised extraordinary happiness. I was 19 or 20. I was angry. I was depressed. I wanted to change. I didn't know how. I resisted the very change I claimed I wanted. What a mess ... I wanted something different for myself. But I wasn't willing let go of something to … [Read more...]



