Enter conversations with situational awareness. A couple of years ago, as part of a weekend retreat, my son and I took a situational awareness class. We were presented real life situations and how circumstances could have changed with an awareness of surroundings. It was a humbling class, as the leader made us all realize that…
Values provide stability regardless of the season. “Character is often confused with personality, but they’re not the same. Personality is your predisposition, your basic instincts for how to think, feel, and act. Character is your capacity to prioritize your values over your instincts.” Adam Grant in Hidden Potential It is a gift to recognize the…
“all day all day” My two daughters approached me last year with a request to get a tattoo that reads “all day all day.” We are not exactly sure where the saying began, but, since they could barely walk, it has been an exchange. I say, “how much does dad love you?” The return is…
Play the next play. As I was hustling through the airport, I bumped into a guy that I had not seen in a while. As I spent maybe 5 minutes with him, I heard the regret of decisions in his voice. I saw the regret in his eyes. I get it. Spend enough time with…
Force momentum to change. Friday night lights (football season in the south). Late in the first half, down by 10, the star high school QB with the golden arm goes down. Out for the season. Doomsday strikes. The people in the stands create a “sky has fallen” atmosphere. All the usual sayings. “I knew this…
If your “why” doesn’t humble you, find a new “why.” I have the privilege of talking to many entrepreneurs, founders, and companies. I learn the origin stories, what drives people to go after a mission, despite all odds. I consistently discover that their “why” is what gets them up each morning. Their “why” tells the…
Don’t let busyness blind you of the burden. Through the normal course of the last week, I met someone early in life that is dealing with major, undiagnosed health issues, I met someone struggling financially trying to figure out the road ahead, and, finally, in a 5-minute conversation with a mom, I heard a penetrating…
“A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.” — Zig Ziglar You never fully realize the gift of an encourager until you have one in your own life. That person that always finds a path to hope. When the seas are choppy and the sky…
There is one thing that every one of us wants in life. Peace. But, it is incredibly elusive. Fear seems easier to find. A study of the stock market’s fear index, called VIX, shows the trend over the first quarter heading up. Similarly, the CNN fear and greed index has us in the “extreme fear”…
Care leaves a legacy. Just landing in Chicago, the time was 9:30 with my next flight at 9:45. Glancing at my watch, I had a 13 minute “walk” to my gate. I took off in a dead sprint. Approaching the gate at 9:40, I saw the door shut. Hope was gone. But, something different happened….