LIFE
Find a Way
Last week our shoes were borrowed by the neighbor’s dogs. (You read that right). The dogs are super friendly, always greet us when we come and go, and I always take time to pet them. Then one day we had to leave our shoes outside because they were muddy. The next day...
If Happy Things Annoy You
We all have control over what we want to put out there. There are times in the past when I’ve been snarky or dripping in self-pity or even downright mean. But I’ve learned that that’s not who I truly am. That’s not who I want to be.
Traveling Minors
At the ages of 10 and 12, it’s time my daughters take a greater role in navigating the logistics of airline travel. After all, I was only 15 when I left for my first study abroad program in Russia. Not that I think they’re ready to ship off to Eastern Europe, but they...
When We Document, We Get Paid in Confidence
When we document our progress, it pays us with measurable proof, which feeds our self-confidence, which is critical when doing hard sh*t.
The Active Mindset
If you write, you’ve probably learned about passive voice versus active voice. Example: Passive voice: The miserable 5K was run by Amanda.Active voice: Amanda ran the miserable 5K. Passive voice: The effing push-ups were completed by Amanda.Active voice: Amanda...
Holding Out For A Hero
We are judged by our actions, and every day we are forced to make decisions where one path is harder, but much more heroic, and the other path is easier, and less heroic. It’s extremely challenging to choose the heroic path consistently. But you can make the choice easier by…
Mom, Is Santa Real?
A week ago, my ten-year-old asked me about the elf in our home. If you’re not familiar, Elf on the Shelf is sort of a game for kids who believe in the magic of Christmas. You have a little stuffed elf. Every night you move the elf to a new location/position in the...
Are You The Cattle or The Cowboy?
Parents tell their kids to chase their dreams, but the message somehow turns to chase job security when they become a young adult.
It’s common in our society to encourage people to chase their dreams, but it’s even more common for society to scare you out of such pursuits.
LEGACY
Do It Anyway
Mike did a live radio spot on Idaho Matters, a show on our local NPR station. We had the opportunity to speak with Gemma Gaudette about ImpactClub Boise... what it is, how it works, why it’s important. When I speak in front of people or on the radio, I sweat. (I sweat...
Life is Not a Seasonal Sport
Life is not a seasonal sport. There is no off season. You must play the long game.
Getting More Than You Give
Rake Up Boise is an annual event where individuals and teams volunteer their time to rake the yards of elderly and disabled residents. Every year I captain the Raking Writers, a team I put together from members of the Idaho Writers Guild. The resident we were last...
Scrappy and Proud
My 7th grade daughter just won 6th place in the city-wide tennis tournament.
To say I’m proud is an understatement. Here’s why.
6th place was frustrating to Emilia because she lost two very close matches. But what she failed to see was how much of an underdog she was in this tournament.
Talent Craves Dedication
In the last days of my father’s life, I was tasked with writing a few words to be read by my sister at his funeral. This meant sitting down in front of my computer and staring at a blank screen for a few hours. Because what is there to say, so much and not enough,...
Driven To Be Something More
“At first, I hated the pressure and burden of feeling called to become something great. It’s a torture chamber. You know your potential. Yet, you have no idea how to get there. This leads to despair and misery, and always feeling like you’re letting yourself down…”
Letters to My Daughters
For the past twelve years, I’ve been working on a journal filled with entries from me to Emilia. I’ve been doing the same in a second journal for the past decade with entries to Ivy.For me, this is a form of legacy. It takes very little of my time (I average about one...
Mindset & What Truly Matters
As an aspiring writer, I was constantly consumed with goals. What would lead to publication? What would bring in money? Would fame follow if I wrote a space opera werewolf romance?
LIVELIHOOD
True Fans
I’m a firm believer in the power of true fans and that authenticity is the way to create them. There are the obvious benefits to true fans. We gain evangelists, we produce revenue, and let’s not discount the fact that it just plain feels good. There’s a secondary...
On the Importance of Routine
Friends understand and respect your routines. Worthy colleagues operate within routines of their own. It’s up to us to keep the technological distractions at bay.
The Gambler & the Investor
Ryan Fletcher, the guy who runs both the StoryAthlete and GRIT challenges in which Mike and are taking part, wrote the other day about the difference between gambling and investing. Gambling is exciting. There’s a rush that goes along with it. Spin the wheel and who...
Producers versus Consumers
In committing to move, to achieve, to advance toward goals and dreams, we force ourselves up off of that couch and take a step into a scary world. We do this when we realize that the idea of staying on that couch is more horrific than any monsters we might have to confront along the journey.
The Engineer & the Fork in the Road
A friend of mine is brilliant. I have known Mark for twenty years, and during that time I’ve never doubted that the workings of his mind could solve many of the worlds problems (or at the very least eliminate a hundred inconveniences that you and I experience on a...
Holding Out For A Hero
We are judged by our actions, and every day we are forced to make decisions where one path is harder, but much more heroic, and the other path is easier, and less heroic. It’s extremely challenging to choose the heroic path consistently. But you can make the choice easier by…
StoryAthlete
A few people have reached out to me about what I’ve been doing lately. Mike and I have been embarking on a variety of changes and challenges. All good things. As far as the writing and posting I’ve been doing of late, I mentioned a few times that this was part of a...
Be Selfish with Your Time
One of the most common excuses I hear from people about why they haven’t achieved something is that there’s not enough time. But really, time moves at the same pace for all of us. No one gets more hours in a day than anyone else.