LIFE
Intensity
Will Smith once said in an interview, “The only thing that is distinctly different about me is I am not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked. Period. You might have more talent than me. You might be smarter than me. You might be sexier than me. You...
The Price of Kindness
When I think about what it is to be kind, it doesn’t always mean going out of your way to help strangers and give compliments and donate your time. Sometimes kindness is as simple as holding your tongue.
Anger
I think most people agree that harboring anger is like a poison for your mind. It clouds our better judgment; it blinds our broader eyesight to the point where we have sustained tunnel vision. Yet our minds love to get angry. Anger is a delicious dessert for our...
Do You Have a Young Reader
There are a million wonderful foods out there, but you’ll never know if you won’t even give them a try. “It’s the same with books, Ivy,” he said. “You’ll never know if you’ll like a book because you won’t even try it.” She is almost always willing to try new foods, so I’m hoping this comparison gets through to her.
Dominos Falling
That is what the last few days have seemed like. One thing after another with this Coronavirus. With each domino, our new reality becomes clearer. I watched Amanda unravel 6 months of hard work she had put in designing and organizing the Idaho Writers Conference set...
Little Changes
A week or so back from our most recent trip, I began to notice that while my daughters got ready for school, I’d have half-hearted conversations with them, but with my focus largely on my laptop. It didn’t sit well with me, so I don’t do that anymore. That laptop stays closed.
Response to Change
We all have people in our life that are notorious for being victims, blaming others for their hardships. “I didn’t get this; therefore, this why I’m…” “They didn’t do this, therefore, this why I’m…” They may be the extreme, but anyone can quickly become a victim when...
Adult(ish)
What we don’t realize as kids, however, is that the adults around us are constantly having to adapt the plans. Or sometimes the plans aren’t even really plans, they’re just events that come up. To a kid, it all seems so orchestrated.
LEGACY
DAY 1 of 365
Day 1 - Yesterday was my birthday, and I shared a big (possibly crazy) goal I'm working towards. I actually have MANY big, scary goals I'm working towards like... Acquiring a big beautiful sailing yacht to charter and play on. Building a sizable retirement pension...
My Mountain
It’s frustrating to see someone experience massive results in a short period of time when the rest of us seem to take tiny steps up a decade long mountain.
A Book for My Daughters
I write and exercise every morning. I haven’t missed a day in over 6 months, even when I feel sick, tired, or injured. It’s a daily practice for my mind and body that I committed to, and I have no intention of stopping this routine anytime soon. I don’t always write a...
On Purpose
But before we judge, we need to stop and think, because in all of these instances we’re seeing expressions of humans caring for and honoring other life. I think even when we can’t relate, we need to respect that.
Inspiring Characters
We all have the ability to inspire others. It’s a superpower we all possess if we choose to use it. The late Kobe Bryant once said, “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do. To try and inspire...
Record Keeping
My daughters periodically ask me to tell them stories about themselves when they were younger. I have a few favorites, like when we came home from a camping trip and Ivy, having grown accustomed to peeing in the wild, dropped her pants to urinate on our front lawn.
Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying
With our daughters not having school or sports, we find ourselves having a lot more family movie nights. Sometimes we watch something funny, so we can all laugh. My oldest daughter typically campaigns to watch something with Dwayne Johnson, so we’ve seen a lot of his...
Exit the Road of Regret
Instead of staying on cruise control, I saw a dirt road that looked exciting, that wound back and forth up the side of a mountain. Hairpin turns? Yeah, those look treacherous. A pitch so steep that a goat can barely traverse it? Well, who doesn’t love a challenge?
LIVELIHOOD
Working from Home
My wife and I work about 10 feet away from each other. Amanda’s office/workspace tends to be the kitchen counter. She doesn’t need much space, just a laptop, phone, and a notebook. I work at a desk with not far away, and we spend the majority of our day in these two...
A Gift and A Curse
One of my biggest challenges as an entrepreneur is deciding which opportunity to pursue. The gift of seeing opportunities is a curse and a blessing.
Getting Started
Mark Twain said, “The secret to getting ahead is getting started.” What is that thing you've been putting off waiting for better timing? Are you thinking that you will get started when you have more time? We get ahead by getting started. We take the first step and...
Doubt
Doubt clouds our better judgment. Doubt is often the cause of many entrepreneurs who continue to chase after new and different shiny objects.
Work/Life Integration
This is a concept my wife and I have been working for many years, although we didn’t really know what to call it. Work/Life Balance is something we tried and often failed at because we are both so driven and hardworking that as a married couple with kids, it can...
Little Changes
A week or so back from our most recent trip, I began to notice that while my daughters got ready for school, I’d have half-hearted conversations with them, but with my focus largely on my laptop. It didn’t sit well with me, so I don’t do that anymore. That laptop stays closed.
Fear and Perseverance
The ripple effects happening across the globe now are unprecedented. Today many parents are figuring out what to do with their kids; business owners are wondering how to navigate this severe and sudden change, jobs that once seemed secure are questionable. This virus...
On Work
Before I switched to writing full-time in 2012, one of my favorite jobs was cleaning houses. That’s not a job that most people would want, scrubbing other people’s toilets, but I loved it.