LIFE
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.
The Price of Kindness
We all know someone who is kindness through and through. I’m sure you can think of a handful of people in your life who exude kindness 24/7. Half a dozen names come to my mind, both men and women, who are shining examples of what it is to be kind. It’s like kindness...
We’re Going to Camp
We signed two contracts for two retreats. The first contract we signed the day before we left and the second one on the DAY we left, right before heading to the airport. Some of our friends were surprised to learn that we booked two different venues. Why not simplify things and have everything at one place? But we have two different groups in mind. The first retreat will be for writers and the second for couples.
LEGACY
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?
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. It's the first time authors who find themselves on the Bestseller list for months or years, and the real estate...
Who Are the Heroes in the Room?
Those heroes are going back to their work feeding the hungry, healing the abused, and caring for the most vulnerable people in our society. THAT is the truly amazing work. It’s the work of compassion and determination and a commitment to do the right thing when it would be so much easier to look the other way.
LIVELIHOOD
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...
Two Birds, One Stone
The rewards from certain tasks and activities are often naturally twofold. But I cringe when I see the “two birds, one stone” concept abused, when people shortchange the relationships in their lives because they’re too focused on that other bird that they’re also aiming for.
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...
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.
A Gift and A Curse
An entrepreneur, by nature, see’s opportunity wherever they go. This is me. When I travel, one of my favorite things to do as I enjoy time outside of the daily grind is to simply open my eyes to opportunity. Sure enough, every town, every restaurant, every beach my...
No Such Thing As Stuck
Emilia’s first sales pitch was to basically bully people. She’d get right up in their faces and demand to know if they’d buy. “You want to buy some cotton candy? Do you? DO YOU?” I’ve never seen so many adults get scared of a twelve-year-old girl.