An Excellent Life
Confidence or A-Hole?
Confidence or A-Hole? “My coach told me I need to be more confident, but I don’t want to be an a-hole.” That was a conversation I had with a young person, and I thought it might be helpful to explore this and share it with you. Because I think the world would…
Read MoreFind Your North Star
Find Your North Star I was a freshman in high school when I learned something that would quietly change the way I looked at my life. I had started working with my stepfather(in the photo above), doing all sorts of home-improvement jobs in people’s homes. One day, we were painting a house when the owners…
Read MoreChanging Your Name Doesn’t Change Your Past
Changing Your Name Doesn’t Change Your Past I swore I would never have anything to do with him. My mom and dad split up when I was very young. My sister and I were left to navigate some incredibly difficult and dangerous circumstances. When I finally met my father about 20 years later,…
Read MoreThe Best $1500 I Ever Lost
The Best $1500 I Ever Lost Would you return a large amount of cash if you found it? Do you think someone would return your money if you lost it? Here is my experience… About 10 years ago, I took $1,500 in cash, put it in an envelope, slipped it into…
Read MoreThe Day My Eyes Opened
The Day My Eyes Opened We had just moved into our first home, and I was very pissed off. The previous owner had apparently hidden some damage in the basement. He had installed a drop down ceiling to cover the damage, and as I began taking it down, I was getting more and…
Read MoreWhat Ollie Taught Me About Joy
What Ollie Taught Me About Joy I can’t believe I’m sharing this with you, but here goes. This is Ollie. He is a character for sure, and a really good dog. I can walk him off leash because he listens so well. The kids across the street always want to see…
Read MoreBe Careful When Hunting Monsters
Be Careful When Hunting Monsters Beware that when fighting monsters you yourself do not become a monster. For when you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.” — Friedrich Nietzsche I’ve been thinking about this quote. I was listening to the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts…
Read MoreThank You for Helping Me Celebrate What Matters
Thanks for Helping Me Celebrate What Matters I’m celebrating something big! But first, a little story… Years ago, I finished my 12th speech in Toastmasters and officially became a Toastmaster. Toastmasters is an organization that helps people become better public speakers, and completing 12 guided speeches is no small accomplishment. Especially…
Read MoreThere’s Something Pretty Special Outside
There’s Something Pretty Special Outside There was a boy named Colin. He was 17 years old, and I was at his celebration of life at a high school. Colin died of cancer. He loved being outdoors so much that the card they gave us showed him studying for finals on a beach…
Read MoreOh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!
Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!! I think you’re going to love this because I loved hearing it, and I wanted to share it with you. A man in a class I attend shared a story with us. He had a coach who taught him that whenever something challenging happened, he should…
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