An Excellent Life
Be Grateful You Didn’t Get Away With It
Be Grateful You Didn’t Get Away With It Did you ever wonder why bad things happen to good people, and how others seem to get away with everything? What if I told you, no one gets away with anything, and it may be a blessing to get caught. I once got caught stealing a cassette…
Read MoreHow Being “Nice” Almost Ruined Me
From Nice to Good I was born into chaotic, violent, and neglectful circumstances. To survive as a young boy, my nervous system did what every human nervous system does under threat. It reached for one of four instinctive responses: Fight. Flight. Freeze. Or fawn. You may not have heard of fawn. …
Read MoreA Different Way into the New Year
A Different Way Into the New Year Every year I make goals. It’s been a habit I learned years ago and have taught many people to do the same. One of the challenges for me has always been knowing what I truly wanted—and asking myself an even deeper question: Is this the greatest…
Read MoreThe Quiet Power of Christmas
The Quiet Power of Christmas My mentor and friend will be in surgery later today. Some of my other friends are waiting on diagnoses. I see my kids every other week. I’m having a tough conversation with a dear friend to renegotiate our realtionship. ^ Heavystuff… And then there’s the news—Charlie…
Read MoreWhen Christmas Was Winter
When Christmas Was Winter It was Christmas, and I was coming off what felt like the best year of my young, eight-year-old life. My sister and I had been brought to the United States to live with my mom and stepdad, in the first home I would ever call my own. The beatings…
Read MoreA Grown-Up Example of Family
A Grown-Up Example of Family Almost Laughed Away It was only the second time she was meeting her now husband’s family. At the first dinner, she sat almost speechless—watching as they asked about each other’s day, listened attentively, and spoke with kindness. It was nothing like the family dynamic she grew up in, where…
Read MoreHow to have Amazing Relationships
How to Have Amazing Relationships The Absolute Power of Listening He had an affair. And came to me for coaching. He wanted to repair his marriage. And they hadn’t been intimate for years. This is never an easy place to start. When someone has had an affair and wants…
Read MoreWhy Gratitude is Important
Why Gratitude is so Important: Thanksgiving Reflection Let me start with a question — one that stopped me in my tracks when I thought of it: What if tomorrow morning you woke up and only got to keep what you were grateful for yesterday? What I mean by this is… What if the…
Read MoreMarriage, Relationships, and your Health
Relationships, Marriage, and your Health I was driving with a young man I’m coaching the other day—he’s working hard to prepare himself for a healthy relationship. He’s responsible, he’s been through a lot, and he genuinely wants to build a good life with someone. He told me he’d started reading the relationship book…
Read MoreWhen making a profit doesn’t profit
When making a profit doesn’t profit What Does It Profit a Man? “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” Matthew 16:26 This lesson from the Bible has always struck me deeply, though I never fully understood why—until recently. I was out for a run today, reflecting…
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