Our Power in a Pandemic

Prevent and Preserve with Best Practices and Best Behaviors In times of uncertainty, everyone tends to experience a heightened emotional response to circumstances. The more stressed and anxious an individual is, the less mental bandwidth they have left for making routine decisions and for handling unexpected conditions. This means that for both better and worse, even …

Give Shape to Your Life by Curating Your Attention

Attention.     From its root, it means to attend or to be present with. To give one’s presence to a moment or place. Is it any wonder that the things we pay attention to grow and become more present in our lives?   After all, by paying attention to them, we are giving our …

Moving the Needle

In our classes, we talk a lot about state management. About this idea that we can orient ourselves in a manner that is conducive to what we are trying to accomplish. That, while we all have goals, we can either move ourselves towards our goals in a way that makes progress a difficult struggle, or …

The One True Love Potion

When it comes to Valentine's Day, or when it comes to the subject of love at all, my thoughts turn to one quote in particular.  From Menander, a Greek playwright who lived from 342-292 B.C., comes one of the best statements I've ever had the pleasure of examining and endeavoring to put into play. Menander of Athens …

What are you really doing right now?

No matter what we appear to be doing on the surface, there is one underlying thing that we are always doing. That is, we are always practicing the manner in which we engage with the world in front of us. Each moment of every day, we are constantly practicing a state of engagement, or our personal state, if you …

Truths about Leadership

Leadership matters now more than ever. In a world that is constantly becoming more and more interconnected, individual actions have the capacity to affect more people than ever before. With such magnified consequences, the role of leaders, and leadership itself, is constantly growing in import. Whether for an individual or a group, leadership is what comes …

Finding Traction in the Face of Tragedy

The news hits like a sucker punch to the gut. There is shock, confusion, and then the feeling of your stomach dropping out as the reality of the tragedy begins to set in. What comes next varies from person to person, but feelings of anger, sadness, frustration, and grief tend to commingle in a manner …

3 Simple Steps to Stress Less & Enjoy More

Stress: noun. 1) pressure or tension exerted on an object. 2) a state of mental or emotional strain. Stress, as a word, has its roots as a shortening of distress, and is based on the the Latin strictus meaning “drawn tight.” Is there anyone who is unfamiliar with stress? I think not. Just the act of living results in …

Cultivating Bravery

Some of, if not most of, the very best and most meaningful accomplishments in this life lie on the other side of at least a little difficulty and discomfort. Whether it is knowledge or a skill that we are looking to attain, be it a physical change in our bodies, or better relationships with others, nearly …

The True Significance of Challenge and Difficulty

Earlier this week I read a statement along the lines of, "A person's success in life is determined by the number of difficult conversations that they are willing to have."¹ The statement struck a chord and caused me to reflect.  I'd have to agree that a person's willingness to participate in difficulty determines at least a …