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A short rant about perspective and positivity.  My wife recently updated her Facebook status asking friends to say how their day was going using only a GIF. I started to notice as the GIFs rolled in that most were negative. Lots of heads banging against hard objects, things that should work not working. GIFs that depicted general craziness and mayhem filled the comment section. The consensus among those that participated was that this was not a good day. Why is it so natural to think of what makes our lives so frustrating and difficult, yet so challenging to recognize how fortunate we are? I am guilty of this daily and challenged by it. Here’s an example. A typical Monday is not something I look forward to. It starts too early for one. I need just a little more sleep (the walking dead or SNF). When I do get up, I know the day is going to be packed so there’s no reason to make a lunch because there's no time to eat if I want to be home before 7. The rest of the day is...

If there’s one chore I hate more than any others, it’s taking a bag full of garbage from inside my house, to a dumpster outside. It makes no sense that I would loath such a simple and easy task, but I would rather cut off my fingertips and dip my hand into pure lemon juice than take the trash out. Before marriage, I had no one to gently and lovingly remind me that this needed to be done. I would continue to pack as much garbage into the can as possible and take it out only when necessary. There is nothing less appealing than an overflowing trash can. It’s a deterrent. It keeps business away, attracts pests, and it will eventually get the neighbors very concerned. Today a situation at work reminded me of how much my ego can be like an overflowing trash can. I received a “punch up” email from someone who doesn’t work in my building and isn’t really my boss “reminding” me to complete a task that was overdue. I thought to myself “It should be overdue because that task is useless and ...

Lessons from ineffective coaches  I've had a lot of coaches. From grade school sports teams and teachers, to bosses in the real world. Some have been incredibly impactful on my life, and given me the support and tools to be successful. They stand out as mentors that I'll be grateful for and always remember well. There are others who were just as impactful, but for totally different reasons. Not all important lessons need to be learned from good leaders. You can learn a lot from someone who doesn't fit into your idea of what a coach should look like. Here are a few examples of how poor leadership made me better(some details may be changed to protect the innocent). That one time I was too slow I loved being a part of a team when I was a kid. I got to hang out with my friends and be a part of something bigger than me. People relied on me. However, on my 4th grade baseball team there was one problem, I rarely got to play. Keep in mind this was in the late 90s when the ...

What are things that hold us back? From achieving more at work? From being better husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, friends? From starting to write down the ideas that we have or to be bold and confront the things that challenge us? Is there something in your life that you have held back from the people you love? What most often gets in the way of our forward progress? Speaking for myself, fear is the most central, boiled down answer for the questions above. Having lived just enough of life to have experienced deep embarrassment( I won't go into detail) and occasional humiliation, those are feelings I'd rather not revisit. I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing. I'm afraid of not being liked. I'm afraid of making the wrong choices, and I'm definitely afraid of choosing to be disciplined when I'd rather life be easy. Watching my 2-year-old play in the yard yesterday I observed some interesting behavior(as most toddler interactions are interesting, to s...