How many times have you caught yourself thinking or saying, “ugh, I have to ______ (insert a task or event from your busy life)”? It’s easy to do. Carolyn and I know as we’ve said it (or grumbled it) many times. However, some influential people in our lives encouraged us to stop the grumbling and […]
Personal Note
What’s The Point If You’re Not Having Fun?
Many of us have felt “stuck” or in a rut at some point in life. Oftentimes it’s due to the fact we become focused on the “end-game” and not the journey. If your happiness is dependent on accomplishing certain goals, what happens if fate intervenes and outside events interrupt? That’s the problem with allowing your […]
Declare Independence From Yourself
This month we celebrated our forefathers and mothers – a group of brave men and women – who declared independence from oppression, inequality, injustice, and tyranny. Let’s follow their example and declare independence from the biggest tyrant in our own lives. Ourselves Yes. We are the biggest oppressor and the most unfair when it comes […]
Who’s Your Dado?
I love being Dado. Dado is what my kids have called me since they were first able to talk. The name just stuck. I like it because it’s unique, still identifies me as Dad, and just sounds fun. Being “Dado” is where I find happiness and purpose. It’s one of the core values of who […]
The Heart of the Home
There are many words to describe what a mother truly is to her children and family – the heart, the glue, the rock are just some among many others. As I reflect on the mothers in my own life, all are very true. However, I can confidently add one more descriptor – pure gold. Recently […]
Sculpting Your Future
This month we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, the coming of Spring, and the excitement of the NCAA Tournament. Interestingly, if you think about it all three incorporate themes that involve the promise of future greatness – the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the coming of new life and summer after a […]
A Cup of Love
This month we celebrate that beautiful emotion with Valentine’s Day at the center of it all. However, you really don’t need the reminder as it’s hard to miss the explosion of red and pink hearts everywhere you look. As with many holidays, Valentine’s Day has become very commercialized over the years. As soon as the […]
Be Your Best Me in ‘23!
I have a saying that has guided my life for a long time: “Be better and better be.” It was inspired by a quote from the Brazilian novelist, Paulo Coelho, who in his novel “The Alchemist” wrote, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” Another popular quote […]
Are You Ready?
Life can feel like one hard thing after another. If it’s not this, it’s that. The Capitol is stormed; a pandemic kills millions worldwide; Russia invades Ukraine and meters atrocity that Europe hasn’t seen in nearly a century; worldwide drought and famine pervade; homelessness is on the rise nationwide; crazy inflation and gas prices; Crypto […]
A Call of Duty Finally Answered
Many who know me, also know of the passion and reverence I have for veterans and those that serve in the military. So big is that passion that I often get asked if I’ve served (the trim haircut plays a part, too, I’m sure). No, I did not serve. I long-wished I did, and I […]
Leap of Faith
I was frozen with panic standing there on the edge of a piece of volcanic rock tenuously protruding 60 feet above the glistening and beautifully translucent aqua blue water. As I looked down, I could see big mounds of volcanic rock and coral below. Of course, they were submerged 20 feet underneath the surface, but […]
Be The Hope
Last month’s personal note was a call to action to never give up on hope despite the daily exasperation and despair of living in what often seems like a world gone mad. It’s completely normal to get overwhelmed by the enormity of all the bad things happening. It’s likewise easy to want to throw our […]
Never Ever, Ever Give Up
All is not lost and the end is not near as long as we maintain hope. That is the evergreen message this time of year.
Spring Cleaning of Your Mind
Welcome to Spring, a season of new life and new beginnings. There’s a freshness and a stirring sense of promise in the air as we wake from our winter hibernation and look forward to what summer and the rest of the year will bring. Growing up this meant little league baseball, spring soccer, rainy days […]
Who Is the “My Person” in Your Life?
We all need someone in our lives that we can call “My Person.” This idea of “my person” grew out of a saying Carolyn and I have: “thank you for being my person.” I am not quite sure when we first started saying it, but it has become a powerful synonym for “I love you.” […]
The Power of a Simple Act of Kindness
A simple act of kindness can have a huge impact. For example (and this is by no means an exhaustive list), saying “hello” to the passerby, asking someone how they are doing, calling a person by name, saying “thank you for your service” to veterans and first responders, checking-in with a friend or family member to […]
What’s the Point If You Aren’t Having Fun?
Many of us have felt “stuck” or in a rut at some point in life. Oftentimes it’s due to the fact we become focused on the “end-game” and not the journey. If your happiness is dependent on accomplishing certain goals, what happens if fate intervenes and outside events interrupt? That’s the problem with allowing your […]
Honoring Our American Heroes
Over the years, Memorial Day has become the unofficial launch party for the upcoming summer. Beaches and backyards are filled with frolicking and barbeques. There are sales galore for all the shoppers out there. To top it off, many of us get an extra day off from work to relax and have some fun. It’s […]
Why You Shouldn’t Judge A Fish By Its Ability to Climb a Tree
Albert Einstein is famous for his Theory of Relativity and its mathematical equation: E=mc2. However, here’s another theory that he shared that is even more important and groundbreaking: “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” […]
Stillness is the Key
As one of our clients likes to remind us, “the world spins so fast!” It’s true that life moves so quickly that it oftentimes feels we are barely keeping up, if at all. If you feel this way, you are not alone. In addition to drowning in overwhelm, there is another growing problem: not having any time to […]