“A moment came that stopped me on a dime,” Tim McGraw sings in “Live Like You Were Dying.”

That moment for me was early in the evening of August 31, 2017. My wife Julie and I had just attended “Meet the Teacher” night at our daughters’ elementary school. One of our daughters was in third grade, and one was in fourth, so we used the “divide and conquer” … continue reading

“Most people spend the majority—if not the entirety—of their lives putting off the things that matter most,” write Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy in Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork.

1: This week, we’ve been exploring the power of asking “Who” not “How” when faced with an issue, an opportunity, or a problem. One sign that it’s time to look for a Who … continue reading

Eighty-four percent of our creative insights don’t happen while we are at work.

1: Instead, they happen while we’re at home or driving or involved with a hobby or recreational activity, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in their book Who Not How.

The message? We “need time and space, and most important, relaxation and recovery, to allow ideas and solutions to ferment and form,” Dan and Ben write.… continue reading

Our default setting as human beings is “How.” When an opportunity or challenge arises, we typically ask, “How do I do this?”

1: The problem with this mindset? If we try to do everything ourselves, we severely limit the resources available to us. And if our resources are limited, so is our potential, our options, and our future, write Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy in Who Not How: The Formula … continue reading

Richie Norton was 16-years-old. Like many teenagers, he wanted to make some money and spend it how he wanted.

1: “Although Richie came from a middle-class family and lacked nothing, he longed for control,” write Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy in Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork.  

Richie’s story highlights the primary message of the book: To maximize our effectiveness, we should focus … continue reading

“The best day to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best day is today.”

Q1 is in the books. Rearview mirror, baby.

And, it’s not too late to make 2022 the best year of our lives.

I need one hour of your time. Nine months from now, you may look back on this hour as one of the most important hours of the year.

Because with this … continue reading

The world today has been described as “VUCA.” Which stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.  

It’s easy to get triggered, to feel threatened, and to live with a “reactive mindset,” Dr. Daniel Friedland writes in Leading Well from Within.

There is another option, however. Despite this “VUCA reality,” we can choose instead to live with a proactive or “creative mindset.” 

“The essence of being proactive is to take … continue reading

1: Because: What gets measured gets done.

Vision. Strategy. Implementation. Results. Or, VSIR.

These four integrated elements are the essential ingredients of living a creative rather than a reactive life, Dr. Daniel Friedland writes in Leading Well from Within.

Yesterday, we explored the idea of vision. We outlined the key elements of a “life well lived.”

In the VSIR cycle, our strategies and implementation are our calls to action … continue reading

That’s where we start. That’s the question we ask.  

1: Our vision is an image of an ideal future. It transcends and includes our purpose and passion for being. Our vision generates the guiding force of inspiration in our lives, writes Dr. Daniel Friedland in Leading Well from Within.

Why is visioning so powerful?

Because when we identify a vision for the future, we create a gap between the … continue reading

1: Gallup researchers have calculated a national stress index based on a survey of more than 125,000 people from 121 countries. The analysts ask participants whether they had experienced a significant amount of stress the previous day, Dr. Daniel Friedland writes in his brilliant book Leading Well from Within.

The results? The higher the nation’s stress index, the higher the nation’s well-being.

“Further, individuals who were stressed but not … continue reading