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Knowing your personal values is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Values are the things that drive us, and everyone has their own combination of core values. They tie directly to our intrinsic motivations, our aspirations and our actions.  I love to talk about values because they connect to our sense of self. Getting clarity on values is one of the most critical things for anyone to get themselves un-stuck from somewhere they don’t want to be. Upholdin

The entire concept of priorities has a huge flaw. Here's how to prioritize - the real way. The word priority grew from latin, and it meant first - one above all. Humans aren’t actually capable of having multiple priorities because science shows conclusively that we are terrible multi-taskers. No one does multiple things at once, they’re just switching between things rapidly, and usually with poor results. The idea that one priority could become multiple priorities actually di

Everyone should see themselves as a creative! I don’t care what you do… you should see yourself as creative. In a rapidly changing world, the future belongs to creatives - that’s a great thing because there’s no competition in creative pursuits. Competition is for games with a scoreboard, running races, or chasing performance metrics.  But shifting your perspective over to being a creative means that you aren’t racing against anyone to a finish line; you’re mapping out your o

I’ve always been fascinated by the notion of willpower - that character trait that allows us to push past the point where motivation met resistance. I learned something recently that has completely transformed my understanding of willpower and I’ve been sharing it with so many people that I wanted to share it here. Scientists discovered the part of the brain that could be considered the hub of willpower. It’s called the anterior mid-cingulate cortex. I know that’s quite the w

Something I observe time and time again in my coaching practice is that we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to setting goals. Of course, some people make the mistake of not setting any goals at all, but that’s not what I’m writing about. This is about setting the right kind of goal on the right timeline so that even the act of defining helps us to bring it towards us. Our two central issues: We define short term goals too vaguely to provide enough focus. and We define

Happiness is inside us, right? It feels like a platitude coming from every direction: spirituality, neuroscience, success gurus, philosophy and more. Just when we become really sure that we need one particular thing in our life to finally be happy, these voices seem to be telling us - in effect - that we really don't want what we think we want. What we think will make us happy is actually just another mirage in our journey across the deserts of life. The water we seek is

I love looking for lessons which are hidden in plain sight. Mother Nature places them all around us, just waiting to be discovered and interpreted in new ways. Atomic energy is one of the defining aspects of the last century. Importantly, it showed us - in devastatingly real terms - just how much energy is inside the everyday matter around us. These nuclear reactions offer a fascinating parallel to the energy reactions between individuals as well. Nuclear fission reactio

Have you ever been driving on a winding road on a foggy night? It can be scary; it seems like the headlights can't keep up with the car and barely show what's ahead before you're on top of the next curve, hill, or stop sign. Could you imagine what that drive would be like if we didn't know where the road was going? What if it dead ended out of nowhere? What if it ran right off a cliff? How far ahead do those headlights reach, anyway? Can we stop in time if the unexpected

If you’re here, you’re probably aware that I recently launched a new course. What a learning experience it’s been! By far, the most important lessons I learned were related to this concept. You see, I’m a recovering perfectionist. Much like substance addiction, a perfectionist is always in a state of recovery. I used to think it was a virtue - you know, commitment to excellence and all that. But over the years I eventually came to realize the truth: The pursuit of perfection

(Reposted from 2022 for my PCC renewal in 2025) I’m proud to share that I was recently awarded the International Coaching Federation’s PCC credential - Professional Certified Coach. Some may know that I already was a certified coach before this, having my Associate Certified Coach credential. So what’s the big deal? To be sure, they aren’t the same. PCC coaches have gone through more education, more evaluations and have spent hundreds more hours with clients doing real wor

We all have them: those moments where we know we've made a mistake, or something bad happens, or we have a front row seat to someone else doing the same. They're... uncomfortable, to say the least. How can we respond well to these uncomfortable moments when they jump out and grab us? I've noticed a strong pattern in my own experience - If I allow my first mental or verbal response to be a statement, I'm likely to be headed down a disempowering rabbit hole. “I'm in way over

The day was cold and windy with a temperature just below freezing, but after noticing the beautifully clear sky I decided to go out for a long run. Despite the cold, I wore only shorts and a long sleeve shirt. No shelter, no layers, no hand warmers, no phoning a friend. Why did I feel comfortable running miles and miles from home, when I knew I didn't have enough insulation to be outside for such a long time? Was I nuts!? Not at all. I knew that my body would generate the

Welcome! Welcome to the beginning. For all the hype around destinations and endings in our culture, beginnings are what hold the real power. They are that moment of potential, showing all of its glory and looking ahead to the imagined and unimaginable possibilities which may come. Endings might have social media cred, but beginnings are the real deal. The whole world flows from them! The beginning of this blog represents a big change for me; it's the first time I'm act