The Blog

It’s in looking back and reflecting that a life journey is sorted and makes sense. Marcus Aurelius knew this. Marcus Aurelius was the last of what is known as the Roman Empire's Good Emperors. Meditations is a printed collection of what remains from Marcus' private journals.

What Is...

"The thing ordained for you – teach yourself to be at one with those. And the people who share them with you – treat them with love. With real love." – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Fate

Fate is who you are and where you're at now. You can't change what brought you to this...

I made the leap to becoming a full-time professional musician shortly after my first son was born. It was right after a brush with a significant health scare. Music was my passion, and I didn't want to look back later later in life and wonder, “Could I have ‘done something’...

You are, of course, sufficient just as you are. At the same time, you recognize that you have undeveloped potential and unfulfilled promise. What's keeping you from stepping into possibility and a better you?

If you had to choose one primary obstacle from the list below, what would it be?

• My...

Gratitude Starts with Others

A practice I learned from Seth Godin in the altMBA is "Finding the Good in Others." There are just two steps. First, "catch" someone doing something "right." Second, tell them.

Here's my "catch and tell" for today - "I noticed that you read my blog today....

What does it mean to be exceptional?

It starts when you decide to stop accepting the way things are and not simply keep doing what's expected. That's the short, clear circular path of the status quo.

And there's nothing wrong with that path. Things are generally fine just as they are. So are you,...

Gratitude is appreciation for what you have and receive. You may be grateful for a tangible object or an intangible concept. Regardless, when you mindfully and genuinely practice gratitude, it can bring profound benefits to your life — not the least of which is greater happiness.

Expressing...

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"Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn

Books are my go-to source for inspiration and...

Sure, things are pretty much fine just as they are.

So are you for that matter.

And yet...

Things could be made better.

So could you.

This isn't work you have to do. It's work you get to do.

Sufficiency is no excuse to settle or stop striving.

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker...

The status quo is not the enemy. 

But it is in the way.

Sure, things are just fine as they are. It is what it is. 

At the same time, things can be better.

So can you.

So...

What if you took a look around and at yourself and asked, “What...

I don't recall where I heard it, but I love the exhortation to "Do your thinking on the ground."

Maybe it comes from a quote attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, "Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground."

Sure, keep your head in the clouds. Dream big.

But do it with your feet...

What does it take to make a difference?

It helps if you’ve considered the Ancient Greek aphorism, “Know thyself."

You also need to see things as they are. What’s within your control? What’s not?

Most things are not within your control, but some are within...