The Blog

I used to think that confidence was something you either had or you didn't—something you were born with or weren't. And me? I had it. I was born ready.

In Latin class I learned that we get the word confidence from confidere which translates most directly as "with full (or intense) trust." For the R...

Mediocrity is a fascinating word. How do you define it?

For me, to be mediocre is to settle for the seductive sufficiency of the status quo. Things are neither good nor bad. Everything, including you, is just fine the way it is.

But the etymology of the word provides additional juiciness.

Mediocr...

Turn on the news or scroll through your feed, and you'll soon see that disagreement abounds. Maybe that's because media is in the business of making money, and disagreement sells.

But I wonder if there's more to it?

We are creatures quite caught up with our own identities. We put a lot of stock in...

Like many, I was introduced to the concept of carpe diem by Robin Williams in his role as an inspiring teacher in the movie The Dead Poets Society. Actually, when the movie came out, I was trying very hard to be that kind of teacher at a small private school in New England.

Carpe diem, which comes ...

Do you find yourself easily distracted when you sit down or set out to get going with the difference only you can make?

Yeah. Me too.

It'd be easy to blame screens and media that are designed to divert and keep our attention. Then there are the friends and family (and more than the occasional stra...

Begin with the end in mind.

It's an idea often credited to the author and businessman Stephen Covey, but it’s been around much longer than he has.

Beginning with the end in mind encourages you to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination and ste...

Have you ever been minding your own business, moving through your day-to-day, making a difference when all of a sudden someone or something comes along that hijacks your time, attention, and energy?

Yeah, me too.

I don't know about you, but my default setting is to drop everything and engage to ad...

I've been a personal development junkie since I was a young teenager. With a nagging sense that I could be and do more, I was drawn to self-help books, fantasy novels, and biographies of inventors and influencers. All provided promises, pathways, and programs for nurturing my potential.

And for a l...

How are you?

There's abundant uncertainty in the world. What's your relationship with not knowing what's next? Have you considered surrender?

Surrender isn't giving up or giving in. Surrender is letting go of what was not yours in the first place.

What if, just for today, you let go of your expectation...

I've written before about the power of practicing gratitude—appreciation for the simple, everyday conveniences, experiences, and pleasures bestowed upon us.

Today, I'm more interested in thankfulness.

What's the difference?

Admittedly, not much. Most of us use these terms interchangeably.

And ye...

The life of a difference-maker is rewarding, for sure. It's also challenging. There are endless opportunities, distractions, interesting problems to solve, and connections to consider.

The irony is, how you lean into navigating these "challenge opportunities" is what makes the work we do so fulfill...

Many forces conspire against our inner-narrative about our own worthiness.

Sure, there are the expectations promoted by society and the media. And then there's indoctrination by institutionalized education and occupation. But there are also evolutionary and biological imperatives driving our feelin...