“There’s too much going on” is something I’ve heard often from family, friends, and clients, and something I’ve struggled with as well. As we approach the holiday season, I thought I’d share one approach that’s worked for me. When it…
Read More Life in a Nutshell: Health, Wealth, Purpose, and Fun
In this day and age, keeping track of all of the activities going on in our lives is more than our brains were designed to handle. This has led to the rise of a myriad of different planning systems, with…
Read More A Simple Personal Planning System: 3 Lists and 3 Categories
Stress is anything that causes a disruption to our current state of being. We often think of stress as a bad thing. That is because, over time, the word stress has become synonymous with distress, which is a negative form…
Everyone likes shiny objects. That’s human nature. We pay attention to the most obvious things we see, and often assume they are the primary reason for what happens. In the corporate world, this manifests as the standard advice. What do…
My previous post introduced the concepts of mental models. These are frameworks that help us better understand how the world works, and can be eye opening if used in the right context. One of my favorites mental models is the…
Life is a prediction game. We take actions that we think will bring us what we want now or in the future. Does it work? Sometimes - but that’s the nature of prediction games. You don’t know if it works…
Recently, I was helping my daughters plan out some activities, and I found myself wanting them to “think more strategically”. As other phrases popped into my head (“think big picture” and “think outside the box”), I realized that the phrase…
I’ve been thinking a bit about the stock market lately as my daughters are taking a summer course on the financial markets. For the general public, the explanation is pretty standard: The stock market reflects the growth of the economy.…
“I would appreciate some advice on homeschooling. Giving my 10 year old extra work doesn't seem to be working.” I’ve gotten this type of request a lot recently as the coronavirus has required parents to take a more active role…
If you are looking for a job, everyone knows you need a resume, commonly defined as follows: résumé (noun): A brief account of a person’s education, qualifications, and previous experience, typically sent in with a job application. While that is…
When coaching someone about a long-term strategy for success I often use the following order of 4 questions: What do you love to do? While you can’t always match it to an immediate opportunity, the closer you get, the happier you’ll…
Read More Long vs Short-term Success: Same questions, different order
My last post presented a simple model for getting what you want by using the combination of mindsets, skills, approaches and actions to get results. As we build on this framework, I want to introduce a new concept: your personal…
Let’s assume for a minute that when people say life is a puzzle, they mean it literally. Take every facet of your life, from family to health to career to your to-do list and consider them the pieces of the puzzle…
Read More 3 keys to solving the puzzle of life (or anything else): Mindset, Skills & Approach
If you want to make a change to your life, but don’t know where to start, start as simple as you can. Do just one thing differently. That’s it. One thing. If you are successful in making that change, great.…
"To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day" - Lao Tzu I'm a firm believer in the concept that, when in doubt, simplify. So whenever life gets a bit overwhelming, I find it helpful…
“If there is one tool you must possess in the midst of tough conditions or threatening competition, it is the ability to relax and focus on what matters most.” - David Shaner When I first read the above quote in David Shaner's…
Zoom out far enough on your life and you will see that everything you currently do ends up as either a memory or a lifetime habit. This simple zoom lens can help you choose the strategy to use. Why? Because…
My previous post covered how learning to regularly zoom in and out on your life is a valuable skill. This post covers how to apply this zoom technique to advance your career. Before we get into the details, I need…
I've written before about how to apply different lenses to your life. You can build on that concept by adding the ability to zoom. To understand the concept of “zooming in” or “zooming out” on your life, it’s helpful to…
As I’ve written before, lenses let you see life from a different perspective. Here's another lens you should try. Accept for a moment the following idea: Most of life is noise and doesn’t matter. Assume that the day-to-day choices you make…
This Curious Adventure 