Day 2,266

Growth:

When I start working on a project I almost need to pause, breathe, and take care of all the detailed stuff necessary BEFORE I get into the fun stuff. if I give in without prep my train of thought gets totally derailed and I get ornery.

Case in point from tonight. Get all my accounts loaded up, the detail sheets open, and get all the necessary materials in front of me. THEN dive into the brain work. Diving in without the prep means a frustrated Kreiling.

Appreciation:

When there’s a specific message The Big Dude Upstairs wants us to hear we need only listen. Through the past week there’ve been no less than a handful of nudges the Universe has used to help me get my brain straight. Some were almost comical in nature while others, like this morning, were profoundly poignant.

Message heard loud and clear. Time to elevate and improve significantly and steadily. The pathway is there, I only need to walk it.

Presence:

The centering power of breath is an awesomely powerful tool that is always there waiting to be tapped into. My morning started with my breathing practice and then rolled into early morning yoga. Through the day there were moments when I paused and enjoyed the sensation of air coming in through my nose and up my sinuses. As I focused on those breaths I was drawn in to the moment. What a gift that we all gave the opportunity to use our breath to center ourselves!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,265

Growth:

Over the past couple of days I’m starting to see some differences between good days and best days. What’s particularly interesting thus far is that it seems to have more to do with my focus than what happens during the day. When I have a solid plan and am able to work into a state of flow I feel a greater sense of purpose than when I’m seeing the results of the work. Weird, right? Kinda makes some crazy sense at the same time. Definitely something to five more deeply into in the future.

Appreciation:

Our Winona team has really rallied around our annual Christmas Wish Express. It’s an opportunity for community members to nominate other community members to receive a $1,000 check to add some extra magic to their holidays. The winning family came into our office this morning and created a moment we will never forget. My heart is beyond full!

Presence:

During the very tail end of our run today the snow started to fall. We were at just the right spot in which the hill and trees blocked out the sounds of the city. As we ran I could hear the snow falling to the ground. What a peaceful and serene sound it was! Like rain on a tent there was something soothing in the sound.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,264

Growth:

So much of living a joyful life is under our control. What is our daily plan? How do we stay disciplined to it? When do we fight through temporary discomfort to grow? Do we choose to accept the advice of others who are more experienced/wise/smarter than we are in a subject? Will we choose to see an obstacle or an opportunity to improve? All up to us to choose our perception.

Appreciation:

This afternoon I had to dig back through some old files and came across some true gold. One of the sheets I found was an old review of my sales performance. The notes were written by an outside observer who rode along with me on sales calls. It was largely focused on some of the many ways in which I needed to improve.

What’s also interesting was how I grew through that advice and now offer it up to my teammates. I immediately shared it with all of my teammates to help them see how growth can happen when we focus on it. Based on those results you’d never guess I would grow into being a fairly successful franchisee.

It was a trip down memory lane!

Presence:

I often enjoy snapping a photo of a beautiful moment in nature. There are some things that are beyond capturing on film. Today was one of the days when the camera stayed out away and I burned the image into my brain.

On my drive to Winona I watched the moon slowly dropping into the Mississippi River Valley. It was big and full and it’s descent at this time of the year placed it almost in the middle of the valley. That in of itself was beautiful.

Then, over my shoulder, the dark reddish-orange sun burst out of the Mississippi River Valley behind me. It was so grand watching the giant copper disc shrink and pale as it rose from the bluffs.

The setting full moon in the valley in front of me, the rising sun in the valley behind me. Epic!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,263

Growth:

Over the past year I set out to read 100 books. I’m currently at 102 completed with another couple in progress and another half dozen queued up. They are a mix of fiction, business, self improvement, philosophy, forestry, and whatnot. As I started putting my plans together for 2023 there were so many times I caught myself referencing books I’d read over the past year. In some cases I stopped what I was doing, pulled out the book, searched up the note, and then got back to it.

My life was better today due to the sheer volume of information I took in over the past year. Throughout reading those books I was opened up to new ideas, new ways of looking at the world, and different tactics. As I considered the right path for me it was so much more clear as I was able to look down so many different paths for at least brief moments to get a lay of the land. So many ideas, so much work and focus to read that much, but worth each moment of it.

Appreciation:

The job I had before Express had such a sweet benefit I could hardly believe it was real. I got an honest to god pager. It wasn’t just a pager, but every ten minutes or so it would update the scores of baseball and football games and flash the scores across the screen. Yessir, the late ’90’s were a time of electronic magic 😉

Fast forward to yesterday. In preparation for my planning session today I wanted to refresh my memory on a handful of processes I’d learned about through a podcast. I lifted up my phone, went to my podcast app, found the episodes, and hit download. Over the next few hours of drive time I went back through them and got what I was looking for.

What I’m grateful for today is the availability of data and information. Having access to so many resources is truly mind bending when I stop to think about it. My life is so much easier and more successful specifically due to the available information I can use to shape my strategies and actions.

Presence:

After knocking out my bike ride I felt like a breakfast beyond the usual. I fired up the griddle, grabbed the left over chimichurri beef, green onion and chive cheese, and some eggs. Rather than the norm I savored a plate of hot deliciousness. Talk about a moment to be present in! The flavors were exquisite and appreciated each and every bite!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,262

Growth:

When someone had a specific strength be sure to listen to them and heed their advice. The number of times this has helped me recently has been fantastic! Put them in a position to maximize their strength and all that must be done is to stand back and watch the awesome!

Appreciation:

So many things to be grateful for today! Learning from the greats. Prepping for a focused planning day. Being prepared in advance rather than coming down to the wire. Ideas spawned from conversations with the creators of other ideas. The right book at the right time. Sleeping in my own bed. Everyone bring healthy at home. The timing of unsent texts being found. Being okay with being wrong. Small steps. A profoundly impactful email. Remembering to be 100% where I need to be. Validation. Ego checks.

All around are blessings after blessings after blessings. One must only remember to watch for them.

Presence:

Running under the stars was serenely scenic this morning! Yes, the picture below is of the moonset. A little cool but so refreshing.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,261

Growth:

Getting frustrated at a system issue is a waste of energy. Control what I can control and remember to choose to control my emotion rather than get bent out of shape. The more calm the more opportunities there will be for resolution.

Appreciation:

There are so many wonderful people in the world who regularly do so much good and improve the lives of those they touch. They don’t ask for recognition or reward, they do it simply for the sake of making the world a brighter place. Remember them, be motivated by them, and do good for others. Brighten lives always, even during the most difficult of times.

Today I had the opportunity to learn about someone like this and their story moved me to tears. The world is a better place due to their kindness. I’m so grateful to have heard their story today.

Presence:

This morning I started with my normal hot shower. Before I was done I twisted the knob to the coldest setting and soaked up the attic blast. The cold took the wind right out of me and got me moving quickly. A handful of deep breaths and I was able to get myself back under control. After a touch over a minute I got out.

That dose of extremely chilly water woke me right up and got me 110% focused in the moment. Cold and uncomfortable at one level and startlingly refreshing and peaceful on another.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,260

Growth:

It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care about their opinion more than our own. If a god appeared to us – or a wise human being, even – and prohibited us from concealing our thoughts or imagining anything without immediately shouting it out, we wouldn’t make it through a single day. That’s how much we value other people’s opinions – instead of our own.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 12:4

Appreciation:

One of the goals I set for myself this year was to read 100 books. As of today I wrapped up number 101 for the year and still have plenty of time to overachieve. So many great ideas, insights, and imaginings! Later this week I’ve got a day set aside specifically to set my goals fit 2023. Hitting this milestone beforehand certainly adds some much needed swagger as I dream bigger.

Presence:

With all of our travel and busy schedules it was nice to get all of us together for a very specific annual tradition – cutting our Christmas tree. This is most likely the last time Dominic will be home to cut it down with us so there was extra focus put into that time together. Many jokes, laughs, & smiles as a family – such an awesome moment!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,259

Growth:

Practice, practice, practice. I recently asked people on LinkedIn how they’ve built confidence and one of the most consistent answers was “putting in the reps.”

Gavin had a much better second set of wrestling matches today. After his second pin of the day his coach came up to him and proceeded to tell him that the reason for his success today was his hard work during his practices this week. Gavin put in the reps, his confidence went up, and his performance showed it. Neat to see it in action!

Appreciation:

Our Christmas party for my Winona work family was AMAZING!!! So many laughs, stories, and so much good food. So thankful for the incredible team I’m blessed to work with each day!

Presence:

Gavin’s wrestling meet today was pretty intense. So much noise and emotion from the stands through the mats. At one point while I was waiting for Gavin’s match I put in my AirPods with the noise cancellation feature on and played Social Distortion’s album White Light White Heat.

Such a surreal experience to have all the visuals of the intensity but with only the sounds of Mike Ness and his guitar. In that moment I paused, took in all the stimuli around me and smiled. In so many ways I’d created a small island of me in the sea of people all around.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,258

Growth:

Remember to allow space for others to live into their strengths. My way isn’t always the right way. Provide a clear vision and define the values to live into in the movement towards the vision. Step aside, allow space, and be available for support. If done well everyone’s life is more joyful.

Appreciation:

Time seems to warp around time with friends differently than usual. It never feels like as much time has passed as really has while simultaneously seeming as if time goes by so much more quickly when we’re together than it seems it should. Here’s to those moments in which the distance is minimized and our time together flies by.

Presence:

Two songs took me back when I listened to them today. Had a Lover by For Love Not Lisa came up in my shuffle feature and had me thinking back to lifting weights in the basement of my dorm at Michigan Tech. Reincarnation Song by Toad the Wet Sprocket always sends a chill down my spine as I sing along. Two songs, wildly different, yet both deeply enthralling.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,257

Growth:

One thing I’ve really learned over the last year is to trust my – as Patrick Lencioni would put it – working genius of Wonder. I often catch myself asking “Why…?” In the past I used to write it off and consider it a little bit of a crazy behavior, but now as I view it as something to lean into I’m amazed at the results.

Today that mindset led me to ask a question on LinkedIn and via text to some friends. How did you build your confidence as a young professional? The number of insightful and profound answers has been mind blowing! So many great stories shared already.

Remember to trust my guy and pay attention when my brain asks “why…?”

Appreciation:

When you set high expectations for someone and they then go way above and beyond how can you not be grateful? Such a rewarding sensation of seeing someone grow by leaps and bounds and then grow again right in front of your eyes. My mind was blown today even though I had already mentally raised the bar tremendously high – what an awesome surprise!

Presence:

Gavin’s first wrestling matches ever were tonight and talk about being hyper focused! I was so amped up before, during, and after – so exciting throughout! While there were many memories rushing back before and after his matches there was nothing in the universe besides this matches. Such a wonderful moment of concentrated focus!

Thanks!!!