The more sleep we get over a long period of time the better we feel and more healthy we are. When we don’t get a good night of sleep it slowly adds up and compounds leading to an ongoing decrease in performance.
Last night I did not get a good night of sleep (more on that in a moment) and it reminded me of just how important it is!
Appreciation and Presence:
These two are very much combined today! Last night I opted to spend my birthday night with Gavin watching the Packer game. Initially I was going to watch half or so, but we both got into it and it was a very tight game. As the clock ticked down Dominic joined us via FaceTime and the three of us were cheering, jeering, and enjoying the time together. By the time it was all over the game ended in a tie – pretty much the lamest possible result – but a memorable one for sure!
Yes, I should have gotten more sleep. I should have gone to bed earlier. All that said, it was worth every moment to have that additional time with Gavin & Dominic. My brother and I still have very fond memories of watching games with Dad way back in the day, they are memories that live on. Knowing I created some of those memories with the boys while being 100% present with them as we watched the game was priceless!
As I’ve started reading Montaigne by Stefan Zweig there’ve been so many little nuggets of wisdom I’ve filed away to reflect on in the future. This one in particular struck me with the current state of affairs in our society / nation / world.
I do not subscribe to this communal error of judging a man according to the way I perceive things.
Stefan Zweig, Montaigne
Appreciation:
Today was an awesomely productive day, a nonstop high speed thrill ride of errands, projects, and other assorted tasks. For sure, it was a day largely full of adulting, but all in a very positive way. Funny how I used to look forward to days with nothing to do but sit on the couch and watch football, now I find days like this to be so much more rewarding and fulfilling!
This has been a bit of an ongoing theme over the past few days. Looking at several years ago when I would take Friday off for Oktoberfest and have too many beers, now I had the perfect Friday off thanks for knocking out a 15 mile hike and then spent the evening at Gavin’s football game. So much more rewarding and fulfilling than how I lived life a ways back. For sure, it wasn’t anything crazy or out of control, but even just the difference in scenery this year is so much more my style and my jam.
As I keep typing and thinking about this, I guess that’s what I am most grateful for today… a better understanding of or maybe a better awareness of what brings me the most joy and leads me towards my purpose AND then choosing it and enjoying it even if that path isn’t quite as relaxing as the other.
Presence:
Spending time in the workshop with Gavin as we built a fixture to help him cut lumber for his Eagle project was a blast! So grateful for the father son time up in the workshop – full of jokes, talks, coaching, teaching, and creating. The time we spent there and in working on his project today was a wonderful way to spend the day! Projects like that with him cause time to fly and memories to be made.
This is it, tonight’s post marks the 3,652nd straight day of blogging about at least one thing I am grateful for – one full decade of daily gratitude blogging is complete! So crazy that I can still remember the very first day of blogging and how I hoped to keep it going for one year (or at least a few months).
Taking time to pause real life to focus on what I am thankful for has had a more profound positive impact on my life than I ever initially thought it could. This process has helped me through incredibly difficult times (like Dad’s sudden and very unexpected death). This process has helped me better appreciate the incredibly excellent times (like all the milestones with Becky and the boys). This process has also helped me be so much more thankful for all of the ordinary days filled with work, yoga, outside time, and whatnot. Had it not been for this ongoing effort to be more intentionally thankful there are so many moments I would have missed or at least missed the deeper meaning of.
Each day the focus on appreciation shifts the filter of my brain as I know each day I will be accountable to myself for blogging about something I am grateful for, this means each of my mornings start off with the question, “what am I going to be thankful for today?” That subtle behavior shift causes me to start looking for the upside in everything right off the bat.
Throughout the past decade I’ve also unintentionally created a journal of my life. Stories I would have potentially forgotten have been recorded to go back to, to remind me of so many of the simple treasures in life. Taking time to go back and read them reminds me of where I’ve been, remind me of lessons to remember, and bring back so many smiles.
This daily process has also helped me learn what is truly important in life. “Stuff” doesn’t bring joy, enjoying what we already have does. The concept of joy being “wanting what we have rather than having what we want” has become so clear to me. The more I am grateful for what I have the more I realize the less I actually need. Quite often the introduction of that which I do not need leads to additional stress and anxiety, certainly the opposite of joy.
The more I’ve blogged the more I realize how much I appreciate time with Becky and my boys, spending time with outdoors in motion, taking in the simple moments of stillness in life. A good book, an emotion provoking song, a sweaty yoga session, a hike. Even writing – something I never enjoyed before this blog – has become one of my sanctums of joy. My joy doesn’t come from shiny things, from approval of others, or status and achievement, rather it comes from appreciating time with my family, time alone in thought, and all the splendor and beauty of the natural world.
This daily process, this time for daily reflection, has become a cornerstone of who I am. It has helped me work on closing the gap between who I am and who I am called to be. This daily gratitude journaling has helped me become a more joyful me.
Cheers to the first decade of this daily appreciation process, and I look forward to decades to come!
Today I did something I’ve never done before, I hike an entire state park! For sure, it’s wasn’t anything ridiculous, I hiked every trail in the park, 15 miles in total.
It’s one of our favorite parks and I thought it’d be fun and chill to tackle this challenge and it totally was!
What I appreciated about the hike itself was very difficult to list in detail. In summary, it was awesome time outside with Becky, time with no distraction from the outdoors, and a nice physical challenge. From getting a good sweat going to watching a spider wrap up a fly to seeing small tree frogs to enjoying the stillness it was an outstanding experience all around! Nothing like getting outside to get the mind, body, and soul all going in the right direction together!
For it’s always that way with the sacred value of life. We forget it as long as it belongs to us, and give it as little attention during the unconcerned hours of our life as we do the stars in the light of day. Darkness must fall before we are aware of the majesty of the stars above our heads. It was necessary for this dark hour to fall, perhaps the darkest in history, to make us realize that freedom is as vital to our soul as breathing to our body.
Stefan Zweig
Appreciation:
The old story of spending time sharpening your saw to lead to faster work seems to somehow become more and more accurate the older I grow.
While continuing to grind still feels like and still make progress it is not nearly as effective as pausing to sharpen the saw quickly. In actuality, it only takes a very short period of time to sharpen, only hours or a day, and the process can save literally months each year.
Tonight I’ve slammed the pause button and am sharpening my saw. By Monday the result will be outstanding and the world will look a little sharper!
Presence:
Sitting by the campfire with Becky while reading Montaigne by Stefan Zweig. Everything not in front of me in this moment does not exist, only stillness. I am present.
Cut out all the distractions, put 100% focus into the task at hand, be amazed at how quickly you can slip into a flow state – even when it is something you typically don’t enjoy! Working on a project today reminded me of how important all of those components are and how they all work in unison to generate a very fulfilling and productive result.
Appreciation:
Each night before bed I pause and fill out a scorecard for the day. Yes, totally nerdy, but 100+% more effective than I realized!
Knowing I’ll be tracking and scoring myself late leads to behavior change on its own, a very positive and worthwhile endeavor there on its own.
What is really interesting to me is how much that daily tracking has become an unintentional journaling process which is helping me learn more about myself! As I analyzed my scorecard results form this year I learned some very interesting things. Here are some of those:
Joy spikes with people + nature + progress. Your +2 days almost always include one or more of: time with Becky/your boys, outside time/hiking/van days, and meaningful progress (training teammates, closing new clients, backpacking planning, sunrise hunting).
Joy dips with screens, over-packed weeks, and “drift.” Your -1/-2 entries regularly mention doomscrolling/screens/games, driving/commutes, too many meetings, sleep debt, being sick, and negativity (politics, conflict, or misaligned teammates/clients).
Intentional eating ≈ better days. When you log +1/+2 eating, Joy is typically ≥1. When eating is -1/-2, your notes often include “felt gross,” “junk food,” or “no exercise.”
Sleep is a quiet accelerator. The happiest streaks show ~7.5–9.0 hours. Sub-7 shows up around “exhausted / grumpy / mid.”
Movement helps—but being outdoors multiplies it. Plenty of +2 days have 60–180 min of activity, but the best ones call out woods, hiking, sunrise, van days—not just gym minutes.
Creative time correlates with meaning. Your best stretches include 1–3+ creative hours, especially when you’re writing, planning trips, or building trainings that become shared experiences.
More on this to follow as we near the end of the year!
Presence:
Running under the stars, feeling the cool air in my lungs, moving early in the morning. The early morning run was another win today! Nothing quite like it – being outside, quiet time with Becky, the world is asleep. We move through the darkness and are serenaded by the frogs and crickets. What else does one really need to live a joyful life? Time outdoors in motion and present in each moment.
There are few things more enjoyable than accomplishing a dream. One of the most enjoyable and rewarding is helping someone else accomplish theirs.
Appreciation:
Today I’m grateful for a process I’ve been leaning into more and more lately. It started as a way to bring a little structure to my year, but over time it’s become something much bigger, a framework that keeps me intentionally focused on my dreams and purpose.
The simple act of writing things down, checking back in, and re-aligning when I drift has been powerful. It’s helped me catch myself when I’m on autopilot and instead steer back toward the life I actually want to build.
I appreciate not just the process itself, but what it represents – clarity, consistency, and a reminder that growth doesn’t happen by accident. And as much as it’s already helping me, I can’t help but feel excited about re-working it into something I can share with others. If it’s making this much of a difference for me, maybe it could spark something for someone else too.
Presence:
This evening my summer project became one of my happy places. Sitting outside on the deck, relaxing and listening to music, reading, soaking in the slowly shifting sunset, enjoying stillness. This has felt amazing! The weather is perfect, the old school filament lights are on, and I’m enjoying the calm. Not sure why, but the fresh air just feels so much better than being inside all day. What a perfect place to spend most of my evening!
Remember to put intentionality into where I spend my time. Minutes, hours, and days slip by so quickly if I don’t pause and consider whether I’m intentionally using the them the right way. Stay focused on my goals – both long and short term – and act accordingly with urgency. Don’t let it slip away.
One day, my father, he told me, “Son, don’t let it slip away” He took me in his arms, I heard him say “When you get older, your wild heart will live for younger days Think of me if ever you’re afraid”
Avicii, The Nights
Appreciation:
Along the lines of remembering what is important – I am especially grateful for taking action to do just that today! Between scheduling a weekend for camping with a lifelong friend, choosing to be present and moving early in the morning, taking time to shut down everything except playing a game with Gavin, being focused and present in a conversation with Dominic on Facetime, being there for others as needed, and planning ahead for an adventure (maybe two) I spent a lot of time on working towards where I want to be going, on my purpose, and towards my dreams. Here’s to a day that was largely focused on moving forward with intentionality with a whole lot of fun in the now throughout!
Presence:
Taking the time to go for a five mile walk to start off the morning is always the right answer (unless I’m either running or hiking or yoga is an option). Getting up and getting moving, spending time without a phone or a screen, alternating between interacting with Becky and letting my thoughts drift. It’s almost a walking meditation, letting go of everything else and living exclusively in the now.
Regardless of the decisions I’ll make throughout the rest of the day I know I started the right way, I chose action, and I chose moving stillness.
Had a great game day with some buddies as I went to my first Badger game! From a 5am wake up call until getting home just before 11pm it was a day full of laughs and engaging conversations with much more than a smattering of college memories being relived. also amazing to spend that much time with friends with minimal phone screens – usually only out to joke with other friends or to look up the facts behind some of the “facts” we thought we were spewing at times.
Off to bed, this was a fun one, but a very exhausting one!
Jim Collins’ concept of a 20 Mile March is that we should focus on maintaining a rigorous yet manageable pace in the work that we do. Today I felt the downside of pushing too hard for too long, the week was a hardcore push and had very positive results, but I was completely gassed a little before I crossed the finish line.
Something for me to remember to work towards, keep an even flow throughout the week as much as possible, the more intense the beginning the more likely I’ll be less than 100% by the end.
Appreciation:
Sometimes we’ve got a football game for Gavin, other times it gets postponed due to lightning 🤷♂️
Due to the postponement we’ve got some bonus time on our hands this evening and I’ve made wonderful use of it – relaxing, writing this, and heading to bed early.
We can’t control what happens, but we can control how we utilize the bonus time!
Presence:
Couple of great moments from this morning included a small green tree frog jumping on my toe and a sunrise with Leia.
Thankful for Forty 