Day 3,726

Growth:

Remember to allow people to help. We all enjoy the opportunity to help others, be sure to allow everyone that opportunity. When we step aside and ask others for help it is amazing what can happen as a result. One of the times in life in which every single individual involved wins.

Appreciation:

Where do I decide to put my focus? Do I hold on to the comment that frustrated me and let it fester or do I move on? Do I focus my energy on what bothered me or do I relax and instead focus on what I am grateful for? There is always a choice to make, where do I put my focus. Tonight I’m putting my focus in the right place, focused on gratitude, and will drift off to sleep.

Presence:

Getting outside in the fresh snow to shovel early before heading off to work was a refreshing way to get my body moving this morning. The fresh crisp air, the extra quiet due to the insulation of the snow, and light physical exercise was wonderful!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,725

Growth:

Fortitudine Vincimus – By Endurance We Conquer

Appreciation:

Tonight I’m especially grateful for taking the time to take notes while I read. Several years ago I started to type up some of the quotes which really struck home for me. I’d read the quote, type it up in my notes app on my phone, and go back to review all of the quotes from time to time.

This evening as I continue to work on my goals and plan for next year I went back to those quotes for inspiration. Success!!! Not only did I have a rush of insights fed into my brain, but I hit the nail on the head with the quote that will likely be my 2026 theme… The quote above.

Presence:

Taking the time to enjoy silence, re-reading notes and quotes, pausing to consider that wisdom shared by others. In those moments of reviewing the notes my mind was filled with so many thoughts. Memories of when I read the quotes initially. Reminders of how I’ve lived into (or lived against) those words of advice. Each nugget of knowledge an opportunity to grow my brain, to encourage growth. That was an extremely gratifying use of time this evening!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,724

Growth:

We are what we practice. Just as our physical health is related to our mental diet, our mental diet is similarly impacted. Be aware of what I consume mentally, remember to choose intentionality.

Appreciation:

Our run this morning was very chilly, but it also felt awesomely refreshing and awakening! We normally don’t get our first sub zero feel run until we get into January, Christmas came early this year! For real, it seems almost sacrilegious to say, but I would much rather run in the cold like this than in a hot and humid 80+ degree day.

Getting the run in with the frigid temps felt all the more like a bit of an accomplishment, making the decision to persevere and face the elements. It also reminded me of how much I am learning to love winter more than in the past. The cool air seemed to amplify the moonlight reflecting off the snow, creating a very light dark in the woods that seems borderline magical. Nothing like being out before sunrise in the cold like that!

Presence:

So many moments of authenticity, or pure unbridled excitement, of positivity today at work! With a new start on the team and a team who continues to grow and overachieve it was so easy to be 100% present at work today. It was also a perfect opportunity to remember to call things out as they are, to be an unfiltered and authentic version of myself – so liberating!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,723

Growth:

When we read something we really appreciate, write it down and save it. When you hear a quote you enjoy, write it down and save it. When someone gives a speech or sermon you greatly enjoy, ask them for a copy and save it.

So often those nuggets appear, bounce around in our brain, but then slowly drift away to the dark recesses to be lost for long periods of time until something jars them lose. By saving and cataloging those quotes, stories, and info we are able to more easily recall them.

Appreciation:

I’m incredibly grateful for doing the difficult feeling parts of parenting early – including having the boys do chores. In our house we are all expected to help out and tag in. As anyone with kids know, getting kids to do just about anything related to a chore can be a very difficult endeavor, no question! Through sticking with it, keeping them on the plan to clean even when it wore us out, they both grew into individuals who voluntarily offer to help us clean now. For the past few weeks Gavin has offered up helping, no need to even ask him! How excellent is that!

Presence:

The time spent in deep thought considering who I am, where I want to grow, which dreams I want to focus on for the next year. Uncomfortable in some ways as I have to sit quiet and alone, confronted only with myself and my own thoughts. Seems like it should be easy, but there’s this weird gravitational pull towards distraction that keeps getting the better of me. Maybe Blaise Pascal was on to something in his Pensees #136.

That said, the time alone in thought was amongst the most productive time I’ve had in a while. These moments will echo throughout the days, weeks, and months of 2026.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,722

Growth:

Funny how only two hours of active time outside can change our perspective for the better!

Appreciation:

Getting outside and snowshoeing felt amazing today!!! The fresh air, the difference in pace due to snow, enjoying a winter wonderland. Quiet time outside and active with Becky, what else could a guy ask for?

Presence:

Seeing someone this happy to be outside and moving, that’s how I felt too!!!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,721

Growth:

Being very detailed in the daily task list makes such a huge difference in our effectiveness each day. So much more effective today after pausing to sketch out everything that needed to be done.

Appreciation:

Gotta love those surprise moments of people helping just because they can. Tonight that was me leaving the office half an hour late to find that the son of a teammate has cleared the snow off my car. That was an excellent surprise!

Presence:

Nothing quite like getting some laughs in to a classic while sharing the laughs with Gavin! After some games we decided to fire up Spies Like Us. So much fun enjoying the humor together!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,720

Growth:

As I was talking with a teammate today we got onto the topic of considering what we are good at AND what energizes us. So often in life it is easy to get into doing something we’re good at, specifically because we are, and allow that gravity to pull us into more and more of that type of work… without considering if that work drains us or energizes us. There have been many times in which that gravitational pull towards what I am good at seems to feed my ego and lead me deeper and deeper into things that actively drain my energy. That same ego then also can make it feel so difficult to break free and try something I think would energize me because I do not know if I would be good at it.

What would be a question I could ask myself, a system I could run myself through, in order ot keep this lesson in mind in the future?

Appreciation:

This afternoon I was able to use much of the concept above in a way which helped me work on what I am good at and that which energizes me. Finding data and using logic to help create a compelling strategy. For a few hours I was able to ask some questions, consider how I could accumulate and assess the data, and then put what I’d learned into a strategy to help a local business find a cost effective and also reach their recruiting and hiring goals. It was so enthralling to me as I was able to draw from past experiences, create some hypotheses, test them, learn from the research, and then create the solution. Very energizing indeed!

Presence:

When is the last time you looked at the moon? Like, really looked at it? Took it in, realized that it is a giant rock, a one quarter scale size of the Earth, complete with enormous mountains and valleys? Just sat in awe considering that this epic satellite continues to rotate around us? Have you ever paused and considered how large it would appear if it were 50% closer to Earth? How spectacular the moon is!

All of those thoughts, and then some, have been spinning through my mind over my past few commutes to and from work as I observe the epic moonrises and moonsets.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,719

Growth:

There was a very interesting quote from Spin that really hit home this time around. In so many ways it’s part of the foundation of the concept of drifting along with life rather than acting on what is the most important things in our life. It’s not the most optimistic of quotes, but the honesty of it hits home during difficult times in which we attempt to lose ourselves in the busyness of life.

It was good to be busy, I reasoned, because when you were busy you were awash in the countless but comprehensible daily problems that crowd out pain an stifle remorse. That was healthy. That was a coping process. Or at least a delaying tactic. Useful but, alas, temporary. Because sooner or later the noise fades, the crowds disperse, and you go home to the burned-out lightbulb, the empty room, the unmade bed.

Robert Charles Wilson, Spin

Appreciation:

Sometimes we have the best laid plans. Sometimes we even give ourselves some wiggle room just to be safe. Even with the plan and the space, life throws us a curveball, or a dozen. All we can do is adjust, figure it all out, remember to breathe, and keep smiling.

If we’re lucky, we’ve got strong teammates surrounding us who do the same, who rise to the occasion and over achieve.

Today, I’m very grateful for the performance of those teammates!

Presence:

Getting 100% lost in a well told story is such a wonderful gift given us by an author. For a moment the story itself is reality, everything else fades into the distant background. In those fleeting moments we are free to experience a change in perspective, to see something old from a new perspective, an opportunity to grow and learn in ways we aren’t able to often in life.

What an epic experience, courtesy of a book!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,718

Growth:

It’s all about realistic expectations sometimes. My run this morning wasn’t about getting my fastest run in, knocking out as many miles as possible, or any such goal. Rather, my goal was to run as much as I could without issue in my first run back from the stomach bug I caught over Thanksgiving. I had to remind myself of that goal a few times, especially after all the bouncing from running caused me to have to walk for a little bit or not achieve my goal. All that said, I set the appropriate expectation and had success!

Appreciation:

A quiet night at home with Becky after work with no plans and no agenda, a snapshot into what empty nest life holds for us in about 10 months. Crazy, different, but so satisfying on a different level! Having a plethora of time is something we never would have imagined possible a handful of years ago, we were constantly running in three thousand directions at once for the boys and different events and whatnot. To have a chill night like this helps me see that while I’ll miss my boys, I’ll enjoy the opportunity to get back into other old habits and hobbies, while also still maintaining strong relationships with the boys as well.

Presence:

One of the fun little “Year End” reviews I really enjoy and look forward to each year is the Apple Music review of my top song, artists, and whatnot from the past year. so often the top songs are tied back to great memories and it’s a sweet little “memory teleportation nugget” to refresh some of those moments. One this year was totally tied back to one of the long weekends I had with my best friends, a song they recommended was #4 for me this year. Song #11 hit that level because Gavin and I drove past its namesake city on our road trip to Canada. Dominic, Gavin and I still make cracks about Song #6 and the moment it stuck in my brain. What an effective implement for remembering great moments and experiences!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,717

Growth:

Funny how we can appreciate something on one spectrum for long before even starting to see another side of the same thing. Case in point for me was a double header for me today – a song I’d never really appreciated the lyrics to and a book that I saw through a different perspective.

Faded by Alan Walker is one of my all time favs (check it out here) due to the music itself. Tonight I happened to pause and enjoy the lyrics when it came on… wowza! I appreciate that song even more now!

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson is one of my favorite fictions, I typically read it about once every 18 months, there’s something about it that just seems to stick. While I’ve often read it with the very obvious perspective of the main character it seems to be a whole other ride this time around as I paid more attention to the story telling itself this time.

How many things in life could be appreciated more deeply, more completely, by taking a moment to consider it from a slightly different perspective?

Appreciation:

Remembering to take time to slow down in order to go fast. so much easier in concept than in reality. In taking time to rest up from being sick I can already tell how much quicker I am starting to get back to full strength. Sucks to not be active, to slow dow, to not do what I want to do, to go to bed early, but all helps me get back to full speed and doing all I want much more quickly.

These past few days have been very different than planned, but I feel like I’ve used them to my best of my ability to get back up and running. Back to the reality tomorrow, I’m sure I’ll feel much better tomorrow knowing that the past few days will have paid off in recovery.

Presence:

Getting lost in a compelling story. Losing oneself in the midst of moving music. Being completely devoured by the awe inspired by the beauty of nature.

The moments that transcend our individual consciousness.

Thanks!!!