Day 2,779

Growth:

I normally try to fix things myself. Something breaks, I fix it. As one cohort once told me, “you have an addiction to fixing things.” It’s not a good thing all or most of the time. It is an ego issue I continue to work on.

While greeting at church today I had the opportunity to witness something awesome. Our priest was running late, something I’d never seen from him before, and when he was appeared he had a look of stress. The church secretary asked what was wrong and he shared that there was a leak and flooding in the bathroom. Within seconds they shared a plan, she was off. He took a deep breath, put on his game face, and proceeded with mass.

As he led mass she got the problem fixed. Done. Just that easy. He trusted her. They communicated a brief plan. He was present where he needed to be while she did the same. It was incredible to witness.

What a wonderful reminder for me… allow others to help. Ask for help. Trust and be present where I need to be.

Appreciation:

Dominic’s last band concert was this evening. For the past eight years or so we’ve regularly watched him play with his band mates at school concerts and now they are done. He’s got a song or two for graduation and then the Memorial Day parade and then his high school band career is over.

I know I’ve been prepping for this and being extra appreciative for all these moments, but I’m still struggling to accept that his high school career is almost over. Each of these lasts are helping me to stay present and appreciate each of them tremendously.

Presence:

Hiking at Perrot State Park is always a great idea. Today was no exception! In addition to the normal natural beauty we were treated to seeing the hickory buds blooming, pretty awesome!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,778

Growth:

Why do I not spend more time quiet, still, and alone? The peace and rejuvenation to be found in quiet contemplation is life altering and spiritual bliss.

Appreciation:

Dominic had State Solo & Ensemble with his brass band today and followed it up with prom. We spent more time driving to each event than we did at each. Crazy to think he’s hitting so many different milestone moments, and that it will continue to fly by more and more quickly. So thankful for the opportunity to be present with him in the moments we have.

Meanwhile we got a bit of a sneak peek into the next few years much of today. Gavin, Becky, and I got a lot of time with the three of us. Walking, taking pics of Dominic and his date for prom, shopping, eating supper, and playing games together was how most of the day was spent. Many laughs and smiles. Our new normal will be different and yet positive in its own way.

Presence:

We tried something different this morning – yoga in a salt room. Very different type of experience, very chill, super relaxing. The guided meditation afterwards was amazing. Funny how presence can be found in doing the usual / normal with a slight change.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,777

Growth:

For over 20 years I’ve been doing business to business sales for staffing and recruiting. As I prep to start a new sales rep in the next month I’ve found I need to force myself to become a beginner again. In order to teach I really need to pause, recalibrate, and be sure to know what I must teach. Feels odd, I’ve got experience built up, but I need to remember the basics, the starting ground, and help coach from there.

Start from the beginning, re-hone the basics.

Appreciation:

Spending time attending track meets means a lot of drive time, a lot of waiting, and more drive time. Fortunately I’ve got an awesome Track Travel Buddy – Becky! Sure, there’s a lot of waiting but I’m glad I get to spend it with her. An awesome opportunity for bonus Becky time!

Presence:

So this just happened…

Lane 5: 0:52.76

Lane 4: 0:52.75

Lane 6: 0:52.72 (Dominic)

Talk about being present in a moment! 😅🫣

Thanks!!!

Day 2,776

Growth:

Not too long ago I shared the quote from someone along the lines of “you can always say something later, but you can never unsay something you’ve already said.” Between that line and the recent re-reading of Awareness I lived more closely into the person I should be today though I was tempted to act otherwise. Remember to pause, think, relax, ask, listen, think, and then respond if and as necessary.

Honestly, I’m a little frustrated that I still had to choose this behavior rather than live into it as habit and natural response, but I’ll take it as a positive step forward.

Appreciation:

I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from so many other Express franchisees. One of the ways our business is unique is in the number of different owners with different stories who’ve all found their ways to similar places through very different paths. In hearing their story I am able to learn from their successes and challenges, see the world through a slightly different perspective, and change my direction and actions in positive ways.

Today we had Matt from Green Bay in our NextGen Leadership retreat and he shared his story. So many interesting takeaways and positive motivation from him. One of the biggest lessons I drew from his story was the importance of goals and staying focused on what’s most important, especially when it can be difficult to do so.

Presence:

Spending some quality time with Dominic while picking up his prom tux was outstanding! I’m a huge fan of finding those pockets of quality time which could so easily be missed if I didn’t intentionally look for them. He didn’t need me to go with and I almost told him that, but I saw the opportunity for some bonus time and it was totally worth it. Always fun catching up, joking around, and just spending time together.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,775

Growth:

Practice really makes a huge difference in performance and stress. Mike D and I are presenting our retention training for a few different organizations over the next couple of weeks. In preparation we walked through the slideshow, made a few adjustments, and found a few improvements to add. The number of times we’ve presented this already has greatly reduced the pre-presentation jitters!

Appreciation:

Dinner with our NextGen Leadership group this evening was a blast! So much fun getting outside of the office to get to know each other better. The change in environment crafts a different level of conversation and leads to a deeper level of bonding. Glad we had the opportunity to spent bonus time as a group!

Presence:

The run this morning felt amazing! Fresh air, very little wind, birds chirping, and excellent conversation with Becky. What a perfect way to start the day!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,774

Growth:

“True happiness is uncaused.”

Anthony de Mello

Appreciation:

Spending time talking with the boys and hearing about the successes they’ve generated from their hard work and focus brings me great joy. I’m very appreciative for their work ethics, their dedication, and their goal focused mindsets. They continue to inspire me to be better each day!

Presence:

There were several moments of deep presence today – deep laughs with teammates (again), dinner conversation with my family, a client meeting, a conversation with teammates, and so on. For whatever reason what really struck me was the deep green color of the grass on a hill covered by sunshine and blue sky just north of Galesville on the eastern side of Highway 93. It was so vividly emerald green – the epitome of spring colors.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,773

Growth:

When I catch myself getting frustrated over something I really shouldn’t be frustrated about I know it is time to go back to Awareness. Within the first several chapters I received the slaps upside the head I needed to get back to the right headspace. Love that book specifically because of uncomfortable I feel when I read it.

Appreciation:

Becky and I were just going through some pictures from last year at this time on our drive back from the track meet. At one point Becky started laughing and said “no wonder we’re exhausted all the time!” The amount of life we have packed in as a family has been perfectly and ridiculously us! And I wouldn’t have traded any of it for anything else.

Presence:

There were several moments with my work teams today in which I was laughing hard and 100% present with them in the moment. In between all the hard work that gets put in the time together bonding and laughing becomes the mortar of our team. Great times!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,772

Growth:

Working ahead of schedule reduces a ton of pressure and allows more focus on creativity. Scarcity has its place, but abundance due to efficiency and planning is pretty awesome. The time spent in my retreat continues to pay dividends.

Appreciation:

Gavin’s Humanities homework involves reading and analyzing Animal Farm, just as Dominic’s did three years ago. I first read the book when it was assigned to Dominic and we had excellent conversations on the story afterwards. Now Gavin and I will be able to do the same. I really enjoy some of these talks about the book and it’s characters, fun to see where the boys’ heads go too.

Presence:

Catching myself about to over explain and over coach is frustrating as it was where my brain went first, but was also inspiring as I realized it before the words came out of my mouth. Not perfect but making progress!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,771

Growth:

We all come at life from different perspectives. Remembering to listen to other experiences rather than impose my thoughts based on my experiences is profoundly insightful. Listen, learn, then filter rather than filter, disprove, then judge.

Appreciation:

What a full day! Boys making excellent progress in track, time with extended family, time with friends, time with other friends, time alone reviewing photos, time with Becky on the couch enjoying a movie, and relatively early bed. Life is good!

Presence:

The boys had plans with some of grit track friends so Becky and I fired up a movie we’ve been meaning to watch for quite some time. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent was way better than it had any right to be! Chilling on the couch, laughing together, relaxing…. Ahh… a wonderful way to wrap up a Saturday!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,770

Growth:

So much can be learned through purposeful play. Several of the projects I’ve been working on involve new skillsets as I’d I’ve been doing my best to keep a beginner’s mindset. The play I’ve had as a result has been bitch fun and productive.

Appreciation:

I’m a huge fan of the book Once a Runner. It’s an aged but classic fictional tale of a college mile runner who’s singleminded quest really details what grit is all about. So many take award this fourth or fifth time through, so glad I picked it up again!

Presence:

Hanging out and playing a game with Gavin was exactly what I needed to wrap up the night! It was a nail biter that got pretty ridiculous by the end, so much fun!

Thanks!!!