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!!!

Day 2,256

Growth:

Even though it sounds cold and miserable outside I’ll never regret getting out for a run. Great reminder for me this morning to embrace the suck and get after it rather than staying comfortable. The run was awful chilly but even more rewarding.

Appreciation:

Taking time to pause, reset, and plan out next steps is a wonderful thing. When I think about when I was lost in flow today it was during times when I had a very clear and defined goal that I was able to make progress on quickly. In order to achieve that state on more complex projects I need to pause and break it into smaller pieces. Each of those smaller pieces have capacity for flow – so long as I keep them in smaller chunks. Zoom out, set the plan, break it into parts, and then tackle each little bit step by step. Today was a phenomenal reminder of that lesson.

Presence:

The weather was cold this morning but talk about bringing me very much into the moment! The briskness of the air really got my attention and had me 100% in the moment when I started running this morning. Good stuff!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,255

Growth:

Our successes are a result of our systems, not our goals. The processes we put in place to be who we want to be are so much more effective than setting goals we would like to reach.

I’ve just started re-reading Atomic Habits and am reminded of why it is one of my annual must reads!

Appreciation:

Seeing the growth of teammates and their increasing successes is one of the most rewarding parts of my career path. Throughout the work day there were examples of this and each left me smiling. What’s most interesting is how much more growth happens when I let go rather than over manage. Slowly I’m learning to see my role in the right way.

Presence:

When life hands you lemons… share vacation pictures and stories! In all seriousness, sometimes things don’t go as planned. The options are to freak out, to be stubborn and force action that was pre-planned but no longer the right option, or to find the bright side. I chose the bright side and possibly helped grow Iceland’s tourism industry 😉

Thanks!!!

Day 2,254

Growth:

Practice, practice, & more practice. What’s interesting is that the more reps I’ve put in the longer the positive impact lasts. Putting in 15+ reps of a presentation means still having it all memorized almost six months later. So glad I put the work in early!

Appreciation:

Having the opportunity to have a positive impact in the lives of others is amongst the best feelings in life. No more details needed than that tonight.

Presence:

Sharing laughs with teammates is one of the many reasons I am happy to head back to the office after time away. The laughs shared with my teammates today were amazing!

Thanks!!!