Author: Michael Kreiling

Thankful for Balance, Time with Cohorts, & Snowy Drives

Day 3,447

Growth:

There’s a balance between too fast and too slow. One puts you in danger due to unnecessary risk. The other puts you in danger due to unnecessary risk. Find the balance.

Appreciation:

Spending time talking with cohorts about all the similar challenges, successes, and best practices we each have – priceless!

Presence:

While my two hour drive to the airport stretched to almost four hours due to snow I’m amazed at all the moments of deep presence. Certainly the focus on keeping the car between the shoulders, but also moments of being lost in the awe of the beauty of nature, specifically the snow covered trees reaching over the snow covered banks of the creek.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Packing Less, Increased Productivity, & Presence

Day 3,446

Growth:

Funny how little we actually need. In an ongoing focus on “Less, but more” this year I’ve been keeping this mindset right in front of me. This evening as I pack for a work trip I am realizing it is even more true than I’d expected!

Appreciation:

Throughout the past couple of days I’ve had to be much more intentional on how my time has been spent. This has been tiring for sure, but it’s been an awesome reminder of staying focused in the areas which are the most beneficial. With no time for the superficial I’ve had to ask for more help, delegate more, say no to more things, and be focused on the long term goals. I’m worn out, but in a good cause, and with more productivity than usual!

Presence:

With a nonstop day again running from hitting the road at 5:30am and not getting home until 12 hours later I was able to stay more present than usual as I kept my goal of “Be Present” in the forefront of my mind. At one point I paused to enjoy the ride, shutting off my audiobook, turning off my work brain, turning up music, and then enjoying the ride. Listening to Seminole Wind by John Anderson was perfect with all of the ongoing destruction of our National Park system.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Simple Goal, an Epically Busy Day, & the Moment of Awakening

Day 3,445

Growth:

Sometimes the simplest goals are the most difficult AND most meaningful. Each month I’m setting goals to help me stay on track for my goals for the year. For each month I’ve set weekly goals to get me to the monthly goals. January I took on too much and only reached 50% of my goals. I got it more dialed in for February and attained all eight goals.

The first weekly goal for this month? Be present. That’s it, simple. That’s also an insanely difficult one to reach, especially knowing the number of directions I am being pulled this week. Why this is important is to keep me grounded where I need to be, not getting to far ahead, not sleeping through something, but being fully present and engaged in each moment. Day one – so far so good!

Appreciation:

What a crazy day! By my count my day had nine different meetings scheduled and was exhausting from start to finish. That said, it felt amazing! Kind of like the sensation of sore muscles after an epic workout, sore but wonderful at the same time. Much was accomplished, so many moments of connection, all seeming to push clearly in the direction of purpose. Epic day for sure!

Presence:

The moment the sunset catches your attention and in that instant you know you are loved by something great enough to create it. Truly moving!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Lesson in Preparation AND Improvisation, Peering Through the Cracks, & Connection

Day 3,444

Growth:

Father Sam’s sermon this morning was engaging and impactful. He started down a path he’d predetermined and seemed to drift off as he was putting additional thoughts together from his experiences. What’s interesting and stuck out to me was that the prepared portion hit him to a point in which he was able to improvise as he processed further – and that was where the truly good stuff was!

The key learning moment for me was this, preparation is necessary to position us to utilize our ongoing love of learning to flex into a place in which our untethered mind is free to explore.

Appreciation:

“It is only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.”

Chuck Palahniuk

There’s a point in which it becomes so easy to let go, to step back and see the world with clarity.

While Chuck’s quote above is on the extreme, we are presented moments in life in which we see the fissures in the “permanence” of what we’ve held as “truths.” In those cracks it is so easy to quickly pass them by, ignoring them in hopes we never look back nor remember them. They would show us what we’d rather forget and never know.

When we look into that crack, press our faces right up against the cool concrete wall to observe what’s on the other side, what really could be reality, we become instantly aware, we are changed.

Once we see what could be true we can start to let our mind grasp that potential truth, to play with it, to look at it from so many different angles, to accept it. In that moment we are able to live that quite AND without having truly lost everything. Quite the contrary, we are actually gaining something, a second potential reality, one in which we are not encumbered by reality. We can dream more freely than if we had never accepted a reality outside of our preconceived truth.

Seeing beyond the veil, peering through the crack. What a gift we are presented!

Presence:

The little moments of human connection in real life, face to face. In those moments, if we choose to be present, we have an opportunity to brighten the life of a fellow traveler, and for them to for the same for us. Several of those moments today, several smiles of connection.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Dreaming During Difficulty, Keeping My Priorities Straight, & Family Time

Day 3,443

Growth:

Stay focused on that which we can control, remember we always have a choice. Dream big, especially in moments of uncertainty, you never know what you might end up doing!

Appreciation:

I’m not sure how to put this, but I’ll take a stab at it. I’m grateful for understanding my purpose, for understanding and continuing to grow towards a reduced focus on pride and ego. I’m grateful for knowing what is most important for me and realizing that it is not “stuff.” I’m grateful for living within our means while also dreaming big while working to achieve those dreams without adding debt. I’m grateful for putting my family first, for prioritizing the experiences we have together and forever cherishing those memories together.

Presence:

Eating lunch with the family. Chilling on the couches with the family. Playing shuffleboard and laughing with the family. All family, all day, a gift of presence!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Resilience, Growth through Chaos, & Calm on the Couch

Day 3,442

Growth:


And don’t look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for shore.

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Appreciation:

Through the chaos and fire lay growth and opportunity. When I’ve had the benefit of hindsight it becomes so clear to see how the challenges made me better, helped me close the gap between who I am and who I am called to be. In the midst of the flames and smoke it is so easy to become disoriented and lost. Have faith, trust in love for all, and remember the opportunity for growth is what we get when we don’t get what we want.

Presence:

The quiet calm of reading on the couch was such a juxtaposition to the entirety of my week. Calm and still, listening to the wind chimes through our closed windows rather than a flurry of activity with so many voices. Both sides worthwhile for their own reasons, though this evening it was truly exquisite.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Investing Time, “Sweatshirt” Books, & a Sense of Awe

Day 3,441

Growth:

Make the time to train others on the most important things, don’t always rush to do those tasks for them in an ill-fated effort to save time. Take the time, MAKE the time to teach and train. The return on investment will blow your mind over and over again BUT only when invested in the RIGHT people.

Appreciation:

I love curling up in my favorite sweatshirts on a cool evening. They warm and comfort me, their simple presence kindles the flame of my soul on such a basic level.

Certain books are “sweatshirt” books for me as well. In a similar fashion they help when I’m running cool, and warm my soul as I open their covers and smell the old pages. The subtle printing errors and smudges bringing a sense of home and of calm, a reminder that even the best of things are not perfect, though they are closer to perfect thanks to their imperfection.

Here’s to the “Sweatshirt” book I’ve busted out on a cold season of life, its heat is already warming my soul.

Presence:

My drive home was the site of my meltdown. It was a very busy day, for the large part very positive, but such a flurry of nonstop activity that my brain was completely overwhelmed by the end of the day. My neck is still stiff from the stress of busyness throughout the day. Again – almost everything was a positive! Successes of teammates abounded, signs of business growth, progress on so many different levels, yet my mind felt run into the ground as my legs after crossing the finish line of the marathon.

As I stared blankly out the windshield there was a bright flash out of the corner of my left eye, the setting sun casting a golden glow upon the exposed sandstone of the bluffs across the river channel. Then an eagle, no, two eagles, sitting in a tree watching for prey! I was flooded with awe, with wonder, with the natural beauty surrounding me.

I was thankful.

I was calmed.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for an Aspirational Culture, a Nonstop Day, & Dinner with Friends

Day 3,440

Growth:

Being in the presence of an organization who has gone above and beyond the goals of those goals which we most want to achieve is both profoundly inspirational and motivational. Today I was blessed with the opportunity to spend time an organization with quite possibly the most positive culture I’ve ever experienced.

Appreciation:

Whew – what a day and a half! This morning I was up and moving by 3:45am and then off to the races by 4:30. Working until I pulled in hot for a dinner with friends at 6:00pm. Having fun and shooting the bull until 8:30pm, and now off to bed by 9:30. Today has been a ridiculously busy day on so many levels, ready for a night of sleep to take time to process and digest tomorrow!

Presence:

Spending time with friends over dinner after a ridiculously busy day was exactly what the doctor ordered to slowly relax and take a deep breath. So much fun and chill from hanging out with them!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Taking My Own Advice, Finding Balance, & a Nonstop Day

Day 3,439

Growth:

I cannot even begin to share how grateful I am for taking my own advice of resting up when I need it. Amazing how much 12+ hours of sleep can help a person heal up and feel better so quickly!

Appreciation:

Hmm… interesting one today. I’m going to go in kind of a funky direction. I’m grateful for working on the balance between emotion and logic as it pertains to interactions with people. It is difficult to navigate our interactions and relationships at times – do we follow our heart or do we follow our head? As usual, the answer is typically a combo of both, knowing how and when to balance is the key.

Today there were many opportunities to find that balance and while I was far from perfect I feel as if I was better about it than normal. I will definitely keep a focus on it, a skill I’d like to continue improving. Cheers to the opportunity to grow!

Presence:

Nothing quite like the rush of a nonstop day full of tight deadlines and twists and turns to keep the mind focused on the present! Needless to say, that level of ongoing presence has worn me out (in a good way).

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Knowing When I’m Cooked

Day 3,438

As the kids would say, “I’m cooked.” With a bonkers week ahead of me I started feeling pretty awful late in the morning. rather than attempting to push through I made the smart decision to rest up, heal up, and be ready for the rest of the week. As such, I’ve been sleeping, ate, got a little more done, and am now heading back to bed. Fingers crossed for the resting to help get me back up and moving tomorrow!

Thanks!!!