Author: Michael Kreiling

Thankful for Heeding Nudges, a Beautiful Quote, & Connection

Day 3,146

Growth:

Sometimes opportunities present themselves at seemingly inopportune times, but we feel compelled to take them regardless of logic. those “nudges” seem to never fail to produce amazing results when heeded.

By taking on an opportunity to do some training I stumbled upon a powerful. well timed, and much needed focus on self reflection. To built this I needed to pause and look back over the past 20ish years to observe the results of actions and inactions without emotion, rather with the scalpels of logic and reason. Through that process was discomfort for sure, but also smiles of past successes and so many opportunities for growth and improvement. There are so many ways in which this has helped me more clearly see the gap between who I am and who I am called to be.

Had I passed on this opportunity I would have had more time to focus on other things – busyness which will still need to be attended – but I would not have had this opportunity to learn and grow. What a gift it has been!

Appreciation:

This might sound cheesy, but there’s a quote which has been bouncing through my soul thru the past few days. In many ways it sums up so much of what I am most grateful for this evening.

“Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is.

We are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.”

Master Yoda 😉

While the source may be a bit too much for some, the sentiment and truth of the quote cannot be overstated.

How much brighter is the world if we all choose to help each other be better than ourselves? By helping to raise others up we create joy for all.

Presence:

That moment went you know that you are exactly where you are meant to be and doing exactly what you are meant to be doing, and a part of something much bigger than yourself. It opens the mind to ideas of how much we could all accomplish working together, sharing openly, and living into who we were meant to be. Today’s Express Leadership Academy training was a moment which will continue to inspire me to remember the beauty of “we” over “me.”

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Antifragility, Sitting Quietly in My Room, & Hanging with ELA Family

Day 3,145

Growth:

The concept of Antifragility has really been hitting home for me. Funny how the combination of examples from the actual book didn’t quite sink in fully, but these ongoing nudges have kept coming from so many other sources. I’m pretty sure Taleb’s book , Antifragile, has been referenced in no fewer than four books I’ve read in the past six months!

Here’s the concept in a nutshell. Many things are fragile. If I drop a coffee mug onto stone it breaks. It is fragile.

A stainless steel Yeti might survive the fall as it is durable. That said, it doesn’t get hurt, but it also does not get better due to the fall.

Something which is antifragile gets better specifically because it was hurt or broken. In so many ways humans are antifragile – it is in discomfort and frustration and challenge in which we grow stronger. Consider weightlifting, the lifting of heavy weight cause micro tears in the muscle which then heal stronger than before, thus they get better due to the break.

In so much of our lives we avoid discomfort, but quite often that avoidance stunts our growth. We also actively work to prevent those we love from experiencing discomfort, which often hurts them more in the long run.

A note to Future Mike – lean into the discomfort! Help push others towards discomfort! Remember though that discomfort is good, but don’t let them or yourself complete break being repair

Appreciation:

All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.

Blaise Pascal

Many years ago I was introduced to this quote and it has rocked my brain ever since. It is so easy to stay “busy” and not take the quiet time needed to think.

Honestly, I think that is one of the reasons I’ve been blogging like this for the past 3,000+ days… it is a self enforced daily ritual of sitting alone with my thoughts to pause and process the day and all of its experiences.

In preparation for tomorrow’s presentation I’ve had to spend time alone with my thoughts and my old journals as I sift through past experiences which have led you to today. All of that time focused on reflection and introspection are so different from the usual chaos filled days of hard work. I’m taking this time to reflect I’m also seeing so many opportunities to grow into a better version of myself. Had I not put this training together so many of these insights may have been lost to the future.

Here’s to taking the time to pause, reflect, and sit quietly in my room (which I’m literally doing right now).

Presence:

This evening I was blessed to have dinner with some of my favorite people, some of our Express Leadership Academy (ELA) family. So many insightful conversations, sharing of stories, and so many laughs! While I don’t have many opportunities to hang out with them IRL like this I’m amazed at how quickly it feels like I’m hanging out with old friends who get me and accept me as I am. For reals, it feels like I’ve known them all for many years. What an awesome start to my quick trip to OKC!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for the GAP, Growth Through Adversity, & a Bead of Sweat and a Breath

Day 3,144

Growth:

How much more joy would there be in the world if we all felt we were enough, if we did not have absurdly high expectations of ourselves, and were grateful for all we have been blessed with? The mindsets of growth, appreciation, and presence can power us all to joy in our lives, yet so often we allow ourselves to be distracted by lack and fear. The keys to joy are all around us, we need only choose them.

Appreciation:

Sometimes the best learning comes as a result of living through difficult situations. In the midst of the frustration it can be difficult to focus on what we’re learning, but if we choose a growth mindset we can often learn more than we’d thought possible through the adversity. This is especially true of times when we have the benefit of hindsight to connect the dots after the fact.

Presence:

Nothing quite like the presence found in yoga! This evening my brain was focused 100% on a combination of my breathing and the bead of sweat slowly rolling down my face. There’s was nothing else in the world except those two sensations for a fleeting moment of extreme stillness and presence.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for an Epic Sir Edmund Hillary Quote, Moms, & Being Outside

Day 3,143

Growth:

When the going gets tough and things go wrong the same qualities are needed to win through as they were in the past — qualities of courage, resourcefulness, the ability to put up with discomfort and hardship, and the enthusiasm to hold tight to an ideal and to see it through with doggedness and determination.

Sir Edmund Hillary

Appreciation:

So much appreciation for all moms today – mine definitely included!

Today I’m also incredibly grateful for my sons having such an awesome mom as a role model, inspiration, friend, coach, teacher, and mentor. Their lives are so enriched by the countless number of ways Becky has impacted their lives.

Presence:

Nothing like the joy of being outdoors and moving on a sunny day in May (& likely any month 😉)! Today Becky and I got a nice walk in the woods early to give Leia some exercise and identified sixteen different types of birds (thank you Merlin app!). We got a wonderful family hike in during the afternoon. The evening was wrapped up on our deck as we read. So many awesome moments outside today!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for YouTube FTW, a Family Dinner with Six of Us, & Still Glowing from the Northern Lights

Day 3,142

Growth:

Thank you YouTube for helping me with another lawnmower repair today! Nothing like the confidence of knowing I have all the answers I will likely need in a device in my pocket to help me take a deep breath and calmly start solving the problem.

Appreciation:

This evening was a first for us – dinner as a family with a couple of significant others along with. The boys each brought someone along and we had so much fun interacting with everyone. It was a little awkward at first but we all seemed to get over it quickly. So surreal to experience a family dinner like this, but also so much fun. So glad we were all able to get together like that and I’m looking forward to doing it again soon.

Presence:

I’m still glowing over the moments and memories shared last night as we watched the northern lights! Seeing them as a family. Driving to the park on the end of the island to see the spectacular purples and pinks and greens. Walking for hours with Dominic while looking up. The random conversations with strangers who were also taking them in. The incredible sense of shared awe. Awesome!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Choosing Joy, Choosing Joy, & Choosing Joy

Day 3,140

Growth:

Each day, each interaction we have with others, we have a choice in the attitude we exhibit. Will we choose to brighten the lives of others or allow stress and frustration cloud our conduct? Today held several reminders of the exponential increase in joy when we choose smiles and love.

Appreciation:

One of my favorite religious leaders often reminded us that joy was NOT the same as comfort. There were several reminders today of how important it is that we each want something more for ourselves rather than someone wanting it for us. While we often see potential and opportunities for others they may not see it in themselves. We can help lead them to it, but it is ultimately up your them. If we push and attempt to help them too much we do not allow them the space and growth they truly need. We can choose joy for ourselves, we can choose action in an attempt to bring joy to others, but it is ultimately up to each individual to choose joy for themselves.

Presence:

While working on changing the drive belt of my bandsaw and tuning it up I had a few moments of extreme frustration, but I chose to laugh them off and let them go. I heard the voice of Dad reminding me to take a deep breath and the next thing I knew I was smiling and thinking back to my awesome memories of Dad. Life doesn’t always go as planned, but we can often leverage the unplanned into joy, it just takes a conscious decision to do so.

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Three Ideas, The Anxious Generation, & a Chill Morning Run

Day 3,139

Growth:

Three interesting insights from my Appreciation section tonight that have far reaching other impacts:

  • “They represent the wearing smooth of a path in the brain, not the decisions of a rational consciousness.” Thorndike on habits and impulses
  • The differences between being in “Discover Mode” or “Defend Mode” and how they relate to learning, in many ways similar to scarcity versus abundance, possibly even love versus fear.
  • The power of awe is a profoundly positive impact on us – when we CHOOSE to see it

Appreciation:

Wowza… This book was one of the most insightful I’ve read recently. This helped me better understand many of the challenges I’m seeing in both personal and professional life. If you have kids under the age of 30 or interact with people under the age of 30 I would highly recommend this book.

While I’ve noticed definite changes in how my generation grew up versus this one I had no idea just how large of a difference there really was. So much to consider from this book, I will definitely read it again in the not too distant future.

If any of you read it I would be very interested in hearing your feedback and thoughts on it as well.

Presence:

My run this morning was so chill. The sun was slowly rising as I wrapped up so the entire run saw beautiful pinks and purples and oranges in the sky. As I ran past the beach there were two geese and a heron standing on the shore seemingly looking at the sunrise, and as I watched them a couple of bald eagles flew by as well. So chill!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Seneca Quote, a Nonexistent Tattoo, & More Time with the Boys

Day 3,138

Growth:

Appreciation:

Way back when I was in college there was a tattoo I thought I wanted. From characters in a book on Taoism the ink would have read:

Indifferent Flow
Nonyielding Soul

While the tattoo was never meant to be (at least not as of yet) the concept has been firmly lodged in my brain. Today it came up again on a couple of occasions and I was reminded of the importance of being flexible when necessary while staying firm when appropriate. So difficult sometimes, it almost feels as if the opposite is easier to pull off for some reason.

Today I was flexible when needed on the non important things while sticking to my guns on the critical.

Presence:

I’m probably sounding like a broken record, but my time at home tonight was well invested. Dominic asked if his girlfriend could come over for dinner after their workout and we spent a couple hours talking, eating, and playing a couple of games. After she left the three of us played a few more games. Gavin went off to finish homework so Dominic and I started watching Eurovision 2024 together, something we’ve been planning for almost a year. So much interactive time with the boys!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for a Conversation Lodged in My Brain, Prepping for Early Bed, & the Boys Laughing During Dinner

Day 3,137

Growth:

The conversation with Dominic from last night really lodged itself in my brain last night! Throughout the day I was seeing comparisons to what we talked about to the situations I saw unfolding. There were also several more questions I’m excited to dive into with him when we have our next round of dialogue. Hearing his insight yesterday was an awesome peek inside his thought process and a wonderful source of inspiration for my thoughts today.

Appreciation:

Early bed time tonight will feel AMAZING!!! Yesterday I installed blackout blinds in our bedroom to provide even better sleeping conditions. Last night I could hardly tell if my eyes were open or closed it was so dark in the room. The only downside was that I didn’t get quite enough sleep due to the late concert. Tonight I’m getting everything done early, going to get a quick game in with the boys, and then head off to bed earlier than normal to pick up some extra sleep to finish recovering from a wildly busy (but very joyful) weekend.

Presence:

Over dinner both the boys were full on in their normal playful moods, joking, laughing, and giving each other a hard time while re-living memories and talking about track. Hearing them having fun like this always fills my bucket!

Thanks!!!