Day 3,846

Growth:

“The outside world can take nothing from you and cannot unhinge you, as long as you do not allow yourself to be disturbed.” – Montaigne, Stefan Zwieg

We have all we need to be happy in our life, and it is solely up to use to choose it. Amongst the chaos, the craziness, the nonstop influx of information and stimulation, our happiness is only a breath away. Take the moment to seize it!

Appreciation:

Days like today are more a 3200m than a 100m race. From my alarm going off at 4:40am through my first meeting at 6am this morning until wrapping up my last call on the drive home around 5:30pm it has been an almost nonstop endeavor.

After wrapping up my call I finished the current chapter of my audiobook, switched over to Music, and crushed the Shuffle button. In an instant my shoulders relaxed and my mind just stopped running. I was able to find complete calm in only a few chords of music. The untethering of my work mentality to be me, to relax, to unwind before getting home. To walk in the door, joke around and be present with Gavin, to be a dad, to be present, and to chill.

So wonderful to know I can ratchet up the intensity when it is needed, maintain it with a little pause as I wrote about below, and then switch it completely off when it is time to be home. Not Severance level or anything, but satisfying know I can and do shut it off when I should.

Presence:

Many wonderful moments today, but the one that sticks out the most was when I paused, took a deep breath, and existed only in my breath. All else around faded into the background, I was only my breath, and nothing else. Just for a moment, but a moment I needed. A moment of stillness.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,845

So many reasons to be grateful today, forget the normal format, let’s just go with a list!

• Waking up in the middle of the night with one of the most pleasant dreams I’ve had in a very long time.
• Getting a run in with Becky even though the weather was a little damp and windy, having fun conversation all the way, starting the day with time together.
• Driving the campervan in to work today as it needed an oil change. Not the most exciting reason to drive it, but I’ll still take the wonderful feeling of being home!
• Finding out Gavin was on the news for his pole vaulting last night!
• Great day at work, extra coffee, conversation with teammates, training a new teammate, great sales meeting, lunch with the team, lots of growth.
• Wrapping up the work day in the van putting together a presentation for my teammates for tomorrow.
• Getting some bonus time with Becky on our way to Gavin’s Top 5% banquet
• Enjoying the sight of Gavin’s Top 5% banquet photo selection – love his spunky personality!
• Having an awesome conversation with Dominic as normal on a Wednesday night, laughing and joking, talking and catching up.
• Blogging and pausing to remember all that I am grateful for today.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,844

Growth:

Interesting to think about the concept of “what are we encoded to do.” Not just a strength, but something that seems like we are gravitationally pulled towards, we can’t not not do something. We typically derive joy in the task, more easily find flow state, and do something of our best work in this arena.

What are those encodings for me? Where do I seem to constantly be drawn, where I can’t help but take the action if it is available? How do I balance my life to live into those areas more often?

Appreciation:

When I was training a new teammate today on pricing out a project he was following right along with the process, understanding the calculations, the general concepts, and whatnot. After a while I could see a realization coming to him, and a specific question.

“How long did it take you to make the call on this specific pricing? It seems like there is a lot to consider and it’s going to take a lot of thought to get there, but you just made it seem so effortless. How long did it take you to price this project?”

My response was a simple smile and a short phrase:

“25 years and about 25 seconds.”

Today I’m grateful for all of the experiences built up through hours and years of repetition, slowly building to be such a solid foundation it usually goes unnoticed. The compiling and compounding of those experiences develop into a very quiet yet powerful tool.

Presence:

Watching Gavin laughing, smiling, and enjoying himself thoroughly lost in the flow of pole vaulting – such a treat to watch! I’m not sure which aspect of the event itself Gavin is encoded for, but based on the joy he finds in the activity there is definitely something or something’s there – and watching him find that personal sweet spot is awesome!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,843

Growth:

Remember how much we want to be there for others to help them through difficult times and challenges. Remember how much we want to help them stay strong, to lift them up, to help them smile, to help them be joyful. Soak that desire to help in and burn it into your brain… and remember it when you’re hurting and could use help. Don’t allow false pride and ego cloud the decision to share when you need help, when you could use support. There are people in your life who would welcome the opportuntiy to make your life better. Allow them to help.

Appreciation:

I cannot overstate how much of a positive impact the first two Tim Ferriss podcasts with Jim Collins made on my entire life. In those two sessions I learned so many practices that have now become daily rituals – from scoring my daily joy, to goal setting, to seeing the importance of balancing reality with optimism. I literally use a minimum of five parts of Jim’s advice every single day.

You can check them out here:

• https://tim.blog/2019/02/20/the-tim-ferriss-show-transcripts-jim-collins-361/
• https://tim.blog/2020/12/04/jim-collins-returns-transcript/

And now there is a third one! I’m only about halfway through and my mind is already going into a frenzy with the different ideas he is offering up. Check it out here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/856-jim-collins-what-to-make-of-a-life-and-how/id863897795?i=1000753140536

More ideas to take to heart, more ways to improve life. Can’t wait to finish this new one!

Pressence:

This may sound a bit like a broken record, but starting my work week with a run with Becky and ending it with a yoga date night with Becky really helps to set the tone of the entire week. Time together, shared conversations, activity we enjoy, talking about our goals, joking and playing, creating quiet space for the two of us. Those two little practices really help to transform Monday into a day I look forward to.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,842

Growth:

This quote from Fahrenheit 451 just keeps calling out to me in so many ways:

“‘Stuff your eyes with wonder,’ he said, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal. And if there were, it would be related to the great sloth which hangs upside down in a tree all day every day, sleeping its life away. To hell with that,’ he said, ‘shake the tree and knock the great sloth down on his ass.'” – Fahrenheit 451

Rather than focus on that which doesn’t really make an impact on my life keep focused on that which makes life worth living. Live!

Appreciation:

So grateful for a day which was so full of stillness I was able to read Fahrenheit 451 cover to cover and copy down more quotes and ideas from it than I have in a while. The day was very full of activity, but it was all at such a peaceful pace, a relaxing forward day, if you will. There is a deep sense of accomplishment via the tasks I was able to complete, but each of these was so much more calming than expected or normal. Grocery shopping on a holiday over lunch time was so surreal, parking available in the front row, the aisles not jammed with people. Making my lunches for the week turned into a relaxing artistic endeavor as I created my own high protein buffalo sauce for my mini gold potatoes. Even doing laundry was quiet and chill.

As thoughts of work would arise I would slowly sweep them back aside to be handled on Monday. As other tasks came I up I either quickly did them or regulated them to my task list.

Becky and I had so much time together to bond and chill (as seen below). Based on the tasks going well and not needing to decompress I was able to get comfortable, put my feet up, and read Fahrenheit 451.

Such a relaxing day, a perfect way to help re-charge in the midst of a crazy busy season of life for sure!

Presence:

Another day of hiking with Becky and Leia in the Quarry! So nice getting physical time outside with zero screens and only conversation and quiet. Those moments are incredibly centering and invigorating! What I’ve really been appreciating more and more are our conversations on what happens next – Gavin is only four months from leaving for college – and seeing how in tune we are with each other. Our goals are aligned, we enjoy spending time together, and it’s energizing spending time with her.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,841

Growth:

Jim Collins had a succinct and powerful statement which has stayed in my head for years.

“The most treasured gifts in the world are kind words spontaneously tendered.” – Jim Collins

Over the past few days I’ve had reminders of how both sides of this equation as so powerfully accurate. Never hold back words of support, insight, love, or friendship, we never know how meaningful their impact might be.

Appreciation:

When in doubt, get outside and go for a hike in the woods. No question, it is the right answer every single time. Becky and I had the opportunity to get out to the quarry trail this morning with Leia and it was so tranquil having the trails almost completely to ourselves as we had time to talk, relax, and enjoy the views of area. With the whirlwind that has been the past week it felt great to unplug and wander, to not have screens or a deadline, and to just relax. Good stuff for sure!

Presence:

Eating dinner as a family. Planning a vacation as a family. Time together, sharing moments, finding Easter baskets, watching a movie. A wonderful chunk of time together!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,840

Is there much more that needs to be said , so grateful for the friends we would do anything far. That is the why we exist, the people who add the context to all we do, who love us because of our faults, our human-ness. When we are passed, all that is left is the impact we’ve made. That is why we exist, in honor of them.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,839

Way back in the day one of my mentors shared wisdom which has stuck with me for literally decades…

Be present where you need to be. In each moment be intentional of where you really need to be and be there. If you aren’t where you need to be you will also not be where you are.

This advice was taken to heart in several different ways today. In each case it was correct. In each of those moments I was grateful.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,837

Growth:

A quote from Digital Minimalism really hit home for me today. As someone who was once scolded on a vacation with friends for “pacing too much and making everyone nervous,” relaxing has sometimes been difficult for me. Reading this quote helped me see that I may still be an odd ball, but there’s at least a few others out there with similar thoughts…

“I never understood the joy of watching other people play sports, can’t stand tourist attractions, don’t sit on the beach unless there’s a really big sand castle that needs to be made, don’t care about what the celebrities and politicians are doing. … Instead of all this, I seem to get satisfaction only from making stuff. Or maybe a better description would be solving problems and making improvements.” – Pete Adeney 

Appreciation:

My drive to work this morning was dominated by the storm that was rolling in from the west. After I dropped off Leia in Holmen the lightning seemed to explode nonstop! In each direction was a bright and clear bolt followed by another and another and another. What added to the spectacular show was the fact that the rain had not yet begun to fall, the clarity across the miles of flat river valley between the bluffs was superb! As the miles ticked away the rain then began to hammer my car in buckets, and then the metallic clinking of hail filled my ears.

While I drove through the pounding of the storm I just kept smiling and enjoying the absolute show Mother Nature was putting on! So much fun catching an early morning storm just as the sun is about to rise. As I turned off towards Arcadia the storm shifted to my rearview mirror and clear skies and the pink hues of the upcoming sunrise shown through my windshield. Such a dazzling dichotomy, a wonderful view!

Presence:

Being fully engaged in conversation with a dear friend, listening with full attentiveness and without judgement. Sharing in the difficult moments of life. The moments when friendships grow stronger, reminding us that difficulty and challenge can lead to growth should we choose to look for it. Reminding us that the most important thing we can do in our lives is to be present for each other.

Thanks!!!