A couple of days ago Becky sent me the published copy of her most recently published paper (the next one is getting closer to completion 😁). Not gonna lie, there are occasionally times when I’m a little nervous to read what she’s written. She’s crazy smart and an expert at what she does, I worry about whether or not I’ll be able to understand it and get the gist of what she’s talking about. Today I took a deep breath and started reading.

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uess what… it was awesome! Sure, it's very technical, but it was written in a way that I could get it. As I read it I interrupted her regularly with questions. I wanted to make sure I was tracking with her thinking and not jumping to the wrong connections. How cool is it to have the author of something you're reading sitting next to you?

While reading it there were several things that I'm thankful for. The day is only partially over, but based on the sheer volume of all the ways I'm thankful for it only seems appropriate to write now and capture them all.

First off, I am thankful for all the ways I can apply the ideas from her paper to life and work. She covers resilience, strategic planning and execution, all things with use outside of aquatic biology.

The next thing that struck me was how motivated I was to fire up my computer and start working on my book again. Seeing the great work with the written word inspired me to do the same. Sure, the style and content are very different, but conceptually writing is writing, right?

As Becky's been working on her PhD she's been keeping me updated on what she's been working on. I'm more of a visual person and sometimes I need to see things to understand them better. I've understood parts of what she was saying, but it wasn't until I read the paper that I really "got it." Now when she fills me in I have a much better understanding and I'll be able to put it into context. This will mean better conversations and more fun when we discuss her work.

Last, I'm always proud of her and know that she's awesome, but this helped me see her in a slightly different way. Holy crap, she's pretty damn smart and is finding ways to help the environment in some cool and innovative ways. I'm used to her being more detailed, but in this paper I was able to see her big picture thought process and it was AWESOME! She's finding ways to pull several seemingly separate things into one common focus. Throw in how she balances that with the detail to back up her thinking and I'm nothing short of impressed and so incredibly proud of her.

Becky's a pretty big deal. I already knew that, but it turns out she's even a bigger deal than I'd thought. Reading her paper was a pretty awesome way to get to know the person I know better than anyone else I know a little better.

Love you Becky!!!

Thanks!!!

Quite often it’s easy to get caught in the rush of daily life and all of its demands. If I don’t pay attention the time flies by in a flurry of activity. Sometimes it’s so task driven that I forget to take time to enjoy some of the most important things in my life, like time with my family.

Last year and a couple of days ago I was thankful for “Stopping to Remember Why I’m Blogging.” Gavin wanted to play a game but I was too busy blogging and said no. After pausing at how foolish I was being I relented. We played some epic games of King Kong and enjoyed every moment of it.

While getting a lot done and checking things off my task list today my brain wandered back to that blog post. I paused, smiled, and then was present where I was supposed to be.

The boys and I busted out a couple of games of Boss Monster and had a BLAST!!! It was such a great time joking, playing, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. That time with them reminded me of why I work as hard as I do, why I push myself like I do, and why I value what I do. Playing with them was about as rewarding of a feeling as I could’ve had today, and I’m so appreciative of moments like this.

Thanks!!!

This morning Becky woke me up a little earlier than normal so we could get our run in before the rain was supposed to start falling.  We got the girls ready and headed out into the dark.  The temp was the warmest we’ve run in for quite a while, just a shade under 40.  There was a gentle breeze drifting across the road as we started off.  At one point Becky mentioned how much it felt and and smelled like a fresh spring morning in March.  The run was warm, relaxing, and felt wonderful.

While getting ready for work the rain started to fall…

As I drove to Winona the temperature dropped by 12 degrees…

When I got out of the car at the office the wind was blowing so hard it took my breath away…

At one point it was snowing so hard that it was pretty much a whiteout…

And the weather never got better throughout the evening.

Today I am thankful for running when the running is good, it felt awesome!

Thanks!!!

A while back several of us were having a conversation with Bill Stoller, one of the founders of Express Employment Professionals.  The discussion shifted to what books we’ve read recently and Bill shared that he only read business books and biographies.  As someone who used to ferociously consume fictions only I thought that seemed a little odd.  Biographies?  Yuck!  Wasn’t that like a history book?  Those were not on the top of my reading list.

Fast forward to the present.  After reading the autobiographies of Bruce Springsteen and George W. Bush and the biographies of Steve Jobs, George H.W. Bush, and Albert Einstein I’m starting to get hooked!

I’m a little over two thirds through Einstein and I’m totally mesmerized.  It’s been so intriguing on many levels for me to pick up on.

Learning about his schooling was a bit mind blowing to me.  They would develop a hypothesis and then be sent out into the wilderness to find an example that either proved or disproved it and then use that as the learning session.  How awesome is that – using nature as a classroom and leaving kids up to finding meaning in a different way.

I had no idea of the way some society worked back in his time.  Learning about his family life was crazy.  Did you know that he had a contract with his wife relating to when she could and could not speak with him?

Sure, everyone knows he’s a genius, but it has been so cool to see how he envisioned his ideas and tied them to examples that could be better understood in real life.  I really wasn’t sure what the theory of relativity was all about, but his example of people watching a lightning strike on a hill from a moving train really helped me see it.

Learning about his shortcomings have also been very enlightening.  The things that helped him become the genius figure that he is were often tied to his compete disregard for authority and status quo.  Interestingly enough, later in his life he became the authority and status quo that he had rebelled against!

After wondering what Bill was thinking, I now totally get it.  Learning from these historic figures has been a great way to view things from new perspectives, learn from the successes and failures of incredible thinkers, and see them as a little more human…  and that’s something I can really appreciate.

Thanks!!!

Ahh… the scent of chlorine… The smell makes me smile and makes my nostrils burn all at the same time! 🤪. No better time to blog than as the boys are logrolling and before I start have chemical induced visions from the chlorine.

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re was a lot going on today, just like there was yesterday, and like there will be every day until Saturday. That's all good, my mind is in the right place and I thoroughly enjoy this type of crazy. It gets me pumped, makes me stay focused in order to be successful, and can bring out some of my best work. In times like this I have also learned that I need some calm in the storm to keep me going.

Driving home tonight I almost fired up an audio book, but instead I paused. Contemplating music instead I realized what I really needed… some quiet. I turned off the radio, focused on driving and breathing, and could feel my heart rate drop. My shoulders started to drop before I even realized just how tense they were. It was exactly what the doctor ordered.

As I got closer to home my brain reminded me that it was the first night of logrolling! Remembering how much fun it was a bigger smile broke grew my face. In no time my brain was going back through the catalog of memories of past logrolling lessons to get myself mentally set. The most important lesson to date was to stay focused on being present with my mind clear. As I thought about that I smiled and realized that would be another great way for me to take a deep breath and decompress. Ahh… log rolling!

While the boys wrap up their class I can feel myself getting giddy in nervous anticipation. I just hope I am still thankful for this after I get out of the water! 😂

Thanks!!!

Celebrating Christmas at my mom’s was a blast this past weekend.  From Friday night until Sunday morning we were enjoying some good old fashioned family time.  We ate, played games, ate some more, chilled out, did some crafts, ate some more, and played more games.  The entire time I was able to focus on being present with my family, and it was awesome!  I’m so thankful that I was able to relax and have a great time, only once pausing for a few minutes to get a little work done.

As you’ll remember from a few days ago, I’m in the middle of crunch time.  This week is chock full of many work related activities that are quite demanding as well as getting everything ready to head out of town.  My task list is much bigger than usual, but I didn’t stress it while I was with my family.

As soon as I got home it was off to the races (heck, even riding home I was listening to an audiobook that I need to read for work).  In the hours after I got home I was able to put air in the tires, do a couple of loads of laundry, unpack from this weekend, pack for our upcoming trip, replace the broken window in one of our doors as well as fix the jamb, go to a leaders’ meeting for scouts, get a bunch of work done, check off some personal tasks, and plan for next week.  It’s been non-stop, but incredibly productive!

One of the reasons I was able to tune it all out this past weekend was thanks to my second Ink & Volt Planner (of course, it was also because of my superhuman wife, Becky, who has been accomplishing even more than I have today!).  My planner helps me organize what needs to happen and when to not only deal with the chaos that comes up in life, but also to stay focused on my long term goals.  Each year, month, week, and day I go back to my planner to set my goals and to make sure they’re in alignment with where I need to go to reach my goals.

Last year I got used to using it on a fairly regular basis to keep my life organized.  As I’ve had a chance to review what’s worked well and what hasn’t for me last year I’ve discovered more ways to better utilize this tool to help me stay focused on the task at hand.  One of the cool benefits is over the past few weeks I’ve spent the majority of my time focused on what it coming up in the next week when historically I’ve been more likely to wait until the last minute.  I feel so much less stress knowing that I’m ahead of the game!

One other benefit has been how I’m using it to capture more tasks real time and logging them in the day that I need to get them done.  It’s been so nice to not have to worry about what I may be forgetting like I’ve been known to do in the past.

This weekend with family was awesome and stress free and I really appreciate that.  When I pause to think of how it was all possible I kept coming back to my planner (& my incredible wife!), and I’m especially thankful for it today.

Thanks!!!

Christmas at Mom’s is in full swing and we’re all having fun playing games together in between meals. Always a great time that I look forward to every year, the cold weather isn’t getting in the way of us having an awesome family Christmas!

As we opened gifts last night my mom surprised me with one that may have caused a little awesome to leak out of my eyes. No need to be verbose today, as you see the picture of the gift you’ll understand why I’m thankful for this gift from my mom. It is awesome!

Thanks Mom!!! Love you tons!!!

Thanks!!!

Heading up to my mom’s for Christmas means that we get to travel one of my favorite stretches of pavement, Highway 35 from Maiden Rock to County Road D. That stretch always makes me smile for a couple of reasons, and anytime Becky and I drive it there’s a topic that is always brought up and always leaves smiling and laughing.

When we first used to drive that way to Mom’s that area always struck me with its beautiful views. Majestic bluffs with sharp jagged edges on one side and an incredible view of the bluffs of Minnesota rising up from across the Mississippi River. There’s one spot in particular I’ve thought would be the perfect place for a cabin, high atop the bluffs with a view up and down the mighty Mississipp. Every time we pass by I pause and soak it in. Sometimes God doesn’t quite think it’s pretty enough so He sends a bald eagle (or several) overhead to really take my breath away.

Driving that stretch also reminds Becky and I of when we ran Ragnar several years ago. I’d intentionally chosen the legs of the race that included the run from Maiden Rock to County D. It has a pretty rough hill that climbs up the bluff, but it was gorgeous, peaceful, and it was already one of my many happy places. I still clearly remember running (& walking) that stretch in the dark. The light of the moon just bright enough to silhouette the trees, but not shining enough to see the top of the hill. It wasn’t my fastest run ever, but it’s certainly amongst my most memorable.

With that in mind the conversation between Becky and I always drifts back to Ragnar and so many memories of that awesome experience. There are so many moments when we laugh out loud (ask our friend Kurt why I deserve a god damn medal if you’d like a good laugh!). Every time we drive past it’s like opening a time capsule. We dive right into those memories and re-enjoy that experience we had together and with so many of our friends.

How awesome is that? So much joy from just a simple stretch of pavement in kind of the middle of nowhere. I already appreciate that ride when I’m on it, today I’m even a little more thankful for it.

Thanks!!!

With the holidays just behind in the rearview mirror and a vacation on the horizon my life at work has gotten extremely busy in a short period of time.  Starting new strategies requiring extra thought and focus, following up on the previous year’s commitments, catching the occasional surprise out of left field, and taking on projects to help teammates grow while helping our clients on short notice all really hit me right between the eyes today.  As the day unfurled I had to pause at one point to take a deep breath, focus, make sure that each task was necessary, and then figure out a strategy to make it all happen.

And you know what?  I frickin’ loved every minute of it!  It’s crunch time and I love the rush of endorphins that come with getting stuff done in a tight deadline.

Sure, there’s sometimes when I’d like it to all slow down for a day or two to get caught up, to plan ahead, and to prepare.  That said, I love me a good sprint as well as a tough puzzle.  In this case the sprint is for a limited time with clearly defined goals and a very clear finish line.

Trying to make it all fit is a part of the fun as long as I remember to look at it that way.  Not only are there work deadlines, but I also still plan on spending time with Becky and my boys, working on my book, and a handful of other things that bring me great joy (like writing this blog).

Part of the reason that I’m able to lock in and let ‘er rip in a time like this is a theory that I learned from a wonderful book – Scarcity.  In the book the authors dive into great detail about how a long term situation of scarcity can be very detrimental, but in short doses it can help us do incredible things.  When I consider times like this I wonder why I am enjoying myself way more than I should be.  I have more on my plate than usual and with less time to get it all done, but I smile and get more done than normal.  It’s like time slows down, I prioritize what needs to get done, and then I focus on one task at a time, then the next, and then the next.  There’s a rhythm and a flow that I get into that just feel so awesome.  All the while I’m also keeping in mind that there’s a finish line that I am going to run through, crash, take a deep breath, get up, and sprint again.

So here I am, in crunch time…  and appreciating every minute of it!

Thanks!!!