Day 3,345

Growth:

Some of the most rewarding days are the ones in which I keep busy from start to finish with little pockets of relaxation in between. Today was a wonderful balance of 75% busy to 25% chill.

Appreciation:

With that that was knocked off the task list already today I’m feeling very positive for tomorrow. What’s been all the better are the pockets of time spent with Becky! We’ve often been going in very different directions, but there were also many ones in which we were shooting the bull, joking around, or enjoying each other’s company. There was much gratitude from each to the other which also seemed to make it easier to keep working diligently on our tasks. Beyond grateful for a partner I positively enjoy spending time with AND puts up with me in all of my idiosyncratic glory! 😉

Presence:

Nothing quite like living vicariously through our boys! Spending time with them on FaceTime and texting was amazing today!

Gavin shared all the fun he’s been having in his first couple of days in Germany. Dominic was all about the Gophers football game and his seat in the second row. Both having the times of their lives, smiling, laughing, and experiencing life in the present moment.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,344

Growth:

Clarity and repetition. Get clear on what is most important. Focus on it over and over and over. Just when you start getting bored it is likely just starting to sink in.

Appreciation:

Our morning runs are such an invigorating start to the day. Getting the blood pumping, the lungs expanding, and the body moving – and that’s just the physical part! My brain functions better and faster after our run, there’s much more clarity. In spending time with Becky without distractions we are able connect right away in the day (especially when we are not running into a 15+ mph headwind 😉). It’s also great for my soul, starting with discipline and accomplishment, foreshadowing what is possible for the rest of the day.

Presence:

Is there anything better than spending one on one time engaged with teammates who get it, see the vision, and are ready to run through brick walls to get there? In those moments virtually everything feels possible.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,343

Growth:

“Pleasant experiences make life delightful.  Painful experiences lead to growth…  Suffering points out an area in which you have not yet grown, where you need to grow and be transformed and change.  If you knew how to use that suffering, oh, how you would grow!”

Anthony de Mello, Awareness

So easy to be happy when times are good. So tempting to wish for ease and happiness when we are struggling rather than accepting the pain.

Intentional action and focus are needed to remember to be present in moments of suffering, our natural tendency is to avoid the suffering, but we must choose to face it head on, accept it, AND maintain the unwavering faith that it will lead us to growth.

Choose to mind the GAP, choose Growth, Appreciation, and Presence.

Appreciation:

While this likely could slide into the Growth section just as easily it feels right settling into this place as the focus of my gratitude today.

Leading others isn’t about telling others what to do. It lies in laying out a vision, finding people with similar values and passions, and the providing the resources they need to accomplish great things.

The more I’ve pushed, managed, and directed the worse I’ve led. The more I’ve equipped, opened up, shared a vision, emboldened, and set free the more great things my teammates have done and created.

So many reminders today that my teammates can accomplish so many amazing things so long as I remember when to step back and allow them the space to grow.

Presence:

This moment from so many years ago still maintains clarity even after more than a decade. Pure joy, excitement to be alive, gratitude for the new day. If I ever need a smile this clip nails it!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,342

Growth:

Constraints can be some of the best change agents we could ever ask for. When time and energy are limited there is not time to waste on the superfluous, only the truly important withstands. Today that hyper focus helped me to not only have a productive day, but to make better choices and take better actions than if I had more time. Such a paradox!

Appreciation:

Two of my favorite work related tasks are touring manufacturers and creating an effective workforce solution. Today the two were entwined as one and I spent 90+ minutes feeling as if I were playing in a state of flow rather working.

Presence:

Watching a comedy with Gavin and laughing our butts off the night before he heads out on his European adventure was a perfect way hang out with him. Definitely a night I’ll remember with him!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,341

Growth:

Quick time saver, crush the Unsubscribe link in junk email. Takes a second, saves hours over time.

Appreciation:

I really could’ve have gone right back to sleep when my alarm went off at 4:40 this morning. It was raining, the wind was howling, and it was early in the morning. Thankfully, Becky pointed out the gap in the radar that showed just enough time to get our run in. I got out of bed, begrudgingly, and got my butt in gear. Next thing I knew I was feeling great and riding a runner’s high as I got my lungs and heart pumping.

My run made all the difference today and really set the pace for the day. I’m super appreciative of my Energizer Bunny of a running partner for helping me live into a better version of myself today!

Presence:

The moment of reading one of my favorite and most influential business books and realizing where I strayed from it and how it impacted my leadership ability… a profound reckoning.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,340

Growth:

Get out of the way of people’s strengths. Share direction and vision, step back, and watch them accomplish more and greater than they could with step by step instruction.

Appreciation:

Stuff your eyes with wonder, 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, shake the tree and knock the great sloth down on his ass.

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Presence:

Taking time to reflect on all the conversations and connections made today was a wonderful way to spend a significant portion of my ride home today. Each of those connections involved a great deal presence, were incredibly engaging, and were each stuffed with so many ideas and opportunities for learning.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,339

Growth:

One of my favorite thought leaders shared advice he’d received from a mentor which had a dramatically positive impact on his life…

Don’t make one hundred small decisions when only one will do the trick.

Pause, consider the route issue, and solve it once rather than through a series of small decisions. Simplify the issue, solve it once.

Appreciation:

This morning Father Dodge shared a beautiful homily based on an experience on a silent retreat a handful of years ago. The story is his to tell, not mine so I’ll just share my thoughts. In the story I felt so close to Dad and was reminded of so many instances when I swear I can still feel his presence.

Love is eternal, it is the on ed thing which will survive everything. What as reminder in these times to focus on love over anger, on love over envy, on love over fear. Love is the true answer, and it will always be.

Presence:

In helping Gavin with his Eagle Scout project we went to the trail he’s making signs and benches for. We looked for the best locations for benches while also attempting to identify tree species for signs. Walking in the woods always brings a serene state of presence, but the search for specifics really focused me even more. Doing it with my family made it all the better!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,338

Growth:

We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s missing. I looked around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I’d burned in ten or twelve years. So I thought books might help…

…Most of us can’t rush around, talk to everyone, know all the cities of the world, we haven’t time, money or that many friends. The things you’re looking for, Montag, are in the world, but the only way the average chap will ever see ninety-nine per cent of them is in a book. Don’t ask for guarantees. And don’t look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, knowing you were headed for shore.

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Appreciation:

When we went to Iceland in June of 2022 my life was altered by the majesty and exquisite beauty of the landscape. It remains one of, if not the most, breathtaking locations I’ve had the pleasure of visiting.

We spent a day hiking on a glacier and ice climbing with a guide named Martin. He took time to help us learn more about Iceland and fielded our hundreds of questions. After the excursion we connected on Instagram and had kept in touch a bit.

As we prep for our upcoming trip back to Iceland he’s helped out so much in getting us lined up for another adventure. This morning out of the blue he made me aware of a new cave they just discovered! Guess who’s signed up for a tour of it when we go!

So thankful for all the help from our first trip, got the help planning my second, and for shaping my third. Cheers to the people we meet who continue to make a positive impact from an ocean away!

Presence:

Getting into the woods for a nice walk in the morning felt amazing. Starting with fresh air and motion always helps the day feel so much more peaceful from the start!

Thanks!!!

Day 3,337 – abbreviated version tonight, I’m tired after driving home from Gavin’s last football game of the year.

Growth:

Learn from past experiences, let them guide your actions.

Today I remembered that I should not want something for someone else more than they want it for themselves. We all walk our own roads, offer a helping hand, but ultimately they are the ones who walk their own path. Putting them on our backs and carrying them to our destination helps no one.

This still feels so unnatural to me, but I lived into it and it was the right thing to do.

Appreciation:

The Universe often seems to know what we need and provides it in abundance. Not necessarily what we want, but what we need. Today that was manifest as an unexpected challenge, a wonderful opportunity, profound words of kindness, moments of vulnerability, and in working in the shoes of others. Each leading me towards a specific path, all leading towards purpose, all creating growth.

Presence:

Bonus time with family over pizzas before a football game, sharing laughs and stories, and enjoying the company. All presence, all awesome, all appreciated.

Thanks!!!

Day 3,336

Growth:

Always remember the concept of timshel – “thou mayest”

In all seconds of life we always have a choice to make. We may not be able to choose what happens to us, but we always have the choice of how we respond to it. Even in the most difficult of moments remember there is always a choice, thou mayest… timshel.

Appreciation:

The lifecycle of sequoias is bound to fire. The massive trees, often 15 feet around, are protected from the heat by a thick, shaggy bark. Their lowest branches are far from the forest floor, reducing the chances they’ll ignite when smaller trees burn. And when a fire’s heat rises, the sequoias’ cones open up, releasing thousands of seeds. Those seeds sprout quickly in the newly cleared soil below their parent trees.

NPR.com

Presence:

The unexpected moment of extreme kindness in a storm of emotion, an opportunity to choose to see the majesty rather than the crashing waves. A beautiful moment.

Thanks!!!