Yesterday I headed out to Eau Claire early in the morning.  Instead of the normal route I took a scenic country road to head up to Black River Falls.  Meeting a friend for coffee and conversation about hiring led me on a road that I haven’t taken early in the morning before, County C out of West Salem.  As I drove up and down the bluffs and valleys the sun slowly started its ascent.  At one point I just smiled and chuckled…

I was reminded of another time I was driving up to Eau Claire at about this time of the day.  I drove past an intensely serene and still pond that perfectly reflected the beautiful pink blue sunrise sky.  The view was so soothing to my soul that I jammed on my brakes, whipped a u turn, and headed back to enjoy the moment and take a picture.  It was such music to my soul that on that day I blogged about being thankful for being in the right place at the right time, being aware of it and taking a moment to enjoy it.

As I stared almost a little too long at yesterday’s sunrise my heart was warmed by the memory of that moment and I thought about stopping again.  It wasn’t quite right and this time I just decided to enjoy it while I drove.

Last night after blogging I opened up Facebook and did something that is also becoming a daily tradition, looking at what I was thankful for last year on this day.  Imagine my surprise when I saw this…

Are you kidding me???  What are the odds of that?  Here I was enjoying an incredible sunrise and thinking back to an awesome memory…  From exactly one year before (remember that I skipped Day 155 last year, it was actually day 176, not 177), almost to the minute!

Was it really a coincidence?  Was there some weird subconscious connection that drew it to mind?  Beats me, but honestly, I really don’t care how it came to be.  All I know is that this was one incredible coincidence that I’m very thankful for.

Thanks!!!

Another day, another 18+ hours of awesome things to be grateful for!

After a long day of driving and work I finally got home around 7.  The boys were at church and Becky had just started reading a paper for her school.  Based on the awesome things I had seen on the drive home I decided to take the girls out for a little eagle watching on the river.

There were eagles EVERYWHERE!  This time of the year is so awesome that way.  We saw them fishing, playing, fighting, and just chilling.  The pics don’t do enough justice, there were two within 100 feet of us.  Trying to get a pic of them diving proved difficult, but it was still very relaxing…

The girls seemed to have a lot of fun too!

It was a pretty chill way to end a very great day.

Thanks!!!

Have you ever received one of those emails that caught your attention and got you thinking?  One that made you stop and think a little extra about you course of action?  Maybe it was so good that you even keep it filed away to remind you of something important to remember about yourself?  Today I am thankful for that email.

We had a very interesting Owner / Manager meeting that was focused on what is going on in today’s hiring environment.  As opposed to being one in which we walk away with set plans it was focused on taking a break from the normal chaos and taking time to think.  With the right mindset it was a wonderful respite from the continual doing and allowed me time to just think.

Part of the reason that it went so well was that prior to jumping into the meeting I re-read a great email I got from one of my mentors a little while back that helped remind me to keep a growth mindset.  There were a couple of times that I might have normally fought back a bit or had gotten frustrated, but with my brain primed appropriately I was able to listen and learn.

Tonight I’m thankful for that email, the one that helped me get my brain in the right frame of mind.

Thanks!!!

Thank God you’ve probably been reading this blog at least once in a while and know that I truly love and adore my family.  I really do!

That said, there was a short period of time in which Becky went to pick up Dominic from soccer and then took them to Kohl’s to pick up shoes.  I was alone in our quiet home and it was glorious!  Sadly, I mainly caught up on work emails and whatnot, but now as Gavin is burping in the bathroom while getting ready and Dominic is antagonizing an animal in our house…  all after they were just fighting in the hallway…  I’m realizing just home much I appreciated that little quiet oasis!

Thanks!!!

When Father Mark gave his last homily as the priest at our church it moved me to the point of asking him for a copy of it.  Thankfully he was willing to send it.  Since then whenever I take time to reflect on my values and the direction of my life I start with his words first and everything else seems to make a lot more sense.

While they almost all made immediate sense to me there was always one that I couldn’t quite figure out.  The other nine were easier for me to understand – though they were all tough to remember in practice and in the moment.  Number Two always threw me off and I never quite got it.  It was easy for me to understand the importance of the other nine, this one just didn’t quite seem to fit.  When I re-read his homily I kind of cruise right by that one and move on.

As many of you know, I’ve spent a lot of time in self-reflection over the past months.  This isn’t of itself anything to brag about or anything to worry about me on, it is just something that I’ve been doing.  While my blogging has brought me incredible happiness it continues to unlock a little something in me, it seems like the more I dig into myself the more I learn and start to figure out about myself.  In spending time thinking it’s been interesting to see myself from a different angle and realize that I may have more to work on that I thought, all while realizing that there may be more positives about myself than I’ve given myself credit for.  Throughout all of this I’m feeling stronger in my faith than I’ve ever felt, something feels different in a very positive way.  As this as changed I’ve noticed things like an increased willingness to forgive, more acceptance of other points of view, sometimes taking time to think before speaking, and attempting to look at the world through someone else’s eyes before I make an assumption or judgement.  Far, far from any semblance of perfect or great, I have a long, long way to go, but I can tell I’m making progress.

As this is happening I’m starting to see little spots in which I’ve been able to help other people a little bit more.  It seems as if I’m starting to have a little greater impact for the positive.  Again, I’m not bragging or trying to say woe is me or anything, it just is what it is.  Know what I mean?  I can step outside of myself and see that I’m having a more positive impact on others than I have had in the past.

At church tonight there was a little lightbulb that lit up over my head and I just smiled.  I’m not sure, but I’m pretty positive that I totally spaced out for a period of time during the homily.  Becky mentioned something in my ear and I just agreed – sorry Babe, I was in my own little world!  What got in my head was Father Mark’s #2…  If you would be a river, first you must be a reservoir.

It finally sunk in…  only several years later and kind of by accident.  After all this time it eventually made sense.  In taking time to figure myself out, strengthen my own faith, and work on my own happiness I’m able to better help others.  My soul is stronger my spirit more positive, and my energy is higher.  This helps as a way to help others both by example and by giving me the right strength and perspective.  I’m no where near a reservoir, but I’m at least a little more than a puddle. 🙂

This blog never ceases to amaze me…  As I think and write one blog it seems that sometimes the underlying subject lays dormant just below the surface and helps me realize things that I’ve been missing.  Yesterday was learning from lessons long since past, today was the same.

Thanks!!!

In the middle of a very interesting conversation on the state of our business Nicole and I kept getting stuck. She had a great point, but I couldn’t quite agree with her completely. I had a great point, but she couldn’t quite agree with me completely. In talking through it we both knew we were close, but we were also both wrong. As we kept talking it out the light bulb went off!

I love reading and learning. It may take a lot of time, but it always seems rewarding. Once in a while I wonder if it is actually worth it, will I ever use this information again? Usually I can shut that thought out and persist, but sometimes it sticks with me.

Today was that reminder that it is worth it. Sometimes the right answer is an idea that was planted long ago. That’s exactly what happened today.

Pulling out a nugget of knowledge that had been stored many years ago from the book Great By Choice by Jim Collins we had found the right answer. While we can’t give it away quite yet, it seems to be the right way to solve the issue we were facing.Thanks!!!

This was a text I got this afternoon after one of my teammates and I talked about the results of our previous week:

It was an incredible feeling!  How much better is the moment knowing that it the success was  shared by a team?

It really got me thinking on the ride home today.  As I reflected I kept thinking back to one of the things that motivates me most…  having independence.  That said, the feeling of accomplishing something great as a part of a team is flat out awesome!  After a while I started to realize how such seemingly polar opposites can happen at the same time.  While a part of a team I have the independence to decide where to put my time, focus and energy while helping to push the team towards our combined goal.  Pretty sure that’s one of the most satisfying things in my working life 😄

Thanks!!!

In preparation for tomorrow’s presentation I’ve spent a good chunk of the day practicing.  The last run of the day was particularly interesting as Sammi jumped in to help me out and critique it.

While it was a little extra nerve wracking to present to just one other person it went pretty well.  Sammi had many ideas to improve the presentation and I’m thankful for all of the advice she gave me.  I’m not sure if it had to do with the topic or not, but she did a wonderful job of helping me see some spots to change, gave me ideas of better examples, and shared insights that I would have missed without her.  What I really appreciated was the way she offered up the feedback, sharing her thoughts and following them up with ideas.  Throw in a couple of compliments that helped boost my spirits and it was a great test run.

It’s amazing how much better something can become with the help and feedback from others.  Thanks for the extra help today Sammi!

Thanks!!!