Start With A Penny

March 28, 2013 by 2 Comments
pennies

In episode 5 of the podcast, we shared the story of the boy torn between a million dollars and a mere penny doubled every day for a month. It might not be obvious at first, but the penny is clearly the better option.

The same is true for our habits.

Want to develop a new habit or break a bad one?

Start really small. Find the penny.

When everything inside you wants to launch into a new life, to start off with a bang, to make tremendous progress with one swift change, resist. That rarely works.

Instead, find the penny.

Filed Under: Faith, Fitness, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Five Skills You Don’t Know You Need

October 15, 2012 by 3 Comments
Top 5

After last week’s post about deciding what to learn, I received several emails asking what skills I thought were most important. Certainly, skills like project management, public speaking, and self awareness are essential to building a career or a business. I doubt you’re surprised by any of those.

So, here’s a list that might surprise you. Here are five skills you probably don’t even know you need.

If you don’t have them, they’re likely holding back your career (or your business), organizations you volunteer with, and even your parenting.

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Parenting, Tech Tools

Learning How To Learn

October 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment
unknown

There are known knowns; there are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns; that is to say there are things that, we now know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know we don’t know. -Donald Rumsfeld

Forget any political connotations to the statement above and think through the concept it conveys. It’s absolutely true. To thrive in modern society, we must persistently remind ourselves that the third region exists. And we must work to shrink it, both by knowing more and by knowing what we don’t know.

We must learn how to learn, and we must learn to decide what to learn.

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Parenting

What If We Don’t Lead?

October 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment
mom-daughter

Gandhi told us to “be the change you want to see.” John Maxwell teaches us that the first act of leadership is to start with yourself. I thought I understood that.

I’ve been studying leadership for years, but it wasn’t until I viewed it through the lens of parenting that I understood this principle: We can’t lead anyone to the mountaintop unless we’ve already been there. This is true for our children, our employees, or anyone we love.

If there’s a mountain we’re not willing to climb or a giant we’re not willing to face, we’re simply passing it on to the next generation. Thinking about that stopped me in my tracks.

Filed Under: Faith, Leadership, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Let’s Get Healthy Together

October 4, 2012 by 4 Comments
healthy_together

One month ago, I lost one of my mentors. She’d guided me for more than half my life. The finality of our last conversation replayed over and over in my mind. Thankfully, it was an encouraging one, symbolic of our relationship. I cried harder than I have in years.

In the days after, I realized something even more painful: This was likely only the first.

Obviously, most of my mentors are older than me. And many of them are struggling with their health. Selfishly, I want them to get better. I want to enjoy several more decades of their friendship and leadership. They’ve helped me through several difficult stretches, and I want to celebrate the other side of that together.

I also know that I’m not alone.

I know that you want those you love to be healthier, and that you want to set a good example for those who love you.

More than that, I’ve made the journey myself.

Just over three years ago, I was there too. My clothes were always too small. I had headaches every afternoon. My digestive system was a mess. Nearly every day, I took some sort of pill to feel better. I never had enough energy to do the things I wanted.

Like an explorer without a map, I stumbled frequently and often found myself in uncharted territory. Through trial and error, I discovered what worked for me and my family, and eventually my friends. In the years since, I’ve been able to back up my experiences with scientific research and case studies.

I’m confident that what I know will be “common sense” in a decade or so. There’s just too much evidence to be ignored for much longer.

But I’m not willing to wait.

Filed Under: Fitness, Parenting

Worried About Your Health? Here’s where to start.

September 24, 2012 by 2 Comments
opposite_arrows

We want to be a healthy example for our families. We want to live longer and feel better. We want to avoid taking pills to get through the day.

But we don’t know where to start.

I know because I was there. A month before my 30th birthday, I felt like I was closer to 80. My joints hurt. I had constant headaches and stomach problems. I barely had enough energy to get through the day, and stress was taking its toll.

On May 7, 2009, I decided that had to change. Since then, I’ve spent hundreds of hours researching our bodies and how modern life affects us. I’ve experimented with different approaches and closely tracked the results. I’ve assisted friends and family with making similar changes and watched their transformations as well.

I know it can be better. I’ve lived it, and I’ve seen it. And I firmly believe you can have it too.

Filed Under: Fitness, Leadership, Parenting Tagged With: , , , ,

Secrets of World Domination

July 12, 2012 by 19 Comments
wds_stage

My husband and I spent this past weekend in Portland, Oregon, at the World Domination Summit hosted by Chris Guillebeau. As you might imagine, that’s led to some interesting conversations back home (especially when we admit that we went last year, and we’ve decided to take our teenage daughters next summer).

“World Domination? Isn’t that a bit strong?”

Not nearly as strong as the pull to lead a dull, conformist life.

To us, world domination is about overcoming the resistance to lead a remarkable life in a conventional world.

My friend Scott Dinsmore explained it this way, “In a world where most people encourage complacency, we need a sanctuary where people understand why all of us interested in living meaningful lives, do what we do. I go to belong. To be inspired. To find ideas I’d never discover on my own. To find people who hold me to a higher standard.”

That sums up my feelings pretty well. We come from all over the world. We’re from different generations and backgrounds. We’re focused on different types of projects. But we all have the same sparkle in our eyes.

We believe in the power of community, the spirit of adventure, and the importance of service.

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Parenting

14 Lessons from 33 Years

June 10, 2012 by 5 Comments
present

Today’s my 33rd birthday, and I’ve decided to celebrate it.

I was terrified of my 30′s, dreading every birthday for months ahead. My Nana had breast cancer at 32, and my Mom collapsed at 35 with what was eventually diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia. I had let each of those creep inside my head. Then, a few months ago, a new realization hit me. They’re both doing fantastic today, so they’d both defeated whatever health curse I was fearing. Perhaps that strength was the legacy I should focus on.

This last year has been a lot like that, so I wanted to share 14 big things I’ve learned from my 33 years of life.

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Faith, Fitness, Parenting, Peak Performance

Paleo Breakfasts

May 15, 2012 by 1 Comment
egg_cupcakes

Lately, lots of folks I know have started eating Paleo. Essentially, that means eating real food such as vegetables, meat (preferably grass fed), healthy fats, and some fruit and nuts. It eliminates all grains, processed foods, and most sugar and dairy.

One of the first questions they typically ask is, “what do I eat for breakfast?”

I thought I’d share some of my favorites.

Filed Under: Fitness, Parenting, Peak Performance

Why I’m Teaching My Daughter to Break the Rules

December 6, 2011 by 8 Comments
pink_hair

During the Thanksgiving holiday, my 13 year-old daughter dyed hot pink stripes in her hair. Several of her teachers weren’t fond of it, and she almost got a referral to the office. That would have been her first one, but an Assistant Principal intervened.

When she told me about it, she also explained that she wears a jacket every day because she doesn’t want to wear “dress code shirts.” In addition, she takes her cell phone to school (another violation) as I’m sure a significant number of other kids do.

Two years ago, I would have been very upset.

Today, I think I’m proud.

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Parenting
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