For years, self-help movements have emphasized finding your “why” as your reason for doing what you do. While that can be a useful starting point, it often becomes an ego-centric exercise that turns your life into a performance or a brand. It just doesn’t seem authentic to me. I’ve found something more powerful: Start with […]
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In the military, maintaining a log book is a standard practice and essential tool for recording actions, assessing patterns, and making strategic decisions. That same tactic, when applied to personal development, becomes a powerful tool for cultivating self-awareness, improving performance, and sustaining growth. Keeping a Daily Log Book is a deceptively simple but highly effective
In the military, the SALUTE report is a standard method for observing and reporting key details about potential threats. What if we applied the same structured awareness to our emotions? Emotions, like enemy movements, can be complex and hard to track until you apply a system. By adapting the SALUTE report you can have a
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We all face problems every day. But not all problems are created equal. Some require simple solutions. Others demand layered, coordinated effort. And then there are the truly wicked problems. These are the challenges that don’t just resist resolution, but change or grow as you work on them. Understanding what kind of problem you’re facing
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When people think about spies, they probably imagine secret meetings, dead drops, disguises, and surveillance. But behind the mystique lies something more useful that we can use in our day-to-day lives. In counterintelligence, one of the most powerful tools for evaluating risks from spy’s is the Access, Motivation, and Control (AMC) framework. It helps us
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In order to effectively conduct surveillance you have to understand the target. You need to know where they go and what they do. We call this developing a Pattern of Life. It is a deep dive into the actions and behaviors of a target in order to understand them and to predict what they will
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As a Special Agent, one of the core tenants of my mission was to Identify, Neutralize, or Exploit criminal and intelligence threats. Whether the target was a hostile actor or a security vulnerability, success required awareness and deliberate action. As a counselor, I have come to realize that the same framework can also be applied
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One of my favorite tools as a leader in the Air Force was having a daily huddle to answer one simple question “what are you doing today, tomorrow, and the rest of the week?” I kept the meeting short and informal. We were focused on identifying friction points and challenges… not on tasking and micromanaging.
Tactical Tools: The Daily Huddle Read More »
The internet is full of chatter about personal and professional growth, but sometimes we skip over the fact that growth doesn’t just happen. It requires the right conditions. The right kind of pressure. The right kind of support. Like fire needs fuel and oxygen, growth needs both challenge and support in balance. When one side
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“If you want to learn something new, read; if you want to understand something deeply, write.” Learning and training with purpose activate different neurological pathways, enhancing your capabilities and building your overall capacity. While reading equips you with knowledge, it’s through active engagement—like writing—that true understanding is achieved. Consume to Create Reading is valuable, but
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