We are all subjected to internal and external pressures. These pressures push us and pull us in ways that have profound impacts on our lives. Understanding how these systems interact with us can help us respond to them in ways that enable us to live the life we want to live instead of being cast […]
Responding to Pressure Read More »
The reluctant hero called to seek out a mythical dragon and its horde of treasure is one of my favorite types of adventure stories. The idea of a small band of adventures heading off on a journey of redemption to reclaim the treasure and riches stolen by a wicked and evil beast is vivid and
Here there be dragons! Read More »
During military service we walked a path defined by discipline, strategy, and vigilance. The profession of arms is the warrior’s way—shaped by training, honed by experience, and reinforced by the culture of military service. But what happens when the mission ends? When the uniform is set aside and the battlefield is no longer external, but
Emerging from Shadow Part 1: The Call to Transformation Read More »
In my teaching role I have the opportunity to take college students through the forest of mirrors that is the world of political and military deception. The course centers on overcoming self-deception and deceptions induced by others through the application of sound critical thinking skills, awareness of heuristics that are helpful and cognitive bias that
Sometimes it is a useful exercise to recount the story of our life, but it can also be an irritating bore. The key to being a good story teller is often found by zeroing in the moral of the story. A good story teaches and informs. It unpacks the lessons of the past and brings
The Stories We Tell Read More »
When assessing ourselves in the context of developing the life we want to live, it can be useful to take some time and think about the responsibilities and commitments we are obliged to follow. The goal isn’t to judge these obligations as good or bad. It is to assess how they impact our thoughts, feelings,
Conducting a Personal Obligation Inventory Read More »
For a lot of people, understanding themselves often stops once they have made a list of likes and dislikes. This list of preferences can be handy, but it lacks depth. What I would encourage you to do is to go beyond just identifying preference and explore your capabilities and capacity. Try starting with these basic
An Honest Measure of Yourself Read More »
I spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to live a life worth living. Over my years of study, reflection, and some experience I think I have landed on one of the key ingredients. The keystone factor in living a life worth living is that YOU must see it is worth living.
A life Worth Living Read More »
You can recover from the vast majority of mistakes. When I teach clients and groups about the stages of change I try to emphasize the high likelihood that once we start taking action to change we will fail… and that failure is OK. It might even be necessary for real growth and development. What I
This morning I was reading about “cultivating indifference” and I had the thought… Hey man, just relax. And that thought really annoyed me. Here is why I think it annoyed me. When we sit in judgement of the things around us we are putting them into categories that might look something like “this is good”
Hey man, just relax… Read More »
