Recently I had the sad and beautiful privilege of attending a funeral for a little baby boy that lived for eight days.
I cannot even begin to fathom the depth of pain and sorrow that would be associated with losing a child.
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Several years ago I was in Copenhagen Denmark with my wife, and we were going through a Danish furniture museum. The Dutch (and Scandinavian’s) are famous for their timeless furniture designs. There is a decent chance you have some type of furniture in your home right now that was inspired by designs from these Scandinavian designers.
I was particularly curious about how one could be so consistent in a design and have the design resonate with people for decades to come. There was a plaque that I read that contained an idea that has stuck with me ever since I read it.
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I can be a nerd when it comes to words. In school I never gravitated towards anything that required writing but in teaching, the semantics of words has fascinated me. Unique insight can be found in the meaning and nuance found in words. There are two words I was pointed to this week that got me thinking.
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Often when I talk to friends or colleagues, I will ask them “what are you reading” and I get some great book recommendations from this question.
My colleague recommended to me Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath and a week or so after finishing the book he asked me what stuck for me. I was surprised at how little I remembered.
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When an individual sustains a deep burn (2nd or 3rd degree) it destroys the nerve endings and they do not feel pain. The ideal burn healing looks like this: First blood returns to the wound site and appears bright pink or red. Next new skin reforms underneath the visible layer and pushes out the old dead skin. While the new skin is forming underneath the wound site the nerve endings are also regenerating. Pain returns until a layer of protective skin can cover the nerve endings.
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Several months ago, I learned about an organization that serves individuals whose lives are impacted by the effects of OCD, anxiety, and other forms of mental illness. The challenges these people face are very real and, unlike physical illness, are often unseen. The things they teach are based in psychology and are meaningful and impactful to all. One of the tools is a distress tolerance skill called “radical acceptance” which helps us when we experience pain.
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Lately I have been reflecting on how to help leaders to take action in the work of leadership. My mind has gone back to this post about the role neuroscience plays in the creation of habits.
The action part is where many (including myself) can get stuck. The process from my previous post is simple: stories lead to insights that generate actions and when repeated turn into habits. I may learn a theory or something new and interesting but getting to meaningful action means I need a powerful story and a strong insight. Then I am compelled to act.
(more…)Journaling daily has become an important practice for me as I strive to learn. Each morning I write down what I am thinking or feeling (or both) and whatever else comes as I reflect on the previous day. This week I learned something important that I hope can help others as well.
(more…)A few years ago, after our third child was born, I realized I needed to lose some weight and decided to track my calories and exercise more often. Tracking calories is the most effective way to understand what you are putting into your body and how much of an impact it has on your weight. With diligence and persistence, I lost a little bit over twenty-five pounds and tracked my calories for over 1,000 days in a row. It felt like a new lifestyle I had created, and I was proud of it.
(more…)As I have studied leadership, I have become increasingly convinced of the importance of living values that you hold close.
Those that have integrity in living their values immediately gain my respect. When an individual lives values that I strive to live by myself, this individual now has the potential to influence me.
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I teach and invite people to act. Proud husband, father and amateur pizzaiolo