Everyone is afraid.
I can’t remember the exact quote or even find it – which is weird because I take and keep a whole lot of notes. But I was reading something about the military and their discipline, and the topic of fear came up. The author quoted a higher-up in the military (I know these exact details […]
You don’t get better by lowering the bar.
He wasn’t stupid. I sat across the table from a young man who stared at a blank sheet of notebook paper in front of him, pencil in hand. He wasn’t writing. He didn’t even know where to begin. Though I did my best to keep a poker face, several emotions ripped through me – including […]
If it matters to you, then nothing else matters
Last night, my family and I drove 40 minutes to visit with an old college friend of mine, her husband, and their brand new baby girl. The baby was born last month, and we like to visit at the hospital when we get the opportunity. But having had two kids of our own, we also […]
Keeping pain in perspective
Yesterday, I opened up about some of the difficulties that I and my family have experienced in the last few years. It was a pretty vulnerable post, but I’m glad I wrote it. It has also gotten quite a reaction. I’ve had friends comment that they “had no idea things were so bad” for us […]
If you’re going through hell, keep going.
I’ll never forget the look in her eyes. It was somewhere near the beginning of August 2018. My wife was standing in my office with tears streaming down her cheeks. I hated every second of it. She was struggling. She was scared. She was beaten down and worn out, and she felt desperate. Because of […]
Make do with what you have, where you are.
I love – love – hanging Christmas lights on a house. When I was a young adult, my mom tasked me with handling the lights situation on our house for a few years. I dreamed big, trying to top myself every year. We lived in a one-story ranch home. There was a short peak on […]
The hardest thing about self-publishing
No, it’s not the writing itself. It’s not the planning. It’s not trying to run ads. It’s mindset. I work for myself. Every day, I have a list of things that need to get done for clients, my family, and myself. Guess who gets the short end of that stick? I try to take care […]
If you have access to a toilet, you can live with gratitude today.
If you can read this right now, there is so much to be thankful for. I have always been fascinated with World War II. The mere idea that there was this brutal evil in the world, and a massive coalition of human beings united to stop it – successfully – by sacrificing everything they could? […]
You’re Rich and You Don’t Even Know It
I never imagined I could sing by myself in front of a crowd of hundreds while controlling a crabby child in my arms. But last Sunday, I did that. My wife and I sing in the praise band at our church once a month. We have for the last couple years, and it’s been a […]
(Most) Pain is (Usually) Temporary
Let’s talk about pain. Like many high schoolers, I thought I had found the love of my life at 16 years old. Thanks to overly-romantic TV shows that I grew up on, like Boy Meets World, I believed that “true love” would conquer all. We had already broken up once and were “closer than ever” […]