Yesterday I found myself scouring the digital archive at my printing company trying to locate a file I was supposed to have stored for a customer. I came up empty at every turn and after searching frantically in every nook and cranny of our system it was clear that the file simply wasn’t here. Defeated, I called the customer to … Read More
Tomorrow is too late
Your life is happening right now. The past and the future are just out of your reach and here you are in this moment, alive. It is so easy to look to the future, expectant, waiting for something better, but please don’t fail to recognize that you can waste an entire lifetime waiting for the future to arrive. Time is … Read More
Humans are not machines
Fellow humans: we are not machines. The stories I am hearing lately from people all around me (including myself) seem to be centered on the need to do more and be more. It seems that for many of us our weeks are filled with crippling workloads and our weekends are spent trying to squeeze in all the fun we can … Read More
Why do you love me, daddy?
The most important moments always seem to sneak up on me. As I was tucking my 7-year old daughter in bed last night she asked, out of the blue, “why do you love me, daddy?” I paused, laid down beside her, looked her in the eyes and give her the most honest answer I could muster: “because you’re my daughter.” … Read More
That Time Gratitude Landed Me On Stage At TEDx
(Just here for the TEDx talk without all the commentary? Here you go.) In late 2011 I made a startling discovery: I was terrible at expressing gratitude. I realized that while I often felt thankful, I wasn’t purposeful about expressing it. Gertrude Stein said, “silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone,” and I couldn’t agree more. It feels great when … Read More
Kick ass at being alive
A cosmic hourglass was flipped over the instant you were born. Every breath you take moves you inexorably closer to the moment when those last grains of sand fall and your time as a living, breathing occupant of planet Earth ends. It’s not a secret that this is the way things work, and yet I wonder if the knowledge that … Read More
2013 was completely ridiculous
This time last year I wasn’t who I am today. Not even close. That’s your fault. If you had suggested during last year’s New Year’s Eve party that much of what has transpired in the past 52 weeks was even remotely possible, I would have laughed at you. Hahahahaha. LOL. But it happened. Date-Line Digital Printing was named as the … Read More
I Don’t Think I’m Afraid Anymore
In 5 years, probably less, I’ll watch the video that accompanies this post and see the beta version of the talk that I will be giving to audiences much larger than I am able to dream about now. Watching it will make me feel a little embarrassed, but I will be happy that it exists because it will serve as … Read More
Customer service is the new black
I had the distinct privilege of speaking at yesterday’s Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) luncheon in Fairbanks, Alaska about a topic that is near and dear to me: customer service. In a heartfelt talk entitled “Customer Service Is The New Black” (thanks to Hannah Blankenship for providing the great title), I shared about the unusual place I developed my … Read More
I need you to freak the hell out
This is a call to get dangerous. Society wants to put you in a box so that you don’t upset the apple cart or make people uncomfortable, but I need you to make me uncomfortable. I need you to freak the hell out when everyone else wants you to be quiet. I need you to say the thing no one … Read More
Everything changes
Today I spent a couple hours with a roomful of really remarkable people at a retreat for development professionals at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. That would have been great enough, but I was also fortunate enough to spend a portion of that time sharing my thoughts on dealing with change. Below are the broad strokes from what I shared … Read More
6 Reasons to Say “No” (with Solveig Pedersen)
I’m not even going to pretend Solveig Pedersen (solandheart.com) isn’t one of my favorite people to talk to. She is such a sweet person and I love being able to share her insights with you guys via Skype interviews. I recently had the good pleasure of talking with Solveig about the importance of saying “no” when an opportunity doesn’t fit … Read More
Killing them with kindness is different than being kind
I posted the note above in a few social channels this morning and I received some questions asking for more info about what I meant, so here goes… The phrase “kill them with kindness” normally surfaces when someone is being rude to us and it suggests that the solution to this perceived attack is to respond with kindness. That’s really … Read More
Being Great Today Means Sharing What You Know
I am constantly asking my 6 year old daughter, with whom I share a home, to turn off lights in rooms she’s abandoned. It seems like an easy thing to remember but it just hasn’t clicked with her to flip that little white switch when she leaves a room. She’s a smart kid, so I suppose it’s entirely possible she … Read More
A new pair of shoes will not change your life
The Reebok “Live with Fire” commercial is beautiful and inspiring. Do me a favor and take 61 seconds to watch it. Pretty good, right? It makes you want to attempt a one-handed handstand, run a marathon, or start a dance crew. The only problem, as with most marketing messages, is that there is some crafty sleight of hand going on … Read More
4 ways to sabotage your very best work
This is a list of my favorite four ways to ensure that my very best work is never realized. Each of them seem simple to overcome (because in truth they are), but I struggle with them over and over again, so you’re not alone if they trip you up. Think too much Every project needs to be planned, but it’s … Read More