I hope you had a fun Labor Day weekend and are now leaning into a great start to a brand-new month. My weekend was pretty chill, except for a fun trip to Greensboro, NC, where Tanya surprised me with the gift of driving an exotic car for a few laps. I’m not really that into cars, but driving a Lamborghini was SO COOL! I thank Tanya for making those plans.

Plans. That word got me thinking about something. Here’s what I know.

 Happy People Have Plans!

Happy August! I hope you wrapped up July well and that you’re all set for an even better August 2024. Tanya and I are just back from an amazing week in Europe, where we visited Paris and Amsterdam. It was my first time in both cities. Paris was a little chaotic with all the pre-Olympics preparations, but amazing nonetheless. Amsterdam was my favorite, and I can picture us living there part-time sometime in the future.

You probably know that Paris is making huge investments in time, money, and resources to host the Summer Olympics

If you know me well, you already know that I’m a pretty happy person. While I’ve been through a lot of stuff (as have we all), I’m generally optimistic and upbeat. I’m a geek about all things related to positive psychology, selfish about living my best life, and committed to helping my clients, friends, and family live their best lives. I want to be happy. I think that’s good. I think that’s what God wants from me as well.

So, the question is, how can we be happy?

Running, working out, getting credentialed as a Professional Certified Coach, wrapping up the first cohort of the Best Life Masterclass and launching the next two cohorts in July, and summer travel … to Chicago, Reno and Lake Tahoe, and Paris and Amsterdam.

Sounds like I’m busy, right?

HOPE. Hope is a word that we use all the time without even thinking about it. “I hope you’re doing well” is an example. This phrase automatically rolls out of our mouths. But do we really mean it?

I’m suggesting we all take on a more active, thought and heart and soul-connected relationship with this word, “hope.”

I broke my foot on March 3rd during a pickleball match and I've been hobbling around with an orthopedic boot. And now, I’m relearning a valuable lesson. P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E. My orthopedic doctor told me to wear the boot for at least a month. I thought my body would heal faster than that, so I took off the boot after a few days. BIG MISTAKE.

Happy Leap Day!! I hope you are finding a fun way to celebrate this unique day. For me, I’m taking today to soak in gratitude.

First, I’m excited to share that Tanya and I got married. We tied the knot on Valentine’s Day, and we are both super happy. We held a beautiful, private ceremony with our pastor and close friends at our church in Durham, NC.

I’ve been thinking deeply about how important relationships are in my life. January 31st was my dad’s 85th birthday. I had a nice call with him, and he’s doing pretty well. My mom passed away a couple of years ago. I miss her dearly. The love of family is precious, for sure. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I’m shouting that to you, and I really mean it! I hope 2024 is your best year ever. I’m planning that for my life.  Are you planning that for yours?

I’ve been feeling a big shift happening in my life, and I’m excited about the future. I’m making plans.

But let’s get real. There’s a big difference between making plans and making New Year’s resolutions. Be honest. Have your New Year's resolutions ever really worked?

My travels recently brought me to St. Louis to speak at the 64th Annual Eagle Summit. The Eagle Summit is an event that has been led by my mentor and coach, Dr. Tom Hill, for over 25 years. Tom just turned 88 years old but has the energy and spirit of a much younger man. I was honored to be able to spend time with Tom and give a talk about ­­resilience to the attendees of the Summit.

I’m spending some time reflecting on my recent trip to Africa. Tanya (my new fiancé ... I’m so excited!!!) and I had a few days in Nairobi, Kenya, but the most amazing part of the trip was seven days on a photo safari in and near the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

My book is finished! I had planned to self-publish Born – Love – Die next week, but a good thing happened to me last week. A friend asked about my plan to publish the book, and when I shared it with him, he nearly slapped me.

“Hello Friends.”  I’m so thankful that I can honestly say that. I am blessed to have a multitude of friends, in all types of places and stages and distinctions. I love people. I always have. And I will continue to prioritize the “connect with people” aspect of my life.

I’m trying to get better at recognizing my sad emotions, feeling them, and allowing them to happen. That’s not my nature, as I rather be the relentlessly positive, happy guy.

What are the mixed emotions?

Can we make big changes in our lives without the need to go through an emotional event? Please think back over your life. Think about the big changes that you’ve made. Was there an event that triggered each one? Or were you able to make big changes without an emotional event being the trigger?

When I coach people, I often ask them to write an obituary on themselves, as if they died today. It is hard, but it's the good kind of hard. It makes you think about what will be said about you after you die.

Life can be hard. Life can be unfair. Life can be short. But life can also be good!

On the subject of hard and unfair, I know of many friends who have been laid off from tech roles in the last couple of months. I’m telling them the same thing that I want to share with you.

I last wrote one of these updates in December of 2019 and I’ve been pretty quiet since. A lot has happened over the last 3 years. For me, that time has gone by super fast and super slow as if time warped and became elastic.

But I’m back now! I’m excited about my new chapter in life. And I’m excited about what’s ahead for you too.

For several years now, I have been fascinated with the subject of “resiliency.” Maybe it is because I know that success as a small business owner is hugely a matter of being resilient with all of the ups and downs that are part of the ride. A high degree of resilience is required to be successful, over the long run, in any business environment—large or small.