The Blog

Connection is a basic human impulse.

Driven by the social imperative that enabled us to survive as a species, connection and collaboration fuel our best chance of surviving and flourishing going forward.

When our connections are driven by curiosity and consideration instead of certainty and...

“All you need are these: certainty of judgment in the present moment, action for the common good in the present moment, and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way.” — Marcus Aurelius

I had a fascinating discussion about Stoicism and...

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

Do you seek excellence in the work you do or an endeavor you engage in? How do you "level up" in an enterprise worthy of your time and effort?

It's one of the most profound lessons I learned...

A few weeks ago I spoke with Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit, about my work with Creative On Purpose. During our chat, he said something that knocked me back on my heels a bit.

"You need to have a sustainable life. If you are a force for good in this world,
get your shit...

“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist
when you grow up” – Pablo Picasso

In The Stoic Creative, I assert that creativity is an inherent human impulse. If you don't agree, think back to your childhood. A time you were a fearless and...

Do you ever wonder what work that matters looks like? I sure do!

Last Friday my wife Lisa and I attended the commencement ceremony at Floyd County High School to watch a dozen or so of my guitar students graduate. After the ceremony, I congratulated each of them and presented them with a copy...

Depression and anxiety are temporary emotional states that we all experience from time to time.

Yes, sometimes depression and anxiety are sustained clinical conditions that require professional treatment. But often depression and anxiety are merely temporary emotional states. Too often we...

Let's face it, you can not live a life worth living without making mistakes. Getting things "right" involves going through a lot of "wrong."

And some of those "wrong" choices of word and deed come with a heaping helping of regret. And when regret appears, you can be sure that shame is...

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him.”—Viktor Frankl

At the beginning of this week, I encouraged building some intentional “quiet time” into your day-to-day lives. Paradoxically,...

For those of us on the path of developing and delivering our best selves through our best work, it is easy to get lost in the churn. Hustling to get what we're working on done so we can move on to what's next.

The path to progress doesn't encourage the employment of patience or peace.

But so...

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” ― Marcus Aurelius

In an age that seems to reward certainty and confidence, it's tempting to look for a map. The shortest, fastest, and easiest way to get where you want to go (or worse, where others...

We spend a lot of time in our own heads. Probably more than is healthy. And much of this narrative is feeding questionable agendas and assumptions about ourselves, our situation, and those who surround us.

Piercing the veil of our self-fulfilling self-talk is an exercise worth doing more...