The Blog

This is an excerpt from my best-selling Amazon title, Endeavor: Cultivate Excellence While Making a Difference.

“To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” - Lao Tzu

This is the hardest lesson I’ve ever learned. In fact, I...

Gratitude is appreciation for what you have and receive. You may be grateful for a tangible object or an intangible concept. Regardless, when you mindfully and genuinely practice gratitude, it can bring profound benefits to your life — not the least of which is greater happiness.

Expressing...

Compassion* is often conflated with empathy, but they are very different impulses. Empathy is the ability to feel and understand the state of mind of another. Compassion is feeling compelled to act on that recognition and to assist.

But empathy is not enough. It is only a step, albeit an...

“Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle. Some things are within our control, and some things are not.” - Epictetus

Agency is as intoxicating as it is elusive. When the breaks go your way, it’s easy to believe it’s due to your intelligence...

Ultimately, it is impossible to know if an endeavor will succeed. What does “success” even look like? Too often success is confused with popularity and profits.

What if you measured success by the well-being it generates for yourself and others? What if success is doing well enough...

It's more than a hobby, but not necessarily your job or role. It’s a vocation found at the intersection of who you are, what you're good at, and where you belong. An endeavor is work that you are meant to do now.

An endeavor cultivates gratitude because you don’t have to do it, you ...

Shame is an invitation you do not have to accept.

There is no shame in sufficiency.

You can’t advance any endeavor without making mistakes. Getting things "right" involves going through a lot of "wrong."

And some of those "wrong" choices come with a heaping helping of regret. And when...

Generosity is the expression of kindness, understanding, and selflessness. It’s an inherent impulse born of our social nature. This primal quality explains why giving and helping makes you feel good and why being selfish and stingy feels terrible. As with gratitude, there is good science...

In any endeavor worthy of your time and talents you'll face challenges, obstacles, and problems. There's a time and there's a place for educating yourself, preparing, and planning for these moments. There's also a time to dive in and thrash your way to clarity and resolution.

Thrashing is...

The composer knows the rules. He's studied and done his homework. He writes well-crafted arrangements. Specific and carefully chosen instructions are included. The work of a composer reflects his character and purpose, especially when played by those who know how to do as instructed.

The...

A 100-year-old Stayman Winesap apple tree in full bloom is a pretty majestic sight.

That's all my wife, and I remembered from a tour of the 38-acre farm in Check, Virginia, that we purchased soon afterward.

We raised our two sons there, in addition to dogs, cats, chickens, fruit trees, berry...

• “I’m not good enough.” Or, “I’m a work in progress.”

• “I’m stuck.” Or, “I’m ready!”

• “I can’t catch a break.” Or, “There’s opportunity in every obstacle.”

• “I’m...