Archives for May 2016

- - - | written by Jason on 5/29/2016 | - - -

Nothing Else You Do for a Child Can Ever Top This

If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose? Seriously. Think about it. Chances are, you’d select someone famous, like a celebrity or an important historical figure who changed the world. A bunch of parents were asked that question, and responses included the likes of Justin Bieber, Marilyn Monroe, and Nelson Mandela. Then they were shown videos of their children answering the very same question. Their responses surprised everyone. The video reminds me that there is nothing more important you can do for the health and happiness of your family than …

- - - | written by Jason on 5/26/2016 | - - -

Meet Erick Perez

The Small Rebellion is a playful group of escape artists who share a joyful, indomitable childlike spirit and are not afraid to let that spirit come out to play! They’re united by a common goal of fighting Adultitis and the doo-doo heads who embrace its ideals. Quite frankly, they’re pretty much the coolest people on the planet. Here's one right now... • My name is...Erick Perez. • My hometown is...Chicago, IL. • My biggest dream...is to stay young at heart while taking the world by storm with my engineering degree! • My inspiration...are my parents whose biggest goal was to …

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- - - | written by Jason on 5/22/2016 | - - -

Borrowing Courage

Is there something your heart is trying to convince you to do but you’re just not sure if you have it in you to take the leap? Maybe you just need to borrow courage from someone else. When Kim and I began homeschooling, we were like every other parent that starts homeschooling: scared out of our minds that we'd ruin our kids forever and tank their resale value. There were so many reasons to go for it, but what finally gave us peace of mind was hearing from parents who had been through it, and seeing the evidence of success in the form of their grown children who had become doctors, …

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- - - | written by Jason on 5/19/2016 | - - -

Michael Leone, May 2016 Adultitis Fighter of the Month

An Adultitis Fighter is someone who rallies against rules that don't exist and engages in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. Once a month, we shine a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against a formidable enemy. Michael Leone works in the financial industry (a credit union, to be exact). Although some people might assume that people working in that arena are a little stuffy, Michael doesn't fit that mold at all. Not only does …

- - - | written by Jason on 5/15/2016 | - - -

How to Take Life (and Yourself) Way Less Seriously

"I would say that my #1 challenge in the fight against Adultitis is not having enough silliness in my life and taking life WAY too seriously." This was part of an email that came from a woman who had just heard me speak at a conference. I get a lot just like it. The good news is that the challenge is easily vanquished. The first step is realizing that you're not just going to wake up one morning as Little Miss Funny Pants. It's not magic. You just have to do step two, which is to schedule humor into your day. I know, pretty un-fun sounding, right? But it works, because things …

- - - | written by Jason on 5/9/2016 | - - -

The Problem with Best Practices

Best practices are for the birds. Remember when your mom asked you if you’d jump off a bridge if all your friends did? Nowadays you could get away with saying “yes" if you explained that jumping off the bridge was a "best practice." Look, I’m all for seeking out wisdom and learning from others who are doing things well. But I’m beginning to see “best practices” morph into a fancy way of saying, “tell me what to do so I don’t have to think.” It’s become just as much a way of hiding as it is a tool for improvement. After all, no one ever got fired for following a best practice. Best …

- - - | written by Jason on 5/5/2016 | - - -

Two Opportunities for Speakers Who Want to Be Great

I love being a professional speaker. I never knew such a job existed when I was in high school. And considering how shy I was as a kid, the prospect of becoming one probably would have given me a heart attack! Even though public speaking is one of the biggest fears for most people, it's one of the best ways to make a difference and make a living. Although it's a pretty easy profession to get into, it's a hard one to stay in. After doing this for over 10 years myself, I see a lot of programs for folks who want to speak more and better. Many are good; few are better than the two I want to …