For better or for worse, my to-do list does a bang-up job of keeping me busy. I add to it, celebrate when tasks get crossed off, and stress over the ones that linger too long. It can often feel like I am the servant of my to-do list.Adding a layer of regret prevention has helped it to serve me.Recently we were explaining the concept of “decades” to our kids and how we were starting a whole new one. It occurred to me and Kim that when this one is over, we’ll have two teenagers and Lucy will likely be moved out. Yikes. Meanwhile, I'm still over here clinging to the 1980s and 90s.I was reminded of a list I made a few years ago, one that’s more important to me than my to-do list: 10 Things I’ll Miss When My Kids Grow Up. Before I had children, I dreamed of all the fun things we’d do together. But when you’re in the harried, exhausting thick of it, it’s not hard to let those aspirations slide as you slip into survival mode. And as a fairly ambitious entrepreneur and business owner, it’s …
How Real Love is Like a Grilled Cheese Sandwich
"Ring of Fire" by Jason Kotecki. 20"x20" Oil on canvas.Original is SOLD. Prints available here. Everyone thinks the excitement that accompanies the start of a relationship is the best. Granted, it IS intoxicating. Everything is new and mysterious. You’re wondering if the other person just likes you or actually "likes you" likes you. A simple touch ignites an inferno of passion. There’s so much to talk about as you’re constantly learning new things about one another. That way he chews, and that way she steals your jacket when she’s cold, is still cute and endearing. There’s no doubt about it: The beginning of a new relationship is pretty great. But then again, in the beginning, you’re just two separate entities. Like bread and cheese. Cheese is good. Bread is good. Put them together and you have a cheese sandwich. Also good. But Johnny Cash was right when he sang that love is a burning thing. It doesn’t get really good until you’ve gone through some fires together. …
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Time Machines Are Real (and How to Make Them)
Last November I took a retreat at a monastery. I brought a box of old journals, some almost twenty-five years old, and read through them. I jotted down things that struck me. I call it "reverse journaling," although I’m not sure that's the best name. It’s basically journaling about what I’ve journaled before. Pretty meta, I know.But surprisingly useful.People say there’s no such thing as time machines. I don’t know about that. Re-reading my old journals brought me back in time to events and feelings I’d long forgotten. And I uncovered a few instances where my past self had written insights that felt eerily relevant to my present self, as if they'd been sealed in a capsule and sent to the future.As I reviewed these old messages from a younger me, I was able to see themes and storylines that unfolded over a series of years that were unnoticeable in the day-to-day. To be frank, it was depressing at times, but I came away with several observations: I am a slow learner. Sometimes I …
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Brian Colgan, January 2020 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. Brian Colgan brings smiles to the faces of all who come in contact with him. He has a powerful outward focus on making people’s lives better. One of the ways Brian stands out is that he makes sure to engage with what people care about and remembers every time he meets them. While it would be easy to feel negative dealing with a chronic illness, Brian is an example of staying positive in difficult circumstances. An encourager with a helpful heart, Brian is a warrior against Adultitis. In recognition of their efforts, Adultitis Fighters of the Month receive a special mini-canvas …
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How to Change the World
Quote by Anonymous | Photo by Jason Kotecki Over the holiday break, my family bought a cow, two goats, and four chickens. No partridge, but we did also buy a fruit tree. In what has quickly become my new favorite tradition, after a turkey dinner on New Year’s Eve, my family sat around the table to discuss how we’d spend money we’d be donating to Compassion International. When we started our business twenty years ago, I knew I wanted it to have a charitable component. Most companies give from their profits. I didn’t know how long it would take us to be profitable (spoiler alert: seven years!), so I came up with a different plan. I decided to build giving into the cost of every product we sold. It started at three percent, so if I sold one hundred dollars worth of books, we’d donate three dollars. Eventually, we bumped it up to five percent and expanded it to include my speaking fees as well. This year, we donated more money than we made in our entire first full year in …
How Weird is Too Weird?
"93% Weird." 24"x24" Oil on canvas.Original is SOLD. Prints available here. Many fruits have a similar vibe. You get some variations in color and texture, but "round" is pretty much the regular shape. Even the tomato, which I grew up being taught was a vegetable, wants to get in with the fruit group. And upon a quick glance, we say, “Sure, whatever, you seem to fit the description." And then there’s the pineapple. Compared to most fruits, pineapples are weird. Unfortunately, weird isn’t usually a compliment. Before I take the stage for a speech, at the very end of my introduction, there is a passage that talks about me "spending time with my beautiful wife and three weird kids." It’s always fun – and telling – to see how the introducer handles this bit. Sometimes they read it as is, but other times they are quick to uncomfortably interject, “I didn’t write that!” I’ve even had some who eliminate it altogether. Ultimately I exclaim to them that, in our …
Here Goes Something
"Here Goes Something" by Jason Kotecki. 24x30 Oil on Canvas.Original is SOLD. Prints available. “Here goes nothing.” It’s a phrase we often use when we’re not sure how something will turn out. In fact, since it tends to come from a sense of desperation, we use it to admit that there’s a pretty good chance of it not working. It’s our little way of softening the psychological blow of failing. It makes me think of the pass play in football referred to as a “Hail Mary.” The team with the ball is losing, and time has nearly expired. They need a touchdown but they’re so far from the goal line that their only hope is to launch a long pass into a sea of waiting defenders. It’s a pass with a very low chance of success, but at that point, you’re out of options. Here. Goes. Nothing. However. This isn’t a football game. Trying things that might not work is not nothing. It takes tremendous courage, vulnerability, and faith. Dare I say it’s the most …
Why You Need More Cowbell
This video is a collaboration I did with American Family Insurance about 3 rules you should totally break if you are serious about achieving your dreams. Inspired by my book, A Chance of Awesome: How Changing the Way You See Changes Everything. In the early 2000s, a comedy skit turned the phrase “more cowbell” into a cultural phenomenon. And although it’s considered comedy gold, it’s also a good metaphor for looking at things from a different perspective. …
3 Rules You’ll Need to Break to Achieve Your Dreams
This video is a collaboration I did with American Family Insurance about 3 rules you should totally break if you are serious about achieving your dreams. Inspired by my book, Penguins Can't Fly +39 Other Rules That Don't Exist. Although a little bit of structure is good when it comes to planning out your future and working towards your goals, certain ‘rules’ can hold us back. Think about it, who says you have to go about your life a certain way? Who says following the rules is the recipe for success? Remember, everything is impossible…until it’s not. …
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Awesome Boss, Ugly Cake
Tina Oldham is the Principal of Cowden-Herrick Elementary School in Illinois. After attending a program I did for educators earlier this year, in which I talked about the beauty of ugly cakes, Tina's teachers were inspired to create this Boss's Day cake for her. Nice work huh? (I like the toothbrush, which I imagine came in handy after finishing said cake.) And I especially liked the quote in Tina's email signature: "Show Up, Work Hard, Be Kind." A good strategy for whatever you do in life! …