The best parts of life aren’t always planned.But they can happen on purpose. I recently spoke at a nursing conference in Honolulu. My family was put up in a room with a breathtaking view in a huge Hilton resort on Waikiki Beach. It had five pools, twenty restaurants, oodles of neat shops, and all kinds of organized activities you could sign up for. For us, it was…meh. It was a lovely property, but Kim and I have come to learn that massive hotels, cruises, and all-inclusive resorts are not our thing. Places that cater to tourists are often missing the authentic sense of culture that come with out-of-the-way spots. Everything is orderly, structured, and perfectly curated. They excel at delivering predictability. And that's the problem. We like freedom, authenticity, and the magic that comes from a little unpredictability. Like the place we stayed the week before my talks, a little bungalow on the other side of Oahu, half a block from Lanikai Beach. The unit was well-kept …
Are You Bad or Just Busy?
"Shelter" by Jason Kotecki. Digital art. All of our technological advancements are supposed to give us more time. Instead, we fall for the temptation of trying to pack more tasks into the time we’ve saved. Last month I was booked to speak in Hawaii. I was able to take Kim and the kids along, and the week before the engagement, we played in the sun and surf of Lanikai Beach. I made a special point – a very concerted effort, indeed – to refrain from checking email, surf the internet, or scan my social media feeds. Somehow, the world continued to rotate on its 23-degree axis. The sun rose and set on a regular basis, and my business didn't crumble to the ground. I heard a saying once that if the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy. Adultitis thrives in all this busyness, which tricks you into feeling like you’re productive. When you feel productive, you think you’re actually getting something accomplished, which fools you into believing that your work is not …
Insight Springs Forth From Ugliness
Things got pretty ugly at one of my recent speaking programs. I was invited to help the staff at one of Madison's most treasured landmarks adopt a mindset of creativity and innovation. As part of the workshop, the attendees got an opportunity to decorate cookies together. But the goal wasn’t to make Martha Stewart jealous. The goal was to make them as ugly as possible, as a callback to a story I often tell. Mission accomplished. Underneath this seemingly innocuous activity, a number of powerful elements were at play. Chief among them was, well, play. It’s not every day that you come to work and get to decorate cookies. (Unless you work in a bakery, that is!) That alone gets people’s attention, and draws them into the activity more than any predictable ice breaker activity ever could. This level of engagement helped them to connect quickly with their co-workers, breaking down silos, as many of them work in different departments. It also drew them …
Studio Sneak Peek #89: Varnish Break and Wondernite Preview
A candid look behind the scenes of Jason’s studio... …
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The Easiest Way Leave a Powerful Legacy
Mr. Olsen had written a series of math problems across several chalkboards. The avalanche of white scribbles was overwhelming, but not impossible. “Anyone who gets them all correct,” he told his fifth grade class, “will get a sucker.” Sheryl was one of five students who were up to the task. Unfortunately, the teacher said he only had four suckers, and was forced to ask if anyone would be willing to give up theirs. Sheryl said she would. Mr. Olsen thanked her, and proceeded with the rest of the school day.Before the students were dismissed that afternoon, Mr. Olsen asked Sheryl to stay after school so he could talk to her. She’d never been asked stay after school, and she was terrified!After all the other students exited the classroom. Mr. Olsen asked Sheryl to have a seat at his desk. He pulled open the bottom drawer and withdrew a whole, unopened bag of suckers and presented it to her. With a look of shock across her face, Mr. Olsen said, "Sheryl, what you did today was very generous …
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Shine On: Looking for Light During Dark Times
Kim and I were invited by American Family Insurance's DreamBank to share our story about when we returned home from vacation with our three kids to find something we were not expecting. It led to an emotional roller coaster of fear, anger, and grief, but eventually evolved into an inspiring story of hope and the power of community. In this vulnerable but uplifting program, we share our journey from darkness into light. We also touch on themes from Jason’s newly released book, "A Chance of Awesome: How Changing the Way You See Changes Everything," giving tips and insight for finding the silver linings amidst the dark clouds that roll into our lives. …
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Terry McMillan, October 2019 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. Terry is a leader in the Escape Adulthood movement. We have been blessed to get to know Terry over the years through the EA Summit, Wondernite, and various other local events and every time we walk away from a Terry encounter, we are better people for it. He possesses a magical combination of "old-soul” wisdom mixed with childlike playfulness that brings a richness and depth to his already delightful personality. One of Terry’s superpowers is that he has the ability to make meaningful connections with people of all ages, which enables him to also learn from all of these people, which he does receptively. …
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No Joke: The Life-Changing Lesson I Learned From Joker
So I saw Joker. Normally, I avoid sad movies that I know will have sad endings. (I still haven’t seen Schindler’s List or any 9-11 movies for this reason.) I don’t want to spoil anything, but I think it’s fairly obvious that the titular character doesn’t opt for a career spreading joy and goodwill entertaining children at birthday parties. Still, I do love a good backstory and was drawn in by the superhero movie vibe. Of course, Joker is no superhero movie and is not suitable for children. It is disturbing and intense. I have also come to see it as beautifully-crafted documentary on the mental health crisis, brilliantly disguised as a mainstream movie about the origins of a pop culture supervillan. My hope is that the hype and success of this movie will start new dialogues around the mental health issues that have bubbled up in our country. Between the increase of mass shootings in schools and public places, to the homelessness epidemic invading our large cities, something …
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Paula Wick Wins Framed Canvas!
To celebrate and promote the release of A Chance of Awesome, we invited fans to share a fun photo of themselves with the book and tag us with the hashtag #AChanceOfAwesome. One lucky winner would be able to choose a 20" x 20" framed canvas reproduction of their choice. That lucky winner is...Paula Wick! Congrats, Paula; we'll be in touch to confirm the details! Meanwhile, thank you to everyone who has helped spread the word about this book! We have mostly received a wonderful reception (although we have had some people hate it, as you can see from the reviews). If you've read the book, would you please take a moment to post an honest review on Amazon? I'd really appreciate it! …
The Magic of Making Deposits
Making deposits: eating cheeseburgers, playing mini-golf, and engaging in man-to-man conversations with The Boy. Try this: Starting today, stop making deposits into your checking account. But continue writing checks to pay your bills. What happens when you write a check the day after your money runs out? It's pretty easy to see the financial lesson here. What’s interesting is that we can apply the same lesson to relationships. So many parents tell me what a struggle it is to get their kids to do anything. They always have to get after them to get up and ready for school, do their homework, eat their vegetables, pick up after themselves, look presentable for church, etc. It’s exhausting! Parenting is no joke, and continues to be the biggest challenge I’ve ever encountered. I’d like to share an idea – it felt like a magic trick – I got from my wife when our kids were very young: You can’t expect to make withdrawals from your kids if you haven’t made any …