The other day, a woman came up to me after one of my presentations in Pleasanton, CA. "The whole time you were asking rhetorical questions, I found myself trying to figure out the answers," she started. "For instance, 'What is the point in our lives when we lose our childlike spirit?' Sometimes I think it's when we're forced to shoulder the load of life's responsibilities; we're afraid that we won't be able to handle them adequately -- or be seen as irresponsible -- if we hold on to our childlike side." You know, I think she's right. Too often, accepting the responsibilities of life is …
General
Cartwheels on the Beach
This image speaks to me. I saw it on a very cool blog post entitled "Young at Heart" on the blog, Hope.Faith.Love. It challenges me. Am I really living my life like that? I sure want to. As I sat and listened to Jason speak today at one of his last of eight programs for January '07, I found myself hearing a sentence he shares regularly for the first time. …
Are You in Your Dream Job?
I would have to say that I'm in my dream job. I write this blog post from a hotel room in Pleasanton, California (near the San Francisco/Oakland area.) I had a speaking gig this morning where I was able to encourage a gym full of people to make their lives a little bit more fun an fulfilling. We sold prints and comic books featuring funny pictures I've drawn over the past six years. Kim and I will be able to spend the next few days in San Francisco, while collecting some footage for our new project, Escape Plan TV. I draw, write, talk (and travel) for a living. Certainly not a typical job by …
Marshmallows and Motorcycle Trips
Last week I had the privilege of addressing a group of elementary and high school teachers at a district wide meeting in Stark County, Illinois. (Read the newspaper article.) I like talking to teachers. Rarely do they have people standing up for them, acknowledging all the hard work they do, and reminding them of why they got into teaching in the first place. It was the first day back from Christmas break, and frankly, I don't think anyone was too excited to be there. (At least that's what Kim's teaching experience has taught me.) After I promised that I wouldn't say a word about curriculum …
Today is Only the Beginning
Living in Wisconsin you can only imagine that there is a lot of talk about whether or not Brett Favre will retire this year. By the looks of the interview from New Year's Eve, I wouldn't be surprised if he does. Check out a fun Deal or No Deal version of that interview here. To retire or not to retire. What a big decision! So many baby boomers are being faced with this question earlier than they had originally thought, due to corporate budget cutting. Companies do package up the deal pretty nicely these days. It's too expensive to pay the guys/gals at the top. …
Don’t Miss the Stories
I can't wait 'till I have kids. Well, I'm sure I'll miss things like extra spending money, freedom, and sleep... but I'm looking forward to the stories. You know, the fun crazy weird things your kids do. The things that you wish you had a video camera for, but usually don't. One thing I've noticed about many parents is that when they're in the foxhole, doing the nitty gritty day-to-day stuff that parents do, it can be easy to miss the stories. I'm hoping that's one of the advantages of having had the opportunity to watch so many of my peers and siblings become parents before me -- the …
Delighting in the Round Little Things
I'm not talking about rings, Cheerios, or hula hoops. I'm talking about doughnuts. But not just any doughnuts. The circles of love made fresh from the Daily Dozen Doughnut Company at the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle. If you like fresh doughnuts then you need to get on Travelocity right now and book a flight to Seattle and go get some of these doughnuts. Two Octobers ago Jason and I went to Seattle for some speaking gigs. We happened upon this doughnut stand at the Market and have never been the same since. …
Seriously
I believe that one of the many lessons children have to teach us -- if we have the wisdom to pay attention -- is to not take ourselves too seriously. Kids are unafraid to run around naked in front of strangers, wouldn't think twice about giggling in a fancy restaurant, and are willing to walk out of the house dressed as a Hawaiian cowboy ballerina at a moment's notice. Do we need to emulate their behaviors exactly? Probably not. (I'm sure your relatives will appreciate you being fully clothed this Christmas.) But we can follow their lead and take ourselves a little less seriously. …
Easy Bake Oven Enshrined
During our recent speaking trip to Washington D.C., Kim and I had the opportunity to see the first light bulb invented by Thomas Alva Edison. I am sure that when he was working out the details on this notable invention, struggling through all the not-quites and the near-misses, he kept a vision focused in his mind. "Someday," I'm sure he thought, "if I succeed, little girls and boys everywhere will be able to make tiny and marginally edible baked goods easily and safely. I can't give up now." …
Stuck
In my travels around the country, I have encountered an exorbitant amount of people who feel stuck. Stuck in dead-end jobs. Stuck in good jobs that don't excite them anymore. Stuck in jobs that never excited them but have benefits too good to pass up. Stuck in jobs that have them living for the weekend and missing their kids. The good news is that every single one of these people is not really stuck. They just think they are. …