I'm not sure it's possible to explain the Grand Canyon experience in words. Or pictures. Or anything else, for that matter. Talk about an escape from adulthood and all its worries and stresses! The ride north from Phoenix was a treat in and of itself. We took the "scenic" route through Prescott, Jerome, and Sedona. In the desert, the cacti looked like prickly green fingers pointing to the bright blue sky. As our elevation increased, the rock formations reminded me of old men with wrinkled faces and sunburned cheeks, looking over the pine trees standing at full attention like a million green …
Faith
Tackling Fear with Faith
This is the time of year when all of the Fantasy Football widows start to roll their eyes. Already? Football talk already? (Yes, Jason's draft is next week.) As much as I tease Jason about his love for football, there are lessons to be learned by the sport that creates the perfect background noise for the best Sunday afternoon naps in the world. You know those tackling drills the players do in practice? This is my new strategy for fear. It's going down! I'm so sick of it. It's such a time and energy stealer. As I mentioned last week, fear (F.E.A.R.) is False Evidence Appearing …
Finding Your Passion and Purpose
"I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up." This is a common reaction from people, especially after hearing our speaking programs and realizing that to truly live with a childlike heart (aka Adultitis-free) one must be pursuing his/her passion. The next statement is usually, "I'm not even sure what my passion is." To quote Dwight Schrute from The Office... "False." You know what it is. You may need to uncover it, but it's there somewhere inside of you. It's often buried under layers of hurt and disappointment, or it's safely hidden so deeply protected from fear and self-doubt. …
Mr. Scaredypants on Change, Failure and Flowers
Change is freaking scary, no doubt about it. But you know what else is? Realizing that your time is almost up and thinking back on all the things you wish you would've done but didn't. (Because it would've required a big, freaking, scary change.) I recently reconnected with an old college friend. After exchanging pleasantries about how life has gone since we graduated, she asked me an interesting question. It went something like this: You mentioned that your career (and probably life in general) was scary at times. I would like to know what it is that scared you and how you dealt with …
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Meet Lindsey and Elliot
Jason and I had the privilege of interviewing Lindsey Cox this week for our 19th podcast. The topic was "Enjoying the Journey as a Busy Mom." Lindsey had some wonderful insights to share which wasn't a surprise to us, after reading her blog for the last few weeks. Today marks the official start of Lindsey's year long sabbatical, which we discussed on the show. In our often overscheduled, busy, stressful day-to-day, the concept of pruning our commitments and consciously resting and slowing down is very inviting. Her actions are inspiring. You can read more about her sabbatical here. She is one …
Listen
It's Good Friday. Jason and I continued our recent tradition of watching The Passion of the Christ this evening. It helps me put all of this in perspective. It's so hard to wrap my bird brain around the reality of this sacrifice most days. I know The Passion is criticized for being too graphic. For me, I need it to be graphic. It's like when a parent has given his child a warning against a certain behavior a couple of times and the child persists. Inevitably the parent needs to take the child, square her shoulders up to his, look her straight in the eyes and say, "Listen, that's …
Are We Having Fun Yet?
Kim and I just got home from San Diego late last night. We've had a crazy busy past few months on the speaking circuit, and are happy to be home and looking forward to a week off. On Wednesday, we had a chance to visit the world-famous San Diego Zoo. We got to see pandas for the first time and collected some great footage for an upcoming episode of Escape Plan TV. I love zoos. Every time I go to one, I always find myself thinking, "Man, God is awesome." I have always been a big fan of God's boundless creativity (big surprise coming from an artist, huh?). One of the latest entries in the "He …
Are You Serious, God?
Growing up, I was terribly shy and afraid of new situations. In high school, I became very anxious when I realized that there may be a very good chance that in order to pursue my dream of becoming a freelance illustrator, it might be necessary to move to a big city... alone. Something like that was galaxies away from my pretty small comfort zone, and just thinking about it petrified me. With that being said, I am astounded that I am actually seriously considering a trip to the other side of the world. To Africa. Ethiopia, to be exact. …
Eye to Eye
Today, while sitting in a cramped little hopper plane, I noticed something interesting about babies (and kids in general). They're unofficially allowed to smile at others while making eye contact, for more than 10 seconds. Adults are NOT. Let me explain. A few aisles up there was a baby about nine months old. He was busy giggling, clapping, and smiling. (Exactly what everyone wants from babies on airplanes.) This little boy was just plain happy. I noticed him trying to make eye contact with a babyboomer in the aisle in front of him. When the guy saw that he "had been picked" he immediately …
I Don’t Want to Grow Up
Do you remember those commercials on TV in the 80's highlighting the Toys "R" Us shopping spree? If I remember correctly they would show some very hyper eight-year-old running through the aisles pushing this big cart full of toys and excitedly putting even more toys into the cart. How I longed to be that kid. Was I alone? Freedom to put whatever I wanted into the cart – filling it to the brim. Pick ME! …