I got my first pair of glasses in eighth grade. “Oh great,” I remember thinking, “Now I’m going to be one of those people.” I figured the least I could do was select a style that would be cool. For some reason, I thought big, brown frames with lenses the size of dinnerplates fit the bill. Since then, I’ve gone through quite a few frames, including the horrible clear plastic cheapos that were the best I could find in an emergency late-night mall trip. I busted lots of frames early on. At the time, I blamed my aggressive, living- on-the-edge lifestyle, but it probably had more to do with the awkwardness of puberty (good times). In a cruel twist of fate, the nasty clear plastic ones lasted the longest (good riddance, sophomore year). I even went through a contact lens phase before ultimately deciding that glasses were easier and I got comfortable with the idea of being “one of those people.” One thing that hasn’t changed is that I’m still near-sighted. …

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It’s a natural human tendency to compare ourselves to others, especially to people who are in the same field we’re in. Comparison isn’t necessarily a bad thing if it leads us to discover areas where we can improve. But when it shifts into envy or jealousy, that’s a problem.  I often attend the annual convention for the National Speakers Association. I always have to brace myself for the “must be nice” game. In the speaker world, it goes like this:  Of course he gets booked all the time, he’s a former NBA player. Must be nice.  She’s got so many connections from working all those years in the corporate world. Must be nice.  I wish I could juggle fire and do backflips like that. Must be nice.  I spend so much time noticing all the things I’m not that I miss the things I am. One theme that drove itself home for me during a convention years ago was my talent as an artist. It’s something I’m good at, and it’s a skill that very few speakers possess. And yet …

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You can spend all day fishing and catch nothing: 2,375 casts; 2,375 failures.  But.  The next cast could be the one that changes everything.  Since I started my company in 1999, I’ve encountered many dead ends. We’ve had a lot of projects we were excited about, initiatives we were certain would deliver the breakthrough beyond our wildest dreams, that failed—hard.  We’ve lost money, time, and pride. Sometimes, it’s taken a long time to recover. After you’ve been hit by a car so many times, you start to wonder if maybe you should stop standing in the middle of the highway. But one thing that kept me going was a quote by Thomas Edison, who said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”  I guess I was more afraid of being a failure than I was of failing. And there’s a difference.  Dead ends happen. But hitting one doesn’t necessarily mean you’re dead or at the …

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In this light-hearted and vulnerable talk delivered at the 2019 Escape Adulthood Summit, Kim shares her experience with the "joyful haul" of motherhood. She recounts her hunt for wonder, what she found, and how you too can rediscover your wild heart in order to bring more peace, fullness and joy into your life. After you watch the talk, I'd love to hear your biggest takeaway. Feel free to share it in the comments! …

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