Letters To My Son

As a parent and as a father, I have come to believe and accept that what our children deserve is an authentic story…their story. One they believe in. It might take them several attempts at different opportunities. And what is the risk to you? They might fail. You should respond with encouragement and affirmation, because if we script their lives, they will never identify the inner passion which gi...

I'm not asking you to imagine or live a life of make believe. I'm reminding you of what you already know exists behind those clouds, better days, your solution your victory. I'm asking you to look to precedent. Because every day leading up to now has had its adversity. The road to the current moment was paved with pain, trials and tribulations and what you've done every day until now is figure it...

Let go of attachments to what you’ve been doing for the past year, or years. Let go of failures. Let go of fears you’ve built up. Let go of reluctance. Let go of your ideas about what your life has to be like, because that’s the way it’s evolved so far. Let go of long-held beliefs and habits. You have a fresh start. Let go of last year, and start anew.

You have to first believe you are. Believe that your capabilities and talents stretch far beyond what is right in front of you - believe that possibilities are limitless. And you will see the world transformed right in front of you. It will be an incredible sight to see.

The Southern Poverty Law Center released its annual “Year in Hate and Extremism” report, identifying 838 active hate groups across the United States in 2020.  I condemn what happened in Atlanta. I condemn all these hate groups. This is not what this episode is going to be about. I prefer to talk about the extreme opposite.

Last week, someone that my family has come to trust immensely that works with a number of Military Veterans on Traumatic Brain Injuries and PTSD said, “I want your son and your wife to understand what is possible here. In my experience, this is where hope begins”. 21 words at a time when my family needed to hear it most.

If change is the only constant, then these words ring true. Our old lives are gone, and the new world has not been created yet. We’re in an in between state right now, and this can feel really shaky for a lot of us.

Many years ago, when my parents passed away in the Philippines, I was 8400 miles away living in MA and PA when I received the dreaded phone call. In many respects, it felt like I died alone in my grief, in my loss. Twice.

In this chaotic world, we worry, we avoid, we try so hard to “do it right.” At the heart of it, all of that worry and anxiety is because we cannot trust. We don’t trust others: we judge them and try to tell them how to live their lives, we get frustrated with them when they don’t do things the way we think they should. We don’t trust ourselves: we avoid saying things because we don’t think we can...

I posted something on LinkedIn today that read, “It is our moral failure that we still tolerate racism”. Yesterday, I posted this: “Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you”. And the day before that I posted this: “Don’t talk, just act. Don’t say, just show. Don’t promise, just prove”. In more ways than one, they’re all connected. It wasn’t my intention though.

The great state of Texas got hit with freezing temperatures and snow last week. There were some counties that reached a low of negative 19 degrees Fahrenheit. That's when the power went out and millions of people got cut off from their electricity in their heat. Water systems in over 140 counties got compromised. And dozens have died, that we know of so far from hypothermia from carbon monoxide po...

Why is it that our greatest accomplishments come when our backs are to the wall? Our greatest acquisitions, after losing something dear to us, why is it that we find ourselves in our way only after being lost?

In this episode, you will hear the phrase “dropping self-concern” a lot. I guess the modern day version would be “get over yourself, it’s not all about you”. There’s a mindfulness technique I’ve been practicing for a number of years now, and when I can do it, it’s like magic.

So I’m reading this article entitled “33 Daily Habits highly successful people have (and the rest of us probably don’t)”. I swear that’s the complete title. On the one hand I’m ecstatic for these folks that on a daily basis they surround themselves with positive people, they never give up, they keep a daily journal, they check their pride at the door, they remove fear as a barrier, they unplug wit...

It feels like I’ve been in the Sales profession all my life. And then it dawned on me that what if, just what if, one day my son asked me about Selling, what I thought of it, is it difficult, can anyone learn it? What advice could I give him?

While I’m not free of self-doubt these days, I can honestly say I believe in myself like never before. That doesn’t mean I think I’ll never fail or quit: I will. Probably often.

Jan. 19, 2018 a day that is forever etched in my memory. It was the day I got the phone call that my services were no longer needed. Prior to this, I only heard that that’s how these calls go until I experienced it firsthand. After 21 years, my services were no longer needed. That was a little over 3 years ago.

Everyone deals with being afraid. It’s who we are. The difference lies in how we handle it. Quoting Peter McWilliams. He says that fear is a part of life, whether we're bravely overcoming obstacles or hiding away scared, we all still face fear.

I found that the obstacles actually show us the path. The obstacles are the path. We can embrace these obstacles and work with them. In order to do that, we need to start to develop an awareness of when our insecurities are arising. We can use them as a mindfulness bell, ringing when we are troubled by fears and mistrust.

Life is a teacher, and only through its toughest tests can its curriculum be understood. Can its ideas and lessons take shape. What you need exists, so long as you open your eyes.

“The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd - The longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s existence. All these half-tones of the soul’s consciousness create in us a painful landscape, an etern...

When I faced my demons. It's not just that I became free of them, they lifted me up. I've been running away from the very pieces that I needed most. This armor is a million mistakes, it's a million tragedies, it’s letdowns and lessons, friendships betrayed, rejection and disappointment but because of them my world is limitless.

Then why is getting lost so important? It's important because you temporarily leave everything you know behind. And for a few short minutes your subconscious understands that life exists beyond the hamster wheel.

It lightens the heart. It shows you that things aren’t insurmountable or impossible. It starts to dissolve the discouragement and sadness and pain. The single step you take today is the antidote to the soul-tearing effects of failure. It helps me, every day.

The current moment will forever be a fresh start, it’s a new beginning. But every so often it's important to look back. It’s necessary to examine the things that have shaped who we are and taught us our most valuable lessons.