Square Peg Round Hole

I put on a pair of glasses at a tulip farm in Oregon and saw yellow for the first time in my life. Reds were deep and multidimensional. It was an unreal experience. Now, I'm 55 years old. I've been to six continents. Stood at desert sunrises and canyon overlooks and Italian lakes and said—beautiful, stunning, incredible—and meant every word. While seeing maybe 60% of what was actually th...

I got an email last week that I've read fifteen times. Someone had been reading the book. And at the end of it, they wrote: "Maybe I might just be okay." I had to put my phone down. A few days later, I got a phone call—different person, same word. After a long silence, they said, "Maybe I can do one more day." Not a declaration. Not faith. Just — maybe. This episode is abo...

For thirty years, Tim Eldred taught people how to change. He knew every framework. He'd stood on stages and moved rooms full of people. And he couldn't change himself. Not because he wasn't trying. He was trying everything—thinking harder, praying more, begging God to just let him feel like he was actually living his own life. Nothing moved. Then his health collapsed. His faith cras...

Last week, this episode didn't drop. Life made other plans—an unplanned flight to Minnesota, a father-in-law in the hospital, a week that looked nothing like the schedule. And the framework held. Not because circumstances cooperated. Because the rhythms were built before the crisis hit. That's the difference between a strategy and a system. And it's exactly what this episode is abou...

You've tried the programs. Hired the coaches. Read the books. Set the goals. And something still won't move. The personal development industry has a very convenient explanation for that: you. Your mindset. Your discipline. Your willingness to do the work. They're wrong. And in this episode, Tim Eldred names the thing nobody in that industry wants to say out loud—because saying it bl...

After an extended absence, Tim is back—and he's not coming back empty-handed.  A brain aneurysm. A rare nerve condition. A body that stopped cooperating. And 35 years of knowing how to help people change—none of it working when he was the one who needed to change. That's where this starts. In this episode, Tim tells the full story he's never told: what broke down, what he found in t...

In this conversation, Tim talks with Beth Abbott who shares her journey of hitting rock bottom and finding redemption. She discusses the events that led to her national news coverage, including a DUI accident that injured pedestrians. Beth opens up about her struggles with depression, PTSD, and hiding her sexuality. She talks about the pressure she felt to meet others' expectations and how sh...

You don’t want to miss this episode. In my opinion anyway (but I’m biased). Clearly, I’ve been away from the microphone for a few weeks—much longer than even I expected for sure. But I’ve had good reason. And the lessons I’ve been learning during this hiatus have only helped to strengthen what I’ve been wanting to say to my loyal listeners as I talk openly about my recent experiences.  As you can...

Sometimes life feels insurmountable. Those are the moments when you don't believe you have the strength or stamina to overcome the obstacles in your path—the seasons when you seriously consider giving up. You're not alone. We all face seasons in life when molehills feel like mountains. But there's always hope if we will learn to pause long enough to catch our breath and recalibrate...

"If it doesn't bring you peace, profit, or purpose, then don't give it your time, energy, or attention." —Unknown I posted that quote on social media over the last few days. As you might suppose, the response was affirming. Because it just makes sense, right?  So why does such simple wisdom appear to be so difficult to implement in our lives? Why do we give our time, energy, an...

No one likes to admit the possibility they might create the majority of their own problems or that they are the source of their own pain. Even considering the idea is slightly embarrassing. Or shameful. But is it true? I hate to be the one to tell you, but it’s true. Most of our pain is self-inflicted. Deliberately? Not usually. Inadvertently? Most likely. Until we even ponder that possibility, we...

Does that title sound a bit harsh? Well, it is certainly abrupt. Why? Because sometimes there's no sugarcoating the truth. And the truth can hurt. But there are times we need someone to speak boldly and get our attention. That's what I hope to do for us in this episode.  My goal is to both challenge and encourage us all to remember the power we possess—the power of choice. We can choose...

We overthink. And the thoughts bouncing around in our brains shape our world and become our reality. We also take life too seriously. Is it any wonder we are so emotionally stressed and uptight?  What would happen if we chose to relax, care less, and see life as a beautiful gift? Because it is precisely that, my friends. That truth is available for everyone to experience every single day. You don&...

Most of the time, many people who are trying to make significant and lasting changes in their life do one major thing wrong—they go too far too fast. It's like quitting a habit cold turkey. You are either going to fail now or relapse later because you bit off more than you can chew. Well, breaking free from the acceptance of others is even harder because of the emotional addictions we suffer...

Have you heard the phrase (or used the phrase) I need to put on my face? It’s an idiom about putting on makeup; however, the concept can be applied in much broader terms. Because we all put on a “face” of sorts. Our face (or public persona) is the outward identity we reveal to others which may or may not portray the true, authentic you.  In this episode, I talk about the idea of not only taking of...

Have you noticed that it's nobody's fault anymore? No one is responsible. For anything. Personal responsibility is becoming ancient history. It's no longer a virtue we value. Everyone wants to fight for their rights. But few want to be held accountable for their behavior. For their personal choices. Does life actually work that way? Has it ever?  I'm wading into that idea today...

What is love anyway? Has it been so exploited or so poorly explained that we really have no idea anymore? Maybe our ideas about love are the very reason we don't understand it in a healthy way. Or perhaps it's only my perspective on the whole subject that is wrong. Who knows? But either way, that's my focus on this episode for your consideration. My goal is to be encouraging, but I&...

The ‘middle ground’ of compromise is becoming scarcer and scarcer. Tolerance—once a cherished concept in our world—has disappeared from our human vernacular.  We are a harshly divided world. Is that the way it has always been? Or is it getting increasingly worse? Are we broken beyond repair? Is there a bridge from the chasm of conflict to one of decency and dignity? We’d better start answering the...

Life is change. And change is hard. That about sums it up, right. Every time we turn around we have to adjust to some occurrence in the world—or in our personal world at least. Obviously, that's not a newsflash. But how do you make good decisions when it comes to inevitable change? How do you discern where to invest your time, energy, and emotions and pivot to experience the greatest benefit?...

Here are two truths: 1) Everyone has a story. 2) Change is hard. On this episode, my guest, Dai Manuel , discusses both of these realities from his life.  Our conversation is honest and practical for anyone seeking any kind of holistic transformation: body, mind, and spirit. If you’re looking to make changes to your life, please listen and also check out his simple but effective programs and train...

There's no one alive who doesn't carry baggage. Yes, even you. It might be the pain of the past that has followed you around for years—even decades. It could be current problems looming over you that seem impossible to shake. Baggage comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Baggage has different names and labels. Regardless, it's heavy. And it's a drag to drag around. The questi...

Conversations don’t have to be confrontations. They can simply be honest, transparent, and vulnerable dialogue. But how do you create conditions for productive discussions? Simple. You come to the table ready to listen and learn something new about the other person. And you come without the need to prove a point. This week on Episode 10 of Square Peg Round Hole, I invite you into an authentic conv...

There are only two areas of life—two—what you can control and what you can’t. You know the saying: 10% of life is what happens to you and 90% is how you respond to it. When you focus on what you can control, you become strong. When you ignore what you can’t control, you become free. So that means you must give 100% to the 10%.  And while all of that sounds cliché and trite, it’s remains absolutely...

You know that story you keep telling yourself? Yeah, the one you keeping playing over and over again on a constant loop. The one that keeps you stuck in the status quo of life. Isn't it time to knock that off? Of course, the answer is yes. But how exactly? How do you stop self-sabotaging? Well, it's not terribly difficult. But that doesn't make it easy either. So here's the big...

Is there a relevant connection between the life of an NFL player and the average person? It might not seem like it at first glance because of the glitz and glamour that comes from being a professional athlete, but you'd be wrong to make that assumption. Real people have real pain and real problems. Regardless of our role, position, or profession, life has challenges. On today's episode,...