As the end of year arrives, give yourself permission to slow down.

Give yourself permission to slow down so that you can:

👉 assess the last 50-ish weeks

👉 enjoy the holiday season with family and friends

👉 just "be" for a minute (or two)

You probably don't want to find yourself "Running on Empty" like Jackson Browne.

So slow down and do something to refill your cup and recharge.

Here are a few ideas:

👉 take time off from work

👉 shut down the computer 30-60 minutes earlier than normal

👉 take a walk or maybe an extra walk

👉 watch TV or go to a move

👉 read a book

I invite you to share, what are you doing to slow down this time of year?

Create your life.

🍨

Large or small, all acts of kindness make a difference.

How does seeing, receiving, or giving kindness make you feel?

Notice the ripple effect that occurs.

The world is full of kind people.

If you can't find one, be one. 🙂

What will you do to spread kindness?

Create your life.

Be kind.

❤️

I found myself reflecting earlier this week on the senseless killing that occurs in this country (America).

There were two songs on my playlist that particularly resonated with me this week.

These powerful song lyrics help me express my wishes, longings, desires, wants for our world. And a little about my beliefs.

🎶

"Be A Light" by Thomas Rhett

In a time full of war, be peace

It's hard to live in color, when you just see black and white

In a world full of hate, be a light

🕯️

"Most People Are Good" by Luke Bryan

I believe you love who you love

Ain't nothing you should ever be ashamed of

I believe this world ain't half as bad as it looks

I believe most people are good

👍

May we always remember to focus on what we have in common - we are all human.

We all deserve love and light.

Despite what happens all around us, with greater frequency than I would like, most people ARE good.

I wish that we might ALL be peace and a light for others.

Create your life.

❤️

I am grateful for family and friends, health, smiles, laughter, sunshine, and family gatherings (even when they are virtual).

Take a moment today and reflect. 

We have much for which to be thankful.

Create your life.

When you take action, do you consider what's really important to you? Consider what really matters?

An extended family member injured themselves earlier this week and required surgery the next day.

This disrupted my household as we scrambled to be with the injured person and also get everyone in my immediate family where they needed to go.

In the process, I had a choice to make - visit the family member and provide support in the middle of the day or stay home and work.

I chose family.

As I drove to the hospital, I recognized that my decision was firmly rooted in what's really important to me.

Family is one of my top values and way more important than work.

Work will always be there. If not the current job then another one.

I have only one family.

They are what's really important.

I didn't always behave this way.

More times than I would like to admit, my career and work in general has taken first place.

My career received most and sometimes all of my attention.

With a bit of personal growth over the years, I'm getting better at aligning my choices with my values.

It's intentional and gets hard sometimes because I need to unwind what's been a standard mode of operation for a long time.

What about you?

Do you consider your values and align your actions accordingly?

Aligning your values with your actions (and goals!) sets an example for others to follow and provides you with more fulfillment.

If you're like me, it's a lifelong journey and one that's worth traveling.

Create your life.

🎂

In my part of the world, we celebrate birthdays with vigor.

Cakes, candles, cards, gifts, and singing. Oh, the singing! (often cringe-worthy and very laughable)

Birthdays indicate a special day, one which is truly "ours" and represents the day we took our first breath.

Today, I want to recognize a very special birthday.

Today, the mother of my children celebrates another successful tour around the sun.

I will strive to make this a special day for her. To let her know that she is exceptional.

I don't always do the best job of expressing how much she means to me.

I want my wife to know she's my queen.

Today and every day.

❤️

How do you celebrate birthdays?

When you recognize someone's special day, how do you want them to feel?

Create your life.

Last week, I wrote about ABC = Always Be Curious.

What might that mean?

How might you be more curious?

❓

A few ideas:

👉 ask questions

👉 don't be judgemental

👉 listen

👉 stay in the moment

👉 be willing to be wrong

👉 what else would you add? (let me know)

❓

When to be curious:

👉 you genuinely don't know

👉 you want to find out more

👉 notice when you are being judgemental and get curious about "that"

👉 when else? (let me know)

Bottom line: Never be afraid to ask questions.

Other people will find you interesting to talk with.

You will never be bored if you approach the world with a mind of curiosity.

You will always be learning something new.

Create your life.

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." -- Albert Einstein

Kids are always asking questions, always wondering, asking why this or why that.

Curiosity is not just for kids.

I've noticed lately that a lot of leaders I work with who receive 360 feedback from their peers choose to focus on curiosity as the one small thing to help them grow.

When they consider how they might create safe space around them or better understand another person's viewpoint or show up with more compassion and patience, they choose curiosity as the gateway.

Curiosity is lifelong learning.

❓

Through curiosity, you might:

👍 discover new things

👍 acquire deeper understanding

👍 think outside the box

👍 unlock answers

👍 open doors and windows

👍 find a moment without ego

👍 never be bored

👍 never stop exploring

👍 never stop learning

You might also find yourself being less judgemental when you are more curious. (Thanks, Walt Whitman!)

Seems to be as simple as ABC.

Always Be Curious.

Create your life.

What structures do you integrate into the bustle of your day?

🧱

Nope, not the structure that provides us with shelter or the kind we might shop in or visit for work.

I'm talking about mechanisms we might use to achieve something or be someone. Reminders of sorts.

You know about the "tie a string around your finger" method for remembering something.

That's a structure. Perhaps less effective than other options. Still a structure.

Do you have sticky notes on your monitor?

Structures.

Background image of your family on your phone? Screen saver on your computer? Quotes on your refrigerator door? Device alerts to get up and move?

Structures.

Sometimes these methods stop serving us because they blend into our environment. After a period of time, we may begin to gloss over them. No longer reminders, their purpose fades.

If, or when, you become aware of this happening, consider an adjustment.

You can easily move sticky notes and put them in different locations.

You can also replace images and quotes with another meaningful something.

When you make an adjustment, you get at least two benefits.

First, you're reminded of the purpose for the structure in the first place.

Second, the structure gets to do its job again and move you toward doing something or being someone.

You don't have any structures? That's okay!

What if you take a minute to create one now?

💡

What's important to you? What habit do you want to develop? Put it on a sticky note and place it somewhere you will see frequently. Monitors, mirrors, doors, walls - they all work well.

Check in with yourself after a few weeks to see if the structure still works. If not, make an adjustment.

Don't forget to be kind to yourself when you recognize you might not (yet) do or be who you want. Exercise patience and give it time.

Create a structure.

Create your life.

Do it right now.

Well, right after you read this - first you need to know what you're doing! 🙂

Take a pause.

⏸️

Close your eyes.

Take one deep breath in and slowly let it go.

Take a second deep breath and again, slowly release it.

During this second exhale, notice if any tension exists in your body.

Nothing to fight, the tension is welcome to stay, just notice.

Take a third breath, the deepest one yet and s-l-o-w-l-y exhale.

Open your eyes.

Resume

▶️

Embrace the connection to your breath, the deliberate slow down, your presence in this moment.

Consider this a gift to yourself.

Perhaps this even becomes a gift to others as a result of your increased presence and calm.

I often start 1:1 feedback sessions this way. I find it works well for me and the other person.

I have also taken this 30 second pause before going into a meeting as a way to reset, recharge, and refocus.

When might you benefit by taking a pause?

Notice how it affects the way you show up for yourself and those around you.

Create your life.

Has anybody asked you this lately? Or maybe the ubiquitous, "How are you doing?" Perhaps you even asked these questions.

The answers are as empty as the questions: "Fine." "Okay." " Good."

You might even get another greeting in reply: "Fine. How about you?"

These questions are often a substitute for saying "hello" to another person. They are non-questions or at least ones we might not actually want answered. Most of the time, we are extending pleasantries. We don't *really* want to know.

A colleague and I recently got on a video call and I was asked, "What's going on?" to which I replied, after a brief hesitation, "It's been one heck of a day, I'm really tired." I then proceeded to express the reason for my tiredness.

It was not the expected answer and we had a chat (and a laugh) about the exchange and how common it is for us to ask these questions without thinking. And how uncommon it is for us to answer the way I chose this time.

What if we simply extended a greeting?

Or, even better, what if we asked a question that would lead to connection with the other person?👍

1️⃣ What's the best moment of your day so far?

2️⃣ What makes you smile?

3️⃣ What are you looking forward to?

4️⃣ What strength do you wish more people knew about you?

5️⃣ What song is running through your head today?

What other question(s) might you ask that would lead to a meaningful connection? Let me know!

Certainly, this is not a "new" situation. My recent personal experience raised my awareness again.

I long for connection. As humans, we are wired for connection. It's been in shorter supply lately for many of us.

I challenge you, during your next encounter with another human, ask a meaningful question and have a real conversation.

Connect with the other person.

See if you feel a lift, lighter, perhaps even satisfaction in response to the quick engagement.

See if it helps you become a better leader.

Create your life.

How old is too old?

It depends, I suppose.

My fabulous daughter recently gifted me with the ship flown by The Mandalorian in his "early" days, a LEGO(R) version of The Razor Crest(TM) Microfighter.

What fun to put that toy together! I found it very playful (my word for this year).

On a recent work call, a few of us shared our LEGO(R) creations.

Consensus was that we are never too old for LEGOS(R).

Have you been putting something off because the voice inside your head is telling you that you're too old?

Tell that voice to go eat a cookie, jump off a cliff, take a hike - you get the idea - tell it to buzz off!

It tells you lies so you stay the same.

You are never too old.

And it is never too late.

Give it a go, do whatever that thing is, however big or small.

Create your life.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the calendar says we are officially in Autumn.

Changes are coming.

🍂

Notice the changes as nature prepares for winter: birds fly south, temperatures get cooler, leaves change colors, animals’ coats thicken, and hours of daylight will continue to grow shorter.

As many of us experience a seasonal change, it's a natural time to reflect.

What changes are coming?

How are you preparing for the next season?

What do you want for yourself for the rest of 2022?

Identify something you want and go for it!

You still have time.

It doesn't have to be perfect.

Avoid the doom and gloom.

Stay focused.

Stay positive.

Create your life.

Have you ever asked *yourself* this question?

I have had an opportunity to reflect on this question for myself lately.

My answer? No.

I have not been as available to my family as I would like. I have not been as available to myself as I would like.

Last night, I took the opportunity to (re)connect with my wife. I have not been as available to her as I would like.

We went shopping. 🛍️

We stopped for a beer. 🍺

We talked. 🗣️

I chose, even sought out the possibility, to make myself available to her, to me, to the moment, to the connection that had been missing as of late.

Making myself available helped fill the gap and created some joy between us.

Are you available?

Are you present in the moment?

What opportunity might being waiting for you if you make yourself available?

Your intention to be available might bring a bit of joy to you and those around you.

We could all use a little more joy in our lives, am I right?

Create your life.

Don't be an echo. Be a voice.

What comes to mind when you read this?

For me, an echo repeats back what someone else said, it follows, it expresses the ideas or feelings that someone else already expressed, and it bounces back with less intensity than the original.

I see a voice as something imaginative, fresh, unique, a set of words that might inspire or share a perspective.

A voice might convey something more personal and meaningful. It leads.

More than three years ago, I wanted to get my voice out into the world and I embarked on my Thursday Thoughts journey. Text messages to immediate family evolved into a website blog, email messages, and LinkedIn posts.

I get to share my thoughts about life’s blessings, challenges, and everything in between, inspired by what I read, listen to, observe, or somehow experience.

What are some ways you might share your thoughts, express your opinions, or use your voice?

Perhaps you speak up in a meeting or classroom. Or tell friends or family what's on your mind. Or articulate your position via an email.

Regardless of the path you choose, you get to:

👉 state your perspective

👉 share what's meaningful

👉 enrich the lives of those around you

The world wants to hear what you have to say in whatever way you choose to say it.

Don't be an echo.

Be a voice.

Create your life.