Originally appeared on Thought Catalog Recently a friend of mine told me that as human beings we spend the first half of our lives collecting, and the second half of our lives determining what to keep. Having just celebrated my 39th birthday these words hit home and it got me thinking about the lessons I […]
Originally appearing on Personal Growth 1. Instead of making a list of people who inspire you, make a list of people you want to inspire: Your life is not measured by how many people you are grateful for, but how many people are grateful for you. Sure it is important to surround ourselves with people who […]
“Do you really need to add more good habits? When you want to be, you are super productive. Lacking good habits is not your weakness, but your bad habits are.” — My wife Normally when my wife smacks me in the face with reality I get defensive and start an unnecessary argument. However, when she said the […]
Originally appeared on Thought Catalog “Michael, in life, there are some things you just don’t challenge. As soon as you accept that, your life will be a lot easier.” — My dad Recently I was reminded of my dad’s words above when listening to a Seth Godin video where he was stressing the importance of finding a tribe: […]
Exactly one year ago, on this very day, after receiving a pep-talk from a man I greatly admired, I submitted the bones of an article to Fast Company. To my surprise, a few weeks later, I was told that it made the cut and it ran the next day. As someone who had never put […]
Prior to giving a briefing in Vietnam in front of a team of his superiors, my dad put his words in front of his commanding officer. 45 minutes later when his boss finished reading, he turned to him and said, “This is good, but cut it down to 3 minutes.” My dad was dumbstruck, and […]
“If you get one idea out of a $20 book that changes your life then it’s a bargain,” — Seth Godin On my 39th birthday I reserved two hours for myself and did something I had always wanted to do, I sat down and made a list of the lessons I had learned over the years. However, […]
Originally appeared on Elephant Journal Throughout high school, college and for close to a decade after, drinking with my buddies was “standard operating procedure”. It was what we did. Whether at a bar, a party, a BBQ, or just sitting around, odds were high that alcohol was present, and more often than not, center stage. […]
My definition of “mentor” is someone whose actions or words impact your decisions. They do not have to be people you see everyday. In fact you do not need to know them personally at all. It can be someone who wrote a book you relate to or hosts a podcast that motivates you. You can learn from everyone […]
Post originally appeared in Thought Catalog The first time my parents came to Barcelona from the United States to meet my soon-to-be wife, my dad pulled me aside and said, “Never come home.” Growing up, I had always believed that prior to settling down and starting a family, that it was not only important, but […]
