Stay Teachable

“Joyful is the person who finds wisdom.” — Proverbs 3:13 One of the greatest signs of wisdom isn’t how much we know. It’s recognizing how much we don’t. I’ve always found it interesting that the more someone truly understands a subject, the more they seem to appreciate how much there is still to learn. Meanwhile,…

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Your Circle Shapes Your Life

“Bad company corrupts good character.” — 1 Corinthians 15:33 The best relationships don’t just make us feel better. They make us want to be better. There is an old saying, popularized by Jim Rohn, that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. Think about that for a moment.…

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This week from The Forklift: The Power of Compounding

Spectacular waterfall cascading over a green-covered cliff into a serene pool below, photographed from a cliff adjacent to the waterfall

We are all investors. Some of us invest in stocks and bonds. But every one of us is investing something far more valuable every single day: our time, our energy, and our attention. We invest in our careers. Our health. Our marriages. Our friendships. Our families. Our faith. And just like investing money, the small…

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Find a Bucket

A few years ago, the Port Washington 12-year-old Little League team did something that hadn’t been done in more than 60 years: they won a state championship. But what caught my attention about this story was what their coach did half-way through the year. Their coach noticed what so many of us probably notice in…

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It’s All Special

We spend so much of our lives leaning into tomorrow. What needs to get done. What could go wrong. What we’re trying to accomplish. Where we need to be next. And of course, we have to think about the future. We should plan, prepare, dream, and build.  But we can’t become so consumed with tomorrow…

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Just Stay in the Race

A few weeks ago, I ran 100 miles through the mountains of Colorado.  I ran the famous ultramarathon called the Leadville Trail 100.  An accomplishment I have been chasing now for many years…ever since I lost my toes, ironically. You start the race at just over 10,000 feet above sea level and then climb over…

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This week from The Forklift: The Power of Love

Saturday, somewhere in the middle of the Leadville 100 run, I experienced God in a way I’ll never forget.  Leadville is an out-and-back race, which means at some point you begin crossing paths with the runners ahead of you as they make their way back. I had been struggling the first 40 miles. Really struggling! …

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This week from The Forklift: Inside Out

My old therapist used to say that we were all like balloons – filled with feelings, fears, insecurities, hopes, expectations, old wounds and new dreams. And every day brings needles. Someone says something that hurts us. A coworker disappoints us. We get criticized, rejected or misunderstood. Plans fall apart. If we aren’t careful, we give…

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Leadville Week

The outcome doesn’t validate the journey. The journey gives meaning to the outcome. Getting to Leadville has taken months, yet the race itself will take just 25 hours. It was the early mornings when nobody was watching. The long runs when I felt great… and the others when I felt terrible. The miles when I…

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Your Weekly Forklift: Push versus Pull Motivation

Matt Miller motivational speaker and personal coach

Most people think motivation is something you either have or you don’t. I don’t think that’s true. I’ve met people with every advantage who have no energy at all, and I’ve met people carrying unbelievable burdens who wake up excited for another day. The difference isn’t motivation…It’s vision. We’re pulled through life by the future…

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