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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…

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…

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…

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! …

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…

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…

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…

I think a smile might be the most undervalued tool we all have. It costs nothing.It asks for nothing.Yet it changes everything. Flashing a smile is the quickest fix I know of for getting in the right mindset. Smiles are contageous. Have you ever noticed that when you smile at someone, their smile back makes…

How we do anything is how we do everything.  It’s an unfortunate truth that can only be learned through coming up short. We love to think the little things don’t matter. It’s just the bed.Just the dishes.Just the weeds in the yard.Just showing up five minutes late.Just skipping today’s workout. But life has a funny…

 A Philosophy That Holds Up When Everything Falls Apart Most people think conviction comes from having certainty. It doesn’t. In fact, I’ve found that some of the most convicted people I’ve ever met were coincidentally some of the most uncertain! They’re willing to admit they don’t know what tomorrow brings. They are willing to admit…