I know a great photographer. My family has used her on a couple of different occasions, and she is simply the best. Everyone who sees her pictures absolutely loves them. I recommend her highly to everyone I know, and will use her for all of our photographic needs in the future. How much sense would […]
I have a favorite coffee shop in town that I go to when I get stuck in a creative rut. It’s an edgy place with great coffee. Sometimes a change of environment can make a huge difference in my thinking. I’m amazed when I go there at how all of the employees seem to be in […]
One of the greatest leadership books of all time is Jim Collins’ Good To Great. In the book Collins discusses a thought that he termed “The Stockdale Paradox”. The maxim was drawn from the life story of Admiral James Stockdale who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He endured severe torture and designed a system […]
I grew up in a small town in the mountains of western North Carolina. Every home town has its own unique set of rules that seem to be relatively constant throughout the area. In my hometown (and the south in general), we were taught to say, “I’m sorry”. If we had done something wrong, or […]
“Extremism is a powerful alliance of fear and certitude; complexity and humility are its natural foes.”[i] Girolamo Savonarola was a charismatic and engaging priest in the city of Florence during it’s Renaissance. His passionate preaching drew the attention and allegiance of countless in Florence and beyond. From his position of notoriety he spoke out […]
As we continue our series of small phrases that pack amazing relational power, we look at a third simple statement, “I don’t know”. There are few things that feel more like failure than having to admit that we don’t know the answer or what to do next. So, most of us never admit it. We […]
Responsibility is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days. As we’ve witnessed the heartbreaking loss of innocent life in the United States and around the world in the past few weeks, we react in anger and grief, and ask, “Who’s responsible?”. It’s an honest question, because until you know who is responsible, […]
I’ve talked to hundreds of people who were hoping to save or repair a relationship in their life. I’ve talked with parents who were struggling with their children, and husbands and wives who were struggling with each other. I’ve comforted the heartbroken and sought to calm the enraged. Some people were struggling with just one […]
For most of us, our childhood and adolescent years were built on trying to get people to tell us “yes”. As children we heard “no” a lot. While it wasn’t our favorite answer, it wasn’t a bad thing. A healthy childhood is built on hearing “no” from teachers, coaches, and parents. “No, you can’t eat […]