#28 – Leap

“Leap, and the net will appear.” {John Burroughs} If you are feeling “ready” to step out, to risk, to greet an uncertain future, you’ve probably waited too long. There is no such thing as “ready.” There is only now. Feel the fear and do it anyway. It’s time to act.

#25 – Take Responsibility for Your Learning

This is #25 in the series, “50 Ideas Worth Fighting For.” Here’s another good one. Jia Jang is inspiring. He feared rejection so much that he decided to pursue it directly with the hope that he would learn to respond to it more positively and more productively. He recounts his “100 Day Rejection Challenge” in a

Fill in the Blanks

I am reminded again and again that the people who turn change into opportunity demonstrate three specific qualities: 1. They have a strong and positive self-concept. “I feel best about myself when I                                .” 2. They have deep humility and regard

I Got Knocked Down Again

I watched Brene Brown’s Netflix special, The Call to Courage, for a second time today and her call to get into the arena, to be willing to get knocked down – to embrace the certainty of getting knocked down – reminded me of a post I wrote last October. Here it is again, truer than ever.

A Body in Motion (II)

Begin and adjust or wait and wonder. Get started and discover what’s possible or delay until you’re “ready” and forever dream what might have been. “This is incredibly difficult,” is only said by those with the courage to begin. “This is extraordinary! Look what we found!” is only said by those who get underway. “The

Leap and a Net Will Appear

If you feel “ready,” you’ve waited too long. That’s my takeaway from volume one of Shelby Foote’s three-part narrative of the Civil War. It’s oversimplified, to be sure, but the biggest difference I can see between the Union forces in Virginia, commanded by McClellan, Halleck, Pope et al, and the Confederate forces under Lee in

What it takes

There is no transformation without risk. Any lasting change demands us to stretch well beyond our present comfort; so much so that we cannot help becoming, finally, a version of ourselves we did not know was possible.

Personal Mission

The quote and question after which I titled my first book is, “Are we not safer leading A More Daring Life?” The motto of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) is Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, meaning “For the Greater Glory of God.” I first learned this phrase in college, at Loyola Marymount University. When combined, these two

Circular Logic

The more I learn about myself, the more empathy I have for others. The more empathy I have for others, the stronger my relationships will be. The stronger my relationships are, the more risks I am willing to take. The more risks I am willing to take, the more I learn about myself. The more

The Conversation You’re Not Having

The conversation you’re not having is the most important one you can have. It’s high stakes: deeply personal, risky, scary…an extraordinary testament to the terrifying power of the unknown. It creeps into your mind, inhabits your heart and stays in the middle of both for as long as you allow it. It is formed and