Many Indigenous cultures say there are two springs—the first occurring underground, invisible from the surface, and easy to miss by the naked eye.

The start of every new year comes with the momentum of beginnings—the call of the illusive ‘next’ moving us forward towards our ever-changing aspirations.

Video edition of the "A Journey Called Change” blog post

Video edition of the Trust Is A Verb blog post

Not knowing how to go forward is the fundamental invitation of our lives. A place, often close to bottom, where we can either concretize, harshly doubling down on our beliefs OR reach for something different, doing that of which we have never done, to become that of which we have never been.

“The Most Important thing is to remember the most important thing.” - Suzuki Roshi

Video edition of the Here Be Dragons blog post

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change” Carl R. Rogers

Could I be as patient as a flower waiting an entire year to bloom for a week or two? What if the flower isn’t waiting? I wonder to myself. What if every stage, even the moment of sweet release, returning to the earth, is a moment that matters?

For those who dare greatly, the entrepreneurs, innovators, and those who illuminate the way home, forging their own path through the woods; the ones who live life on the razer edge between brilliant and crazy. You know who you are. This is for you.

Most religious and spiritual traditions speak of both the challenge and benefit of self-imposed solitude.

In January 2022 I sat down with my friend and colleague, Marilyn Poitras, to talk about goal setting for the year ahead. Somewhere in our dialogue she asked me to distill my ambitions to one discrete sentence. My response, “learning to love what is”.

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is an epidemic of righteousness under way. People are clutching their ideals tightly while justifying divisive action based on rebranded forms of fundamentalism and moralism.

As the end of January rolls around I can’t help but think about the climax of a monthly challenge my wife and I have been participating in. Every year, without fail, we live one month of our life sans alcohol. We call it “Dry January,” and it feels appropriate after the social excess of the holiday season.

This year, more than resolutions, goals, and the never-ending external striving, I am setting the simple intention to live my days in ways that give my life the most meaning.

This month’s musing is about the relationships that nourish our souls and provide the substance of our lives.

Early map makers were known for placing the phrase “here be dragons” on the uncharted reaches of historic drawings. The premise being that danger lies beyond that of which we know.

“You’re exceptional,” said my past client over a casual birthday meeting. “Everyone’s exceptional” I responded, downplaying the comment, and deflecting the compliment the exact way I advise clients not to. Mumbling something along the lines of, “everyone is a genius in their own accord”.