This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the Igniting Souls Conference 2016 in Columbus, Ohio. It was an intense few days of learning the nuts and bolts of an effective book launch and more. During our third and final lunch break, I scheduled my first...
In May of 1998, I received a really awesome high school graduation gift from my grandpa, Clarence “Butch” Gates. He presented to me a one-week Canadian fly-in fishing trip, on a private lake in Armstrong, Ontario. We had to push our vacation off for a...
During a routine day at work, my colleague Brian stopped by to say hello and talk about a few day-to-day items on his list. As we were wrapping up our discussion, I rudely checked my email. As he started to walk out, he paused and...
In Wisconsin, we get really excited when spring arrives. We finally get to spend some time outdoors and enjoy the sun and the crisp fresh air. This year, my spring cleanup was unforgettable, as well as regrettable. I mulched, edged, trimmed, cut, and fertilized the...
One busy fall afternoon, as I sat doing paperwork at the Wisconsin Athletic Club (WAC), I overheard a club member who was spending time directly outside of my office. He was engaging with other club members and our club employees. At one point, he even...
On June 28th, 2008, our eldest daughter Ellie was born and our lives changed forever. Our family was overwhelmed with excitement and happiness. Our brand new baby daughter changed our lives in a way we had never imagined; we had become a family of three. Life...
When you receive a meeting request, is the agenda usually one hour? When you initiate planning a meeting, do you always block off one hour? Do you notice a pattern? I do, and apparently, so do most digital calendars. Whenever I schedule a meeting or...
A couple of weeks ago, I had coffee with a friend to catch up on all things work and life. Not long into our conversation, he shared a story about coaching his son's basketball team. He had come to realize that their last game was actually the last...
A couple months ago, I was on a flight to Florida to speak at a leadership development and time management event. As soon as the plane landed, I sent a text to the person who had booked me, so that he knew I had arrived...
A couple of summers ago, I blocked off 30 minutes of time to go watch my daughter's swimming lesson at the gym. During lessons time, the pool is packed with parents and their young swimmers. A few minutes into the lesson, the pool maintenance technician walked...
