You’ve heard me say it before, but it’s worth repeating—the brain is a prediction machine. The brain’s primary purpose is to keep us alive—and the best way to stay alive is...

Last week I checked off a bucket list trip by backpacking the Lost Coast—with two friends I’ve known for more than 20 years. After living in California my entire life, this...

Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion. Respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love...

Until he was 29 years old, Eckhart lived in a near-permanent state of severe anxiety and suicidal depression. He was miserable, living in a constant state of internal...

Thank you to my good friend and colleague, Dr. Tracy Weyer, for inspiring this post. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2020, Americans spend about 90%...

Several years ago a mentor of mine used a term I had not heard before—he said he wanted to be a “non-anxious presence” for people. I didn’t really get it at first, but after...

“If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” –Blaise Pascal After writing a blog for several years and teaching classes regularly, I have found deep truth in...

A mentor of mine shared this story with me several years ago. John the Dwarf—also known as Saint John Kolobos—was a Coptic desert father born in the year 339 in the town of...

The Big Idea—A global study published in 2021 by the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization says that working more than 55 hours per week is now...

*Photo by Greg Rakozy “Who you are inside is what helps you make and do everything in life.”— Fred Rogers (Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood) A few years ago, I was working on my...

“Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.” –John Lennon A few years ago, I was in a particularly busy season of life. I was working full-time, raising a...

“Technological progress has merely provided us with a more efficient means for going backwards.” –Aldous Huxley The Big Idea: According to research, constantly checking our...

My friend Trey asks great questions. Shortly after starting my blog, he asked, “So why did you call it lead you first?” That inquiry inspired this post. What does it mean to...

 “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” –Aristotle It would be impossible to talk about personal leadership without talking about...

Herds of buffalo are extremely loyal followers of one leader. They do what the leader does, they go where the leader goes. If the leader isn’t there, they stand around not...

“Old Heraclitus, who was indeed a very great sage, discovered the most marvelous of all psychological laws: the regulative function of opposites. He called it...

Years ago, I heard John Maxwell says something I’ve never forgotten. To paraphrase—A great leadership legacy can take decades to build, but can be lost in an instant. An...

*This post has been updated for the practices of personal leadership series. Several years ago, while biking with my close friend, he casually mentioned the following quote...