The Action Architect 3 Hidden Costs of Inaction What are these costs and how you can avoid the regret of unmet potential? As an Action Architect, I write a lot about taking action on your goals. When you chase your goals, you know you know you have to work hard. You’ll need to make sacrifices, make tough choices, and decide what to prioritize. Ironically, its these very things that keeps people from putting in the hard work on their goals. They are staring at their list of goals, feeling a...
3 months ago • 2 min read
The Action Architect The Anatomy of Rest Rest isn't just about sleeping. It's about taking a needed break. Summer is here! Kids are on break and we're on family vacation in the Columbia River Gorge. I took this picture earlier today on our morning hike. It's been great to get away and spend time relaxing together. With all this, I am taking a break from the newsletter this week. Rather than writing a new one, I am sharing one I wrote a few years back about rest. Hope you enjoy it: I check my...
4 months ago • 3 min read
The Action Architect Inner Resilience is the Key to Thriving 7 Signs You Are Building Inner Resilience Over the last two weeks, life has felt chaotic. The kids are out of school, I’m working from home, and my wife is still teaching for the next week. It’s very stressful trying to parent and work at the same time. Case in point: there was one afternoon last week when we had 7 boys from the neighborhood in the backyard (including my son), my daughter was walking to a coffee shop with friends,...
4 months ago • 3 min read
The Action Architect 6 Tactics to Overcome Imposter Syndrome Imposter syndrome is a toxic pandemic. Research shows up to 80% of people struggle with feeling like their a fish out of water. Like they’re not good enough, everyone knows they’re faking it, and are worried people will find out. This isn't just entry level employees or people are new jobs. It affects both men and women of all ages, from students to seasoned professionals and leaders in their careers, high achievers, and even stay...
4 months ago • 3 min read
The Action Architect 5 Reasons to Prioritize Your Rest Take breaks to recharge, refocus, and achieve your goals with renewed energy. Hustle culture is toxic. It's the backward mentality that working intensively, with few breaks or moments to disconnect, is the best way to be successful. You know it when you see it: the always-on, go-without-stopping, busy-is-cool lifestyle. The problem is there’s always more to do, and never enough time. Instead of trying to do more, it’s important realize...
4 months ago • 1 min read
The Action Architect The Power of "I'm Sorry": 3 Benefits of Apologizing A heartfelt apology has the potential to transform lives. Yesterday, I had to apologize to a co-worker. We had agreed to a certain direction on a project, but I didn’t write it down. I was focused on a few other things and didn’t take thorough notes in our meeting. Over Memorial Day weekend, I forgot about what we agreed to. So when we came back to work on the project, I reversed a decision we had agreed on. This didn’t...
5 months ago • 2 min read
The Action Architect 5 Powerful Ways the Ripple Effect Transforms Your Life I started doing cold plunges in the fall. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I loved the challenge. So I bought a big tub, filled it with water, and then set a goal to do a cold plunge every morning at 5am for 30 days. It was hard. Getting out of a warm bed into a cold tub has to be one of the worst ways to wake up. Cold. Wet. First thing in the morning. Yuk. One day turned into two. Two turned into three. Three...
5 months ago • 3 min read
The Action Architect 5 Lessons about Eternal Recurrence from Bill Murray What if you lived today on repeat, would you be happy? My family loves Bill Murray movies from the 90s. Our all-time favorite is What About Bob, but Groundhog Day is a close second. If you’ve seen it, you remember Bill Murray is living the same day over and over again. At first, he did whatever he wanted—ate anything, treated people poorly, and even stole money. But he wasn’t happy. Eventually, he realized he could make...
5 months ago • 2 min read
The Action Architect 5 Small Habits That Changed My LIfe Small Habits Create Big Results Photo by Thomas Bormans The kids and I recently planted a garden in our backyard. Nothing fancy. Just some strawberries, cucumbers, lettuce, and herbs. You can feel the kid's excitement. My son goes out at least once a day to see if the strawberries are ready to eat. While far from ready, both of them are taking care of the garden. They check on it daily, water it regularly, and are learning how to care...
5 months ago • 4 min read