life plan

Aug 29 2012

Family – Do you REALLY care about yours?

What is your family to you? Do you care about your spouse? Does it matter to you what your children will become? Not what they will do for work – but who they will be – what they will become. What legacy you are leaving for your grandchildren?

This post is part of the series – Non-Negotiables For a Healthy Family
Broken Family – It Doesn’t Have to be This Way
Family – Do You REALLY Care About Yours?

In our parenting journey, Sarah and I have noted essentials for healthy families. Every family can do these!

BONUS: I’ve created a NEW Guide that will walk you step-by-step through writing your own Personal Life Plan. You can find out how to get a copy of this life-changing tool at the end of this post.

Aug 27 2012

Broken Family – It doesn’t have to be this way

The most heart-breaking stories are those of broken homes and fractured relationships. There’s one reason – because in most instances they’re avoidable.

This post is part of the series – Non-Negotiables For a Healthy Family
Broken Family – It Doesn’t Have to be This Way
Family – Do You REALLY Care About Yours?

This past week I was told of two families who are navigating incredibly challenging circumstances. In one household, the father has a history of abuse and the family has had enough. In the other, one parent was convicted of embezzling funds in the workplace and is serving a long-term prison sentence leaving behind a spouse and 3 precious daughters.

Jun 20 2012

Spending and Savings – Live Like No One Else

When it comes to spending and savings, I always considered myself fiscally conservative. I was wrong.

In grade school I learned to leverage small sums of money to make more. My dad helped me start a company with $300 at 11 years old. This same company paid my way through college. In fact, I’ve leveraged debt to invest in businesses, homes, and commercial real estate without ever losing money on a significant investment.

After several substantial pay increases, we still felt like we were living month to month. We couldn’t seem to find margin in our budget. At the same time, like you, we watched as stock prices and real estate values plummeted. At that point I realized 3 things…

Jun 06 2012

To have close friends, be a friend

The majority of leaders – nearly two-thirds – do not have ANY close friends. This is an alarming statistic. In fact, the advent of social media has so profoundly impacted the culture and meaning of friendship that the concept now has less value and significance than acquaintances of the past.

Photo Credit: Michael Maher

To be totally transparent, about a year ago I realized that I did not have any really close friends. There were individuals that I spoke to occasionally or with whom my wife and I would join for dinner – yet these relationships were often superficial for me. Read More

Jun 04 2012

If you’re not mentoring you’re not leading

You are not leading if you are not mentoring and developing new leaders. Simply developing followers who flesh out your ideas and implement your vision won’t cut it.

Having followers is not the defining characteristic of leadership. At its very core, leadership facilitates change. After all, if you are not leading people and teams toward change, what are you leading them to do? To be?

Change is not easy. It’s difficult – not for the faint of heart. And developing people – new leaders – adds more complexity to the mix.

To develop new leaders, you must be willing to invest in people – to mentor them. And mentoring will require more of your time and your resources than you ever thought possible.