I've, of course, heard the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover." Every single time I've heard this, it's been in the context of underrating someone or something - the "cover" doesn't look very nice, but the book is. Recently, I've learned that the flip side is also true: sometimes a book's cover is much nicer than the book itself. ...

Today was tough. Actually, this entire week has been tough. I'm definitely in some sort of rut, most likely a combination of stress and burnout. My options are limited, and pushing forward is the only path. I should keep in mind the previous lessons I've learned. It's not so bad; tomorrow will likely be better. And if not tomorrow, the...

I often find myself running from one problem to the next, doing just enough to solve it (or at least calm it down for a bit) before moving on to the next issue. On the surface, I get a lot done. The work is good enough that people rarely question it and more often than not, they praise it. But I know it's not my best work. I know that ...

Last week, I had a conversation with two kids of our friends. One had just turned 5 a few days prior, and I was at their house for his birthday party. While talking to him and his sister, the conversation went like this: 5-year-old: "Are you going to my house this weekend for my sister's birthday?" Me: "I didn't know it's your sister's...

A week ago, I declared that I was "Going All In" Now, it's time to check in on how that has gone. In that post, I outlined three aspects of "Going All In": physical, intellectual, and emotional. Here's how I think I did: My Physical Life Moving and regular strenuous exercise have become a "solved problem" for me. I'm thankful to have f...

I had a conversation with a coworker the other day that went something like this: Me: "I've really been overwhelmed lately" Coworker: "Why?? Nothing we're doing right now is that important, take it easy" Sure, there are definitely times when the stress, late nights, and early mornings are needed. But my coworker's response was a good r...

Over the past few days, I've had a handful of really important meetings. None of these meetings were "make or break," but a strong showing would have a number of positive consequences. On a related note, over the past few days, I've been filled with anxiety! At least this was a "productive anxiety" - it caused me to work longer and foc...

Yesterday I hit a new PR on Isabel, a simple yet surprisingly difficult workout. As my coach frequently says, Isabel is one of those workouts that tests your mind more than your body. The "prescribed" workout is simple: 30 snatches at 135lbs for time. Having done this a few times, I knew how it typically goes - the first 10 reps feel g...

I want to see what's possible if I go all in—not forever, but for a few months. I want to be able to look back and feel confident that there’s very little I could have done differently. I’m not entirely sure what that looks like yet, but today, I can at least picture my future self, three or four months from now, and imagine what will ...