My Brand Life

Today I discuss how we can grieve the past to a point that we totally miss our impact in the present. Life is about seasons and its easy to get wrapped up in a previous season when your current one presents challenges or uncertainty. Excited to share a perspective and a focus on overcoming this crippling habit.

"What a Mess in the US." is a statement someone posted in a parent chat group I am a part of. No response turned into the person retracting the words, explaining that they were for a different group. Either that is true or they were reminded by another group member that there’s a Black American in the group. Whatever the reason it got me thinking about our Mess in a very specific way.

This is one of those times that I didn't know that I was going to record until 3 minutes before. I get really raw about early childhood emotions regarding a lost friend and how that pushed me on the road to redemption. The essence of both Forgiveness and Thanksgiving is a sacrifice or a "giving" of something which always puts you in a position of vulnerability. We don't like being in that position but embracing the meaning of both can propel you into emotional freedom.

It has been almost four years since I first met Esbjörn, my first Swedish friend or as I now call him, my Viking Brother. Fatherhood is always one of those topics we've talked about whether at a BBQ in Belgium or having a beer at an amusement park in Efteling, Netherlands. Some friends you can call on a whim on a Saturday morning and two hours later your families are on a 4hr hike in Luxembourg, he's that dude. This conversation is just like when we've always talked, transparent, random fun and some off-color comments to spice things up. Learning about Esbjörn's childhood and how he reflects on being raised traditionally Nordic while paving the way to a new way of viking fatherhood was definitely enlightening.

Having worked in a comedy club in my former life, I have a fondness for the craft and the artisans that skillfully deliver magic on stage while exposing themselves to both cheers and jeers. I'm excited to share this interview with Tom as we talk Fatherhood and the tall task in preparing rising adults for launch. Of course there's some comedy involved but also deep dives into our approaches as fathers and how being sons has impacted this journey. One of the key discussions is wanting our kids to learn tough lessons from people that love them versus learning them later in life from people that don't. Tom and I can usually be found in a cafe somewhere in Basel talking about the same kind of stuff you will hear in this podcast episode. Due to COVID19 we will share this chat in a digital cafe.

It doesn't matter if you are a man, woman or whomever you've determined you are prior to this global pause, this undoubtedly has the potential to be a game changer in your life or the most detrimental binge nap ever! In this episode I discuss the key to ensuring your "Post-Pandemic" reality has greater impact than your "Pre-Pandemic" reality. It will require that you maximize your day and take a leap of faith into the future. No more excuses.

In this episode I talk about adjusting to your spouse and kids invading your home office, theatre, restaurant and alone time. This pandemic is forcing families to spend more time together than they probably have in many many years. As a husband and father who loves pending time with his family, this is not a new concept. We live to do life together and getting this extra time is quite amazing. As wonderful as it is, I am used to everyone leaving at some point in the morning, leaving me alone to do my thing, whatever my thing happens to be during the day.

Now that I've added the full time roles of school teacher, administrator and activities coach to my repertoire life is a little different. For parents that are not used to or typically don't enjoy spending time with their kids and family, this is your time to reset. Your family is your number one priority, its not your position at work or the material things that currently surround you. Take this gift that the governments COVID19 response has given you and reset your family This is the time to eliminate bad habits and reconnect with the people that you've been placed on this earth to shepherd. Let your memories of this pandemic be game changing for you and your family. Don't waste this opportunity.

The COVID19 Pandemic has changed our lives completely. What are you doing to find information? How are you adjusting with the new rules wherever you live?

During a recent visit to Den Hague I sat down and had a beer with a good friend of mine from Ireland, Gordon and talked about Fatherhood. In this episode we talked about how we parent, how we were parented and what our experience has been thus far. While our kids are at different phases of their development, its amazing how our views and past play into our approaches. Fatherhood is a rewarding and difficult journey and will undoubtedly be a part of our legacy in life.

Growing up as a Pastors Kid is a unique gift and can be a curse if you don't understand what a Faith walk is all about. I've had struggles that could be made into a separate show altogether but have gained victory over the last 45 years and will undoubtedly be able to help my kids have a renewed outlook on truth. It's not about defining a new truth but a fresh way of embracing it and applying it to your life.