Do you know what you were put on this earth to do? I believe God wants us to be self-aware, to know ourselves and how fearfully and wonderfully we are made. Most people are not aware of how they are wired, their unique strengths, talents and gifts. Figuring those things out takes time and focus. And, it’s harder to find time and focus in a world where we are constantly interrupted. It’s possible to do, though, if you make it the goal. And, if you do figure all
7 Tips to Put Into Practice Today I’ve been studying what it takes to thrive in our second half and to finish well. I want to finish life strong but at 56 I also want to know more about how people finish well. I’ve been studying this over the past 20 years of coaching high-capacity leaders and couples. From my observation, having people around me who will encourage and challenge me is one essential ingredient. A second is being in alignment with my spouse and putting her interests ahead
Metrics and relationships seem like oil and water, don’t they? The very idea of using metrics in a relationship seems at first glance a little cold and calculating. And yet the truth is we measure our relationships all the time: How we feel a friend or spouse responded to a comment we made over dinner out last night; or, they don't reach out to me as often as I reach out to them, etc. These are all measurements. And, they help us calibrate and manage our friendships. In our
“Is this really God leading, or is this me running ahead and asking him to follow behind?” After over 20 years at Merrill Lynch, Billy Thomas sensed a profound shift in his focus. Though a church-goer as a child, he did not come to a saving faith until only five years ago. As he learned to listen to God and walk in obedience, he had a deep desire to put his faith into action. “I had a lot of ideas. I wanted a second half of significance that was
This isn’t an article about romance. It isn’t about marriage. But it is about relationships: true, authentic peer relationships. Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want ride the waves of life without them. At the Halftime Institute, we serve men and women going through a season of discernment and re-focusing. For many leaders, by mid-life, high-stakes busyness has crowded out heart-level connections and by the time they get to halftime, the deficit shows. If that describes you, then it’s time for a serious one-eighty. Relationships are
"The Write Way to Find Clarity" I spend most days helping successful men and women find clarity for their second half. Clarity about their calling, about their spouse’s dreams and mission, and clarity about how they will measure the results. Any tool that helps them gain clarity is a friend of mine. There are a few secret weapons and one of the most powerful is Heuristic writing- “writing to explore and discover what I do not know.” A couple of weeks ago, I was speaking to a group in Southern
Much of our joy, or lack thereof, is related to clarity and focus, as I mentioned in my previous post. The lack of joy can often come from being frozen on the trigger of a decision in our lives. I’m not talking about “chicken or steak” decisions, but larger decisions like where to move, a commitment to truly get healthy, a new business to start, a new job to take, etc. We want to make a change, but we feel stuck. This inhibits joy and contributes to restlessness, discontent,
Another new year is here. Time to ponder where we are and where we want to go in 2018. However 2017 was for you, let me encourage you with this: You can have a joy, impact and balance in the New Year. But, you are going to have to be proactive and you are going to have to get past the one barrier that shows up in almost all of my twelve-plus years of coaching here at the Halftime Institute: A lack of focus. In my experience, the most
You might be surprised at the people who are bored, stressed out, or tired of their status quo. Many of them have achieved the kind of success that we are all told to pursue in business school. They are running companies and filling up their bank accounts. Some have private planes and a few houses in all the right places. But, in spite of all that they have and achieved, the worry, routine and fixation on pursuing the American Dream just isn’t worth it any more. They’ve come to
A lot of folks complain that the holidays are crazy busy, but my experience tells me that this time of year also provides valuable moments to settle down and contemplate what's next in our lives. With that in mind, I encourage you to dream about three dimensions of life that our clients at the Halftime Institute consistently say they are craving more of: joy, impact, and balance. Here are a few characteristics and habits I've seen in people who live with great joy, impact, and balance. Joy - In
