Thinking and Feeling

Thinking and Feeling

There are three questions I like to ask myself whenever I have a big decision to make: What do I think about this? What do I feel about this? Why is there a difference? At one time, I did not imagine there could be any possible difference in my answers to the first two questions. […]

It’s Time To Blackmail Yourself

It’s Time To Blackmail Yourself

Over the last three years, I’ve worked tirelessly to improve my city (Fargo, North Dakota), to shift its global image and create something special for my community of friends. We’ve had a tremendous amount of success, with glowing local and national attention, plenty of nights with the fondest of memories to fill a scrapbook, and […]

A Journey Into The Unknown

A Journey Into The Unknown

On the 3rd of August 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail with 3 ships to discover a Western trade route to the East. Interestingly, his journey was the result of a miscalculation that the world was smaller than it actually was. If not for the existence of the New World, they would certainly have all perished. […]

The Elephant In The Room

The Elephant In The Room

Where I live, in any given year 1 in 4 people suffer from a diagnosable mental health problem. 1 in 4! Most disturbing is the stigma attached to the problem, making it a taboo subject. And as a result of this societal silence, the problem is getting bigger. I like to flip this, to consider […]

Moving from the Past to the Future

Moving from the Past to the Future

One of my favourite community projects in the world right now is The Downtown Project in Las Vegas. I had the pleasure of going there last year, meeting the founder Tony Hsieh and hearing him speak of how he is building his community. The results they achieve in one of the least likely places on […]

What is your Ikigai?

What is your Ikigai?

According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai. An ikigai is essentially ‘a reason to get up in the morning’. A reason to enjoy life. Having spent most of the last few years helping dozens and dozens of entrepreneurs find their ikigai, whilst also searching for my own, I can now visualise where it belongs. […]

The Inconvenient Truth

The Inconvenient Truth

On Friday morning I woke up crying. I had spent the previous evening hearing how the health and education system are failing the most vulnerable members of my community. How incredible are the people impacted by these problems! The heartbreaking thing about all the stories shared was just how simple many of these tragedies are […]

Will you live to be 200?

Will you live to be 200?

It is an interesting question, isn’t it? Well, the truth is – there’s a lot more chance of it happening than you might think. Life expectancy was 20 years a thousand years ago, and 37 two hundred years ago. Life expectancy where I now live is 80. The pace of change in life expectancy is […]

Fun Is Free

Fun Is Free

My wife and I have been having a lot of fun this month with our son Charlie. It all started when I read an inspiring blog post on something called Dinovember. For those who have not seen this explosive phenomenon, it involves simply convincing your children that their plastic dinosaurs come alive when they are […]

Being Good to Yourself is a Platform, Not a Reward

Being Good to Yourself is a Platform, Not a Reward

In order to go out and do great things in the world, you first need to feel great. Otherwise, it’s hard to succeed at all, let alone find lasting success. In my time, I have had successes, but not necessarily in the right way. Certain success was not good for my mental and physical health, […]