Simple Life Reboot - Transformational / Healthy / Minimalism / Lifestyle / Edit

It washes over us like a tsunami – an unmanageable wall of information. The greater our desire to be current, competitive and connected, the more likely we are to be paddling ourselves to exhaustion.  We prefer to drown than miss out on something important… We need a lifeguard! Fortunately,  we have “SAM”.  SAM not only […]

To what extent are we willing to go into debt, make unfair demands on family and co-workers,  or compromise healthy habits,  in order to achieve objectives? Is our standard of living too reliant upon our willingness to push ourselves to the limit? Long Term Impact We may view our pedal-to-the-metal approach as proof of a […]

Imagine leaving behind the home of your dreams to begin living the life of your dreams. Sheryl and I made that decision in August 2013.  Our beautiful home, the home in which our kids had grown to adulthood, was  no longer serving our needs in the most positive way.  In fact, it was beginning to […]

This is my chair. When I reflect upon why I bought it,  I realize how much our  intentional living journey has changed me. You see when  I purchased it,  I thought I needed to fill a space.  While I didn’t really “need” another chair, I thought our  family room required something new … plus,  it […]

It was the spring of 2013. Driving south from Eugene, Oregon,  Sheryl and I wanted to stay with family the first evening in Santa Clara, California, and then begin what we hoped would be a little adventure trip.  The plan was to drive down the California coastline along Highway 1.  We would take our time, […]

What is a simple lifestyle? Time and again I have seen how a thoughtful, concise explanation of values and objectives permits even very different people to understand and relate to one another. As an attorney, I make my living with words. You can imagine my consternation on the occasions when I have been unable to […]

“It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.  But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.  There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.”  – Alan Cohen When was […]

Sheryl and I have decided it’s time to dig out our running shoes and begin rebuilding what is left of the legs that carried us across the finish line at the Hood to Coast relay race with friends and family in August of 2012. We are inspired by the fact that regardless of age, a […]

Have you attempted to change your life before? Is change easier if it’s voluntary, or if there is no choice in the matter? In the summer of my senior year in college, I discovered the answer.  An oncoming car crested a hill in my lane. It struck my small car head-on with such force that […]

To be good at life is to have good relationships.  What is life if not our connection to the people we get to know and love? But, in order to live a life of generosity and connection, we must first take an honest look at ourselves.  We must also understand, in very practical terms, what […]

Have you experienced this?  One day you are relatively satisfied with a situation. Then,  something happens and you cannot make needed changes fast enough. How can something be “okay” one moment, and then abruptly “not okay” the next? For most of us, there is usually a triggering event which causes us to become acutely aware […]

I remember when I was a child, pleading with mom or dad to let me stay up “late”.  On that rare occasion when I was allowed extra time to play or watch the tube, it was like I’d hit the jack pot! What I discovered after leaving home was that a routine bed time was […]

“What are you practicing?!!!” I can still  hear my gymnastics coach decades later. There is no grey area.  We are either practicing to improve, or we are practicing habits which lead to decline, if not danger. Missed or sloppy practices result in a fall. What we fail to recognize is that the greatest “injury” comes […]

When does your day begin?  Until recent years I thought my day began after getting up in the morning.  But deeper analysis suggests we should begin to prepare for our day at night, by getting the proper rest. According to Genesis, when God created time, He first created night and then day. Night Before Day […]

I have found few things in life as discouraging as backsliding on an important goal. Whether our objective is professional, financial, physical, or otherwise, a lack of perspective can tragically turn a minor lapse into outright collapse, making resumption of progress difficult. The pattern is all too familiar.  For instance, we commit to running.  We […]

Do you have trouble showing people the true you?  I mean the you that is buried beneath the armor we put on every day to keep others from hurting us.  I mean the you that emerges on your very best days.  I mean the you that will remain when everything else goes away. When we […]

What makes it so difficult for us to remain focused with most of our resources firmly committed to our priorities? Are we not disciplined enough? Are we doomed to always succumb to the distractions around us? Or could there be other reasons we lose focus? Consider the following: Packed Calendar In any given month there […]

Do you find yourself increasingly distracted by life’s daily obligations that leave you too little time, thought or energy, to feel renewed, refreshed, or inspired? That’s what vacations are for, right?  But many times our vacations can leave us more tired and frazzled than daily life. We can spend a lot of money getting to […]

“So, I heard you were downsizing.” The question from a business acquaintance at a Chamber of Commerce event caught me off guard. Gulp. I paused, desperate for a response which recast what sounded, at least to my ears, quite negative. I wanted to share the joyful, enriching and values-driven journey of simplifying my life and […]

Creating margin is crucial to having the necessary resources to do the things in life which are important to you. Over the past few years Sheryl and I wanted to share some experiences with our children before they began leaving the nest.  We decided to plan a few trips.  As it turns out, each of […]