How do you find fresh ideas? Sometimes we need a change of scenery to think in new ways, and resort to travel or seeking exotic experiences. Many times, though, fresh ideas are hiding right under our noses. In his TED talk, Adam Grant offers some great tips on uncovering the ideas that are closer than…

While chopping wood with some friends today (as you do on a lazy Sunday afternoon), one friend shared a piece of advice for a good chop, which was: Focus on what you want to hit. Which is kind of obvious, really. If you play baseball or golf, you’ll undoubtedly hear someone advising another player to…

I’ll never forget the day we brought our first child home from the hospital. Elated and exhausted, my wife and I drove home from the hospital and set the car seat containing a new little human, our new little human, down on the floor of our apartment. And wept. Of course we overjoyed with the new life…

Yesterday I went to a screening of Design Disruptors. The documentary highlighted the booming tech industry, and the importance of design in solving problems in new ways to “disrupt” entrenched industries. What struck me by the desingers that they interviewed, folks who work for giants like Facebook, Google, Uber and Netflix, was their optimism in…

This evening, driving the long, lonely Trans Canada highway, a light show danced overhead. I pulled over to watch the northern lights brighten the horizon. Usually, though we miss these displays. Eyes glued to screens, roads, or our own anxieties, we miss the things going on all around us, or just overhead. In The Shape…

Every athlete knows about pacing. The pace at which you start a race or a game can’t be sustained if you want to finish strong (I’ve learned that the hard way). But the start can be deceptive. Feeling the adrenaline and jitters of the opening whistle can make you feel invincible. Every start, whether it’s…

Sometimes we need to dig in, fight for our values and rights, and stubbornly refuse to budge. Other times we need to be fluid, flexible, willing to adapt to the river banks and go with the flow. (This isn’t weakness, though, as any deep-carved canyon will tell you). The trick is to know what each…

Learning new things is uncomfortable. It’s easier to communicate in your native tongue than sound like a two-year-old in a new language. It’s simpler to play a familiar sport than fumble around trying a new one. That’s why tend to stick with what we know. At some point in life we say “enough”. We avoid…

The leaves are turning colour. Days are getting shorter. The nights are cooling. All reminders that another summer season is coming to an end. We can’t stop the passage of time, but we can choose to enjoy and be more fully present in each passing moment. Take long breaths.

“What do you do?” is one of the most common questions we answer when meeting someone new. When we’re young, this question might frighten us because what we actually do might not match our aspirations. Our job title is unimpressive, and it it might be difficult to categorize all that we do and aspire to…