Blog and Resources
To guide you in finding your own path to the summit.
A Different Cold War
GenX’ers grew up under the shadow of the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union.
Although the impact of that global, over-shadowing event certainly impacted us in various ways . . .
there’s a different kind of Cold War that we are fighting now in mid-life . . . .
Learn how this micro Cold War may be impacting you and why it’s so important to call a ceasefire!
Nobody Puts GenX In A Corner
In the last year and a half, I’ve been recovering my rebellious, independent, creative, and laidback spirit, which had all been banished to dark corners during my time in the legal profession.
I’ve been recovering my GenX spirit . . .
and recovering what it means to let those qualities truly flourish.
What amazing GenX qualities have you banished to the dark corners of your life? Or in what ways have you been living your life in the corner?
It’s time to get up off the chair in the corner . . . because nobody puts GenX in a corner!
Why It’s Important for GenX to Find Desire and Joy Right Now!
Generally speaking, GenX’ers we were raised to be independent, self-sufficient, and creative.
Yet, these amazing qualities have some shadowy aspects that have left many of us feeling trapped in mid-life by the lives we’ve so fastidiously built.
The reason is because we were never raised to give ourselves permission to ask what we deeply desire.
Why ask “what do I deeply desire?”
Why are “wants,” “wishes,” and “hopes” less powerful?
And how can a simple practice, show us that joy is a portal to what we deeply desire?
This is your invitation to go from “getting through” mid-life, to “transforming through” mid-life.
For the Love of GenX: The Mid-Life Awakening
I celebrated my 51st birthday the other day. And it got me thinking about mid-life.
The vast majority of people in mid-life right now are the people from the forgotten, latchkey generation - GenX.
As GenX’ers navigate mid-life, it’s common to feel like something wants to shift. You’ve spent most of your adult life determining WHO you want to be and building the life you were expected to build.
And now, the life you’ve built can start to feel a little worn out or stale.
But you’re right where you’re supposed to be.
This isn’t a mid-life crisis . . . it’s a GenX awakening.
Welcome to the February series: For the Love of GenX.
Throughout this month, we’ll explore how GenX’ers can love mid-life and use the wonderful GenX strengths to love your way back to the independence, creativity, and spirit of adventure that are the hallmarks of this Generation.
Lean Into Lift Off When You’re Stuck on the Ground
Hot air balloons aren’t based on rocket science . . . otherwise they’d be rockets!
They’re based on a fairly simple scientific principle: hot air allows a balloon to lift off the ground.
Allowing yourself to (metaphorically) lift off the ground isn’t rocket science.
Yet so many of us are stuck on the ground like a balloon weighed down by sandbags and tethered to the ground.
It’s possible to lean into dropping that weight and those tethers.
And when you do, the hot air balloon that is your potential can be free to lift off the ground.
A Powerful Formula for Leaning Into Loss
Loss is an inevitable part of life. Yet, our natural human reaction is to resist it. To try to push it away. Wish it away. Deny it. Or maybe try to “silver lining” our way out of it. All of which are forms of resistance to the loss. Let me extend an invitation (and share a powerful equation) for being able to lean into a loss just a bit more. And, in the process, ease our suffering.
2 Practices to Fuel Dr. King’s Dream
Almost 55 years after the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this country and much of the world are still struggling with moving toward Dr. King’s dream: “that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I want to invite everyone to lean into two practices as we continue to journey toward Dr. King’s dream . . . two practices that can add more fuel to Dr. King’s vision so that his dream can burn even brighter.
4 Tips for Leaning Into Rest and Fun
“I just like to be productive.” Statements like that make me curious. Do you like to be productive, or is that just how you’ve been conditioned to function all of your life? What stories have you been told and what messages have you received all of your life about being productive? How do you define “productive?” This is an invitation to lean into more rest and fun . . . even a little bit at a time. Because when you lean into more rest and fun, you may be surprised how doing less allows you to do more that fulfills you. Read on for 4 tips on how to lean into more rest and fun.
2023: Leaning Into The Shift
The flip of the calendar as the Earth starts another orbit around the Sun can be met with a wide variety of reactions by people. Wherever you find yourself as we move into a New Year, I’d like to offer you a new perspective if and when you’re ready. And that perspective is to lean into the shift. But what the hell does that mean?
Days 35-50: The Long Road Home
It’s time to wind down the 50 in 50 for 50 journey. So join me for one last installment and make sure to catch the Trail Mix and meditation at the end . . . along with a ton of photos to keep you entertained!
Days 29-34: 1,387 Miles on the Alaska Highway
The Alaska-Canada Highway (“AlCan”) is a 1,387-mile journey along a remote highway . . . through herds of bison in the Yukon, a strange Sign Post Forest, fabulous hot springs, rainbow-splashed mountains, and crystal clear lakes. Through this journey I learned to slow down . . . to become aware of my need to hurry, hurry, hurry through each day. And I pondered all of the limiting stories I tell myself that don’t serve me . . . stories around time, my abilities, other people, and the world around me. Take a read and don’t forget to check out the meditation at the end: Congdon Creek Meditation for awareness of our limiting stories.
Day 28: “Eww, eww, hell no!”
When I entered the room of the hot springs “resort,” all I could say over and over again was “ewww, ewww, ewww.” Although I decided to shorten my stay at this less-than-ideal place, I made sure to get in a Northern Lights tour first.
After a bone-jarring, nauseating ride up a mountain in a SUSV in the dark of the night, I was able to capture my first Northern Lights photos. And although I couldn’t see the lights with my naked eye, my camera saw them. A good reminder that our perceptions as humans are vastly limited . . . .
Days 25-27: The Denali Connection . . .
If there’s one thing that’s emerging from my time on the road, it’s the theme of connection.
This is about how a random connection on an airplane over 12 years ago led me to a gorgeous property just outside Denali National Park . . .
how the partial view of the elusive Mount Denali has planted the seeds for a future connection to North America’s tallest peak . . .
and how we can all take a cue from small town Alaska in developing deeper connections to the community around us.
Oh, and also a couple of soapbox sidenotes about being grateful to the hardworking people who build trails for the rest of us to follow through the woods . . .
and about giving wild animals the respect - and distance - that they deserve!
Days 18-24: F-you, Alaska!
I stood in the middle of the muddy trail, tears streaming down my face, yelling . . .
What happened to cause me to meltdown?
Days 15-17: The Bora Bora of the North, the Yukon, and Connection
Some places take root deep within you even before you visit them . . .
like you’re meant to go there . . . or like maybe you’ve been there in some previous life.
They feel exotic or peaceful or serene or exhilarating or terrifying or like home.
Whatever emotion these places evoke in you, one thing is for sure: it’s like a part of you knows that place, despite never having been there.
And the part of you that is intertwined with that place won’t let the rest of you be content until you go to that place . . .
until you connect to that place and to yourself in that place.
I’ve known a few places like this in my life . . . this was one of them.