Gratitude. It’s something we hear a lot about, especially this week. But, there is something that has a greater impact on our lives, like gratitude, but more richly. What is it? It’s contentment. You see, gratitude is something you do, an action. But contentment is a state of being. It’s not just an act; it’s…More
Author Archives: jlexpa
Patience: the secret to growth
Growth is a winding, circuitous, and weird path. It’s rarely a straight line. It doesn’t go the way we expect nor want it to go. Sometimes it even means going backward before we begin moving forward. And that’s not necessarily the problem. It’s this. The problem is we often expect our growth to progress linearly, and when…More
How you can survive the pandemic
In this pandemic, our best medicine is to face reality. Reality is being true to the situation at hand, you know, that we are in the middle of a pandemic and being with people is highly risky, especially indoors, mask-less. “Facing reality” means more than intellectual ascent, but actually practicing what you know to be…More
Politics and investing
No matter who’s party is in the White House, the market is in the black. The stock market has been volatile these past several days leading up to the election. And it’s easy to want to sell our investments with a click of a button and jump in a bunker and hunker down. I get…More
Become true for yourself
Don’t be true to yourself; be true to the truth. “Be authentic.” We hear it all of the time. It’s about being true to yourself. But often, being ourselves is the last thing we should be. Often we can be awful. We make mistakes, fail others, hurt our loved ones. I mean, sometimes, I’m a…More
To live your best life, be wrong more
Often we worry about being right. But I think we should be spending more time being wrong. Because sometimes, in life, being wrong is the most right you can be. This sounds strange, I know. But that doesn’t mean it’s false. You see, we live in a world that is obsessed with being right. The…More
Endings are new beginnings
By embracing the end, you will start to see new beginnings. Sure, some endings are good, like getting out of a bad job or unhealthy relationships, etc. But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the things we don’t want to end, the ones that aren’t good. It can be as trivial as a…More
Civil war? I doubt it
Everyone’s talking about it. It’s in vogue. It’s the “it” thing. You would think we are talking about a new gadget or the newest Tesla. But, no, we’re not. We’re talking about this. Civil war. Yes, it’s a possibility—but so are Martians landing on Earth. Civil war is possible, but I don’t think it’s likely. …More
Failing as a father
One of my greatest fears is to ruin my kids with my parenting. You don’t have to be a parent to understand that fear. But when you are one, it just makes it more visceral, possible—real. I’ve got two sons. They’re great. They love to play, roughhouse, laugh—all the good stuff kids typically do. There…More
Dear Mr. Biden, last night was a disappointment
The debate last night was very disappointing. I was rooting for you, Mr. Biden, but you failed to shine. Instead you got mired in the muck. You were easily rattled and resorted to name-calling, making you look weak and childish, not the man we need you to be. Yes, you were dealing with a bully…More