During the last six months, I have been orchestrating a shift in my business strategy and focus.  I keep asking myself – Why?  Why would I change?  Why should I change?  Why do I need more?  Why am I so obsessed with growth?  Sometimes I just do not have an answer for why.  I guess that is okay.  Do you ask yourself why regularly?  Such a simple question can trigger a profound shift in our perspective.  Why do we have to do it this way?  Why am I going to work?  Why do we teach our kids the way we teach them?

THWL

The more often we ask “Why” the better are our chances of avoiding “The Hamster Wheel of Life” (THWL).  Maybe you are not familiar with THWL.  Here is a typical day on THWL – Get up after hitting snooze multiple times, rush to get the kids ready for school and ourselves ready for work (this is not without teeth gnashing and maybe some yelling), work all day in a job...

This week, we will step through establishing a clear vision, core values, and other vital elements for planning the Intentional Life!

Step Two – Now you will identify your core values or define the qualities of character that will inspire you to show up each day representing your highest self or the best version of you.  There are many character trait lists to be found on the internet.  As an example, here is a list of my core values: Integrity, Honesty, Responsibility, Wisdom, Humor, Confidence, Achievement, Good Health, Courage, Flexibility, Mindfulness, Perseverance, Discipline, Humility, and Stamina.  These words represent the best of how I want to show up every day.  Do I live up to these core values every moment of every day?  Nope, not even close, but I am chasing them every day.  My heart is right, and the desire to live into these core values is always present.  To be the best possible version of ourselves, we first need to...

Unconditional means “not subject to any conditions”.  Do you unconditionally love your spouse?  Do you unconditionally love your children?  Do you truly want to experience happiness and joy?  If you are being honest with yourself, the answer is no.  Our level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with our lives and relationships is directly tied to conditions.  If you disagree, do this exercise right now.  Create a list of relationships and scenarios in which you DO NOT base your satisfaction on an expectation.  We expect our spouse to act in a certain way and become disappointed or frustrated when they don’t act according to our expectations.  We expect our boss to treat us a certain way but they don’t so we become unsatisfied with the relationship.  We go out to dinner expecting a specific experience but the service or food is inconsistent with our expectations, leaving us frustrated and disappointed.

The...