“Don’t cry when the sun is gone, because the tears won’t let you see the stars.” — Violeta Parra It’s a dull sensation when your heart is breaking, like the muffled sound of a distant gunshot. It doesn’t actually pierce your skin or tear you to pieces, but the sensation is physically […]

The world is full of struggle. It is also full of overcoming. Character and wisdom are both sculpted over time. These qualities come with loss, lessons, and triumphs. They come after doubts, second guesses, and exploring unknowns. If there was a definitive path to personal growth, everyone would be […]

Everything We Need Jose’s wife, Maria, was born in a one-bedroom, stand-alone home on the outskirts of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It was a fine little home, but her father, Oscar, wanted a real house. So he worked two jobs — a 60-hour-a-week factory job, and then another 20 hours or so a week as

Your thoughts can carry you. But weak thoughts don’t have the strength to carry you far. And attaching to weak thoughts is one of the most common barriers to living a relatively happy and productive life. If you allow these negative ways of thinking to dwell for too long, they will succeed in […]

It is better to be alone than in bad company. A big part of who you become in life has to do with who you choose to surround yourself with. Sometimes luck controls who walks into your life, but you decide who you let stay, who you pursue, and who you let walk back out.

Let’s cut to the chase today. What you ultimately do in life comes out of who you believe you are. You have to practice believing in yourself and ignoring the naysayers. Because while you may not be able to control the impolite things some people say and do, or the unfair things that sometimes […]

Today, during a group Zoom call on the topic of toxic relationship habits, I shared two short stories with ten coaching clients. “I truly appreciate the perspective today, and the invitation to change how I treat the people around me. I’ve been gossiping, bypassing, and judging people too […]

If someone is working on themselves and changing for the better, it’s unnecessary to keep bringing up their past. People can change and grow. You know that’s true. But have you given yourself a fair chance to change and grow, too? Have you loosened your grip on what’s behind you? If you’re […]

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Sometimes changing your circumstances isn’t possible, or simply not possible soon enough. You can’t get to a new job in an instant. You can’t make someone else change against his or her will. And you certainly can’t erase the past.  […]

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” —Thomas Jefferson This short article was inspired by an email we received today from a reader of the blog: Dear Marc and Angel, In one of your articles last week you asked your readers to think about a weakness they’d like to change. […]

Twenty years ago he walked into my dorm room on the verge of tears. “I can’t take it anymore!” he groaned. “I’m just running in place. I aim. I sprint. And I fall every time. I’m getting nowhere! Nowhere!” His desperate eyes stared into mine, hoping and searching for an answer… His […]

There’s a big difference between empty fatigue and gratifying exhaustion. Before you know it you will be asking, “How did it get so late so soon?” Perhaps you can already relate. So take time to reflect. Take time to realize what you want and need in the days and weeks ahead. Take time to take

Ten years from now, it won’t really matter what shoes you wore today, how your hair looked, or what brand of clothes you wore. What will matter is how you lived, how you loved, and what you learned along the way. Deep down you know that already, right? Yet today, just like the majority of

Here are some hard things worth reflecting on. They’re hard because they force you to check yourself. It’s all about challenging yourself to keep the right thoughts at the top of your mind, so they’re readily available on those inevitable days when you need them most. Some people call them […]

A good morning, and thus a good day, aren’t experiences that magically happen — they are created consciously. Most of us are distracted from the get-go every morning. Trivial activities like checking social media, watching TV, and worrying about things we can’t control often set the tone of […]

This morning I was reading a book outside my favorite beachside coffee shop when an 18-year-old kid sat down next to me and said, “That’s a great read, ain’t it?” So we started chatting. He told me he graduated from high school earlier this summer and starts his college career in a few […]

The worst kind of heartache is often the kind you inflict onto yourself. If you don’t want to break your own heart, then don’t… 1. Let people invalidate or minimize how you feel. If you feel something, you feel it and it’s real to you. Nothing anyone says has the power to invalidate that, […]

You ultimately become what you habitually do. If your habits aren’t moving you forward, they’re holding you back. Here are four prevalent examples of the latter that keep holding the best of us back in life, and some strategies for turning things around… 1. We hold on too tight. Twenty years […]

Love is great when spoken, but greatest when shown. Do little things daily to show your loved ones you care. Yesterday afternoon I was sitting on a park bench in the early afternoon when an elderly couple pulled their car up under a nearby oak tree. They rolled down the windows and turned up some

Each prompt below contains a quote and question to think about. I have personally used each of these prompts countless times in the past to nudge myself into self-reflection, and I continue to revisit them regularly. They bring awareness to the subconscious attachments and assumptions we all have. […]