Newsletter Archives
1/8/26: Take Two — Not Ready, Not Set…Go
We often wait to feel ready before we begin. But clarity rarely comes first—it follows action. The path forward is made by walking, imperfectly and anyway.
Ideas and inspiration for a more intentional, extraordinary life.
January 8, 2026
WORDS TO WONDER
Not Ready, Not Set... Go
"The path is made by walking."
— Antonio Machado, Spanish poet (1875-1939)
PERSPECTIVES TO PONDER
I was listening recently to an interview with Ed Sheeran, and he was asked about his songwriting process. Did he start with lyrics or music? Did inspiration come from a particular place? Did he follow a system?
His answer surprised me in its simplicity.
“I don’t really have a process,” he said. “I just do it. I pick up a guitar every day and write one or two songs.”
Then he added something even more important: most of those songs aren’t good. Some, he admitted, are downright terrible. But by writing a lot—by showing up day after day—he sharpens his craft. And every so often, hidden among the forgettable songs, something beautiful emerges.
I love that approach—not just to songwriting, but to life.
So often, we wait. We plan. We prepare. We tell ourselves we’ll begin once we feel ready, confident, or clear. We try to create the perfect conditions before taking the first step. But clarity rarely comes before action. More often, it comes because of action.
That’s what Antonio Machado was getting at when he wrote, “The path is made by walking.” The way forward isn’t revealed on a map—it’s revealed through movement. The path appears only after we begin to walk it.
There’s wisdom in planning, of course. But there’s also wisdom in starting before we feel ready. In increasing our volume of effort. In allowing ourselves to produce imperfect work, have awkward conversations, take clumsy steps, and learn as we go.
Most of what we do won’t be remarkable. And that’s okay. Because somewhere in the middle of the mess—amid the false starts and failed attempts—we begin to find our stride. We discover what works. We learn what we're capable of by trying.
So instead of asking, “What’s the perfect plan?” try asking, “What will I do today, and again tomorrow?”
Write the rough draft. Make the call. Take the walk. Begin badly if you must—but begin.
THINKING OUT LOUD
1. Busyness is the most socially acceptable form of underperformance.
2. Sooner or later, we learn that time (not money) is what we're really spending.
3. What we avoid says as much about us as what we pursue.
A TALE OF TWO KICKERS
This past weekend, the final regular-season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens came down to the final play of the game.
The winning team would advance to the playoffs. For the losing team, the season would be over.
The game swung back and forth all night. It was a battle. And in the final seconds, with the season hanging in the balance, the Ravens sent their kicker, Tyler Loop, onto the field.
The snap was clean.
The kick was up.
And it missed.
Just like that, the season was over.
Kicker Tyler Loop after missing the kick
What followed was heartbreaking. In the days after the game, the kicker became the target of an avalanche of anger and abuse. Online harassment poured in. His fiancée’s social media accounts were flooded with hateful messages. The hostility grew so intense that the couple required security for their own safety.
One missed kick and Tyler Loop was now the most hated man in Baltimore.
Now consider a similar moment from another era.
On January 27, 1991, the Buffalo Bills were playing in their first-ever Super Bowl—Super Bowl XXV. With seconds left on the clock, the Bills trailed 20–19. Everything came down to a 47-yard field goal.
Their kicker, Scott Norwood, lined up.
The kick was up.
And it sailed wide right.
The Bills lost. Norwood and the Bills were devastated.
But what happened next is one of the most beautiful responses in sports history.
Instead of turning on Norwood, Buffalo showed up for him. Fans sent letters of encouragement. The city held a parade—not to mourn the loss, but to honor the team. And during that parade, the crowd began chanting, “We want Scott!”
Norwood, overwhelmed and unsure, was standing in the back. Slowly, sheepishly, he made his way forward. And when he did, the crowd erupted—not with anger, but with applause.
Crowd supporting Scott Norwood after his missed kick
Two kickers.
Two devastating misses.
Two very different responses.
Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone misses. Everyone has moments they wish they could do over.
The question is not whether people will fail.
The question is how we will respond when they do.
Will we pile on—adding shame to disappointment, cruelty to pain?
Or will we offer what every one of us hopes for when it’s our turn to fall: grace, encouragement, and support?
I can’t help but think the world would be a better place with more fans like those in Buffalo.
BEFORE YOU GO
We’re one week into the new year.
Maybe you’re energized—making progress and feeling hopeful about what lies ahead.
Or maybe you’ve already stumbled, lost momentum, or feel discouraged.
Either way, it’s not the past seven days that matter most. It’s the 358 days still ahead—and the one you’re living right now.
Life isn’t built in perfect streaks or flawless starts. It’s built in ordinary moments, small steps, and quiet course corrections. There’s no need to catch up. No need to restart. No need to have it all figured out.
There is only now—and what you choose to do with it.
Stay inspired by the life you’re living.
Kevin
12/18/25: Take Two—Looking Back to Live Better
As the year comes to a close, reflection helps us turn experience into wisdom. In this issue, I explore the value of looking back—on our days, our moments, and the people who shaped them—and share a few reminders found on the streets of New York about beginning again, embracing pressure, and clearing the dust to see what matters most.
Ideas and inspiration for a more intentional, extraordinary life.
December 18, 2025
Words to Wonder:
Looking Back to Live Better
"We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience."
— John Dewey, philosopher and psychologist
"We don't remember days; we remember moments."
— Cesare Pavese, poet and novelist
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."
— Annie Dillard, poet and author
Perspectives to Ponder
As the year comes to a close, I find it invaluable to pause and reflect on all that has filled it. Reflection has a way of quieting the noise and revealing what truly mattered—and what didn’t.
Looking back helps me notice patterns: whether I’ve been paying attention to what’s good or fixating on what’s wrong; whether I’ve lived reactively or intentionally; whether my days reflect the life I hope to be living. As Annie Dillard reminds us, our lives are simply the sum of our days—and how we choose to spend them matters.
One simple exercise I return to each year is this: set aside 20 or 30 quiet minutes and reflect on your favorite moments—and your least favorite ones. Naming them brings clarity. It becomes easier to schedule more of what energized you and to gently avoid what drained you in the year ahead.
Take time to reflect on the people you spent the most time with. Did those interactions leave you feeling encouraged or depleted? Did certain relationships bring out your best—or your worst? Awareness creates choice. And choice creates change.
As Cesare Pavese observed, we don’t remember days—we remember moments. What were your defining moments of 2025? The places you went. The experiences that stretched you. The challenges that taught you something important. Reflection turns experience into wisdom—and wisdom helps us move forward with greater intention and meaning.
Some people quickly jot down a list of New Year’s resolutions on January 1. Others skip reflection altogether. I prefer a slower approach. I take the entire month of January to reflect, reimagine, and review the systems and goals in my life—asking whether they truly support the way I want to live.
Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Reflection doesn’t have to be heavy or burdensome. Think of it as an invitation to relive the moments that made you smile, grow, and feel alive.
One of my favorite ways to begin is simple: scroll back to January in your photo reel and move forward, moment by moment. It’s a powerful reminder of just how much life you lived this year—and a beautiful way to appreciate it all.
I hope reflecting on 2025 brings gratitude for the moments that mattered—and clarity for how you want to live in the year ahead.
THREE REMINDERS FROM THE STREETS OF NYC
When I travel, I try to slow down enough to notice the details—the things you’d miss if you were rushing from one destination to the next. While walking through New York this week, three images caught my eye. Each felt like a reminder worth carrying home.
1. YOU CAN BEGIN AGAIN
“New York is the end of your past and place of rebirth.”
Many people come to New York to leave something behind and start over. A past version of themselves. A chapter that no longer fits.
The good news? You don’t have to move to New York to do that.
Any day can be a reset. Any moment can be a turning point. Starting fresh isn’t about geography—it’s about choice. We can all leave the past where it belongs and begin again, if we’re willing to decide that today is different.
2. PRESSURE IS A PRIVILEGE
Pressure only exists when something matters.
If no one expects anything of you, if nothing important is at stake, if no one is depending on you—there’s no pressure. But there’s also very little meaning.
Pressure can be uncomfortable, even heavy at times. But it’s also a reminder that you’re in the arena—engaged, responsible, alive—rather than standing safely on the sidelines. The weight you feel is often the cost of doing something that matters.
3. WASH THE DUST AWAY
“Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life.”
Life gets messy. Repetition dulls our senses. Routines pile up, and before we know it, the wonder is covered in dust.
Sometimes we need to pause and clear it away.
For some, that might be music. For others, a deep conversation, time in nature, prayer, movement, or quiet solitude. Whatever does it for you, take a few moments to wash the dust away—so you can see clearly again the extraordinary things that are already happening all around you.
BEFORE YOU GO
I’ve spent a lot of time in New York. Vicky and I were married in Central Park, and we return every year.
This time, we arrived in fresh snow and 20-degree weather. That single change—snow—made everything feel different. Of all my years visiting New York, this one stood apart. Central Park—so familiar to us—had been transformed into a winter wonderland.
It was a simple but powerful reminder: sometimes one change can transform everything.
As you look ahead to 2026, consider one action—one habit, one decision, one shift in focus—that could quietly change the trajectory of your life. You don’t have to overhaul everything. You don’t need a long list of resolutions.
Sometimes, one intentional change is enough.
Stay inspired by the life you’re living,
Kevin
12/11/2025: Take Two — Is It a Wonderful Life?
A reflection on It’s a Wonderful Life, quiet meaning, and how seeing your life with new eyes can reveal more purpose than you realize.
Ideas and inspiration for a more intentional, extraordinary life.
December 11, 2025
Words to Wonder:
Is It a Wonderful Life?
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes."
— Marcel Proust, novelist (1871-1922)
Perspectives to Ponder
In the timeless film It’s a Wonderful Life, we meet George Bailey. He dreams of traveling the world and living a life of adventure—but he sacrifices those dreams to help others in his small town of Bedford Falls.
When a financial crisis strikes, George is on the verge of losing everything. He feels like a failure and even contemplates ending his life. That’s when he meets Clarence.
Clarence is an angel who shows George what Bedford Falls would have been like if he had never been born. It’s a dark and hopeless place, and the people he loves are suffering. Realizing how deeply he’s impacted others, George gains a new appreciation for his life.
George’s external circumstances didn’t change. He’s still in the same town, facing the same struggles. But his perspective shifts dramatically. Instead of seeing himself as worthless, he now sees a life full of meaning and purpose.
I think we could all benefit from an encounter with someone like Clarence. We all have moments when we question our impact or wonder whether we’re making a difference. But sometimes, like George, we just need to see life from another point of view. A shift in perspective can help us realize our lives may be far better than we thought.
What if the life you’re living is already more meaningful than you realize? Maybe it’s not your life that needs to change—but the way you’re seeing it.
As we move through this holiday season, may we all find moments to see our lives with new eyes. And may you catch a fresh glimpse of the purpose your life carries—and a renewed appreciation for the many quiet ways you make the world better.
From my new book, Words to Wonder, #20 in the Perspective chapter.
REMINDERS WORTH REMEMBERING
I’ve learned that the most meaningful lessons aren’t always new ones. More often, they’re things I already knew but simply lost track of in the busyness and noise of living—like an important note buried somewhere in a stack of papers on my desk. Then I stumble across it again and think, Oh right… this matters. And I move it back to the top where it can actually get the attention it deserves.
Jane Kenyon's poem, Otherwise, is one such reminder.
STORIES WORTH KNOWING
What Krispy Kreme Can Teach Us About Living a Better Life
We live in a world that equates speed with success. But sometimes the very thing we rush toward gets ruined in the process. This week I wrote about Krispy Kreme—a company whose dramatic rise holds an unexpected lesson for the rest of us.
It’s a story about donuts… but even more, it’s a story about how we move through our lives, and what we risk missing when we push too hard or too fast.
If you’ve ever felt the pressure to hurry, hustle, or do more, this short article may offer a fresh perspective.
Read the story HERE
BEFORE YOU GO
This week’s stories all point in the same direction. George Bailey reminds us that our lives may be far more meaningful than we realize. Jane Kenyon’s Otherwise nudges us to notice the ordinary gifts we usually rush past. And Krispy Kreme shows us what happens when “more” and “faster” start to ruin what was already good.
As this year winds down, maybe the challenge isn’t to do more, but to see more—to slow the pace, shift your perspective, and appreciate the life you’re already living.
Stay inspired by the life you’re living,
Kevin