by CJ McClanahan | Aug 21, 2025 | Blog
The simplest tactic to ensure your peace, happiness, and fulfillment might be one of the most difficult to embrace. <> Since 2003, I’ve reinforced a handful of simple concepts over and over again. One of these has been to plan the week/day in advance. This...
by CJ McClanahan | Aug 14, 2025 | Blog
Have you ever experienced envy of another person’s circumstances or choices? Join the club. <> It’s not unusual for me to meet a successful professional and leave the conversation wondering, “Why didn’t I do that for a living?” I know I’m not the only...
by CJ McClanahan | Aug 7, 2025 | Blog
What I learned about kindness on a trip to Chicago. <> A few weeks ago, my wife, Nicole, and I visited my son in Chicago. While walking on Navy Pier, Nicole looked at a group of people obviously celebrating a birthday and said, “I love your shirts!” The...
by CJ McClanahan | Jul 31, 2025 | Blog
When asked, “How’s life?” what do you say? <> There have been many times in life when this has been my standard response when asked, “How’s life?” Can you relate? Going forward, I’d challenge us all to resist the urge to complain about how...
by CJ McClanahan | Jul 24, 2025 | Blog
What will make you happiest: vacation, a new set of golf clubs, that promotion…? <> As a selfish human, I often find myself wondering… “How can I make my life more enjoyable?” Should I schedule more vacations, take up golf, or maybe buy a new house?...
by CJ McClanahan | Jul 17, 2025 | Blog
Here’s the 2025 update to the Jim Rohn quote… <> A few weeks after starting my business, I stumbled across a short quote by Jim Rohn that 22 years later continues to influence my daily life. “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most...
by CJ McClanahan | Jul 10, 2025 | Blog
What happens when my wife and I decide to spend our holiday weekend at the in-laws? <> Over this past 4th of July holiday, my wife and I decided to travel to central Illinois and visit her parents. While most of you were sitting at the lake, beach, etc, I was...
by CJ McClanahan | Jul 3, 2025 | Blog
How does the classic overachiever respond when the plan gets disrupted? <> I’m a planner. I carefully lay out my week and day to ensure that I focus on what’s most important and stay productive. There’s nothing wrong with this approach. It has helped me...
by CJ McClanahan | Jun 26, 2025 | Blog
What would you tell your kids as they take their first steps into the real world? Here’s what I said. <> A few weeks ago, we dropped our son off in Chicago for a summer internship. Over the past few months, I’ve thought about all the “brilliant” business...
by CJ McClanahan | Jun 19, 2025 | Blog
Rage is really just a mask for this tricky emotion that likes to hide behind anger’s facade. <> There’s a handful of topics that tend to take my anger meter from a 1 to a 10 in seconds. One minute, I’m sitting, enjoying time with the family, and the...
by CJ McClanahan | Jun 12, 2025 | Blog
The next time you make a mistake (and you will), resist the blame game. Try these four steps instead. <> Last week, I made a big mistake. Initially, my gut instinct was to look for someone or something else to blame for the screw up. It soon became abundantly...
by CJ McClanahan | Jun 5, 2025 | Blog
No matter what well-meaning parents, teachers, coaches, etc. have told you throughout the years, you can’t do “anything you set your mind to.” <> I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but until we recognize that our skills, time, and capacity are finite, we’ll...
by CJ McClanahan | May 29, 2025 | Blog
What if, instead of focusing all our energy on our own mission and purpose, we brought that kind of intention to understanding others? <> “Know Thyself” You’ve undoubtedly heard this philosophical maxim, often attributed to Socrates. For thousands...
by CJ McClanahan | May 22, 2025 | Blog
The classic overachiever believes a free afternoon is their opportunity to be as productive as possible. Here’s another opinion… <> A few weeks ago, I (unexpectedly) found myself with a wide-open afternoon on my schedule.Initially, I was excited,...
by CJ McClanahan | May 15, 2025 | Blog
Overachievers sometimes forget that changing their situation is merely a matter of adopting a different perspective. <> Several years ago, one of my mentors gave me the following guidance as I was wrestling with a challenging issue: He taught me that, “What you...
by CJ McClanahan | May 8, 2025 | Blog
Overachievers feel deep in their soul that they’re destined for “big things.” But what happens when the mountain top moments aren’t enough? <> For much of my adult life, I assumed that I was destined for “big” things. I set ambitious...
