by CJ McClanahan | Sep 3, 2026 | Blog
Overachievers tend to let their minds drift from the present moment. There’s a problem with that. <> The human brain tends to drift out of the present.We’re convinced that pulling forward yesterday’s or tomorrow’s problems and analyzing them to...
by CJ McClanahan | Aug 27, 2026 | Blog
What if you’re spending time fighting an emotion that won’t pass until it’s been fully felt? <> I like to think of myself as a relatively positive person. I do my best to see the glass as half full and look for the good in most situations. But it’s not easy....
by CJ McClanahan | Aug 20, 2026 | Blog
It might be time to consider a “pattern interrupt”. <> Recently, I had someone tell me that they were in a “rut”. They were working hard but struggling to generate any momentum or make any meaningful progress. Every morning felt like Groundhog Day...
by CJ McClanahan | Aug 13, 2026 | Blog
A small change in wording can change how you view your day. <> This is, as most of you know, a lie. You have the same number of hours in the day as a teacher raising kids who takes courses at night to get a graduate degree, the CEO of a billion-dollar company,...
by CJ McClanahan | Aug 6, 2026 | Blog
The gift of looking back is simple: it reveals most clearly whether our time was spent on the people and things that mattered most. <> I spent this past weekend in Illinois celebrating my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday. We ate lots of homemade food, watched a...
by CJ McClanahan | Jul 30, 2026 | Blog
Overachievers sometimes teach themselves that the real value is in a single giant change that dramatically changes their trajectory in one move. <> I just completed a 100-day course discussing one of my favorite topics – gratitude. I’d love to say that...
by CJ McClanahan | Jul 23, 2026 | Blog
It’s the question every overachiever asks themselves but never finds an answer. <> Have you ever wondered, “How much is enough?”Most people obsess over this question, and their answer always seems to include the phrase “a little bit more”.Even though we...
by CJ McClanahan | Jul 16, 2026 | Blog
The problem for overachievers is not capacity. It’s an inability to allot enough mental energy to focus on what’s most important. <> Are you overcommitted? I’ve asked my clients this question hundreds of times over the last 23 years. Before adding...
by CJ McClanahan | Jul 9, 2026 | Blog
The personal development industry (of which I am a card-carrying member) is obsessed with the idea that every problem in our lives can (and should) be fixed. <> This focus has led to thousands of amazing books, podcasts, and seminars delivering significant...
by CJ McClanahan | Jul 2, 2026 | Blog
It can be an overachiever’s greatest challenge to name the beliefs that have mistakenly fueled their efforts… and the greatest opportunity to finally gain what they’ve been searching for all this time…. <> A mentor of mine recently...
by CJ McClanahan | Jun 25, 2026 | Blog
Can you remember the last time you received a handwritten note from someone who wasn’t a relative? <> I’ve asked this question many times over the years, and most people can not only remember the last note they received, but also who sent it.For whatever...
by CJ McClanahan | Jun 18, 2026 | Blog
Overachievers often forget that we don’t control life’s outcomes. <> We expect certain things out of life: Fun vacations Career advancement Rising 401k values Healthy family relationships Low stress Etc. When life meets our expectations, everything...
by CJ McClanahan | Jun 11, 2026 | Blog
It’s tempting to think that big change will come from big actions. But what if the opposite is true? <> Recently, I walked past one of those “Be Kind” signs along a trail near my house. It made me smile. It also made me think: what if this simple advice...
by CJ McClanahan | Jun 4, 2026 | Blog
Sometimes the biggest obstacle to our own development… is how we talk to ourselves when no one else can hear. <> I would never talk to another person the way that I sometimes talk to myself. I often take one small mistake and turn it into a massive flaw...
by CJ McClanahan | May 28, 2026 | Blog
It’s humbling to remember that we all die, yet some of life’s deepest joys become available when we have the courage to face that truth. <> Spoiler alert… Life ends. It is finite. It doesn’t go on forever. Because of this truth, our responsibility is to be...
by CJ McClanahan | May 21, 2026 | Blog
As an empty nester, I find myself feeling something I couldn’t have imagined a few years ago… boredom. <> No longer are my days filled with shuttling kids between practices or attending school events. Now, I find myself looking at an empty weekend...
