by CJ McClanahan | Apr 20, 2023 | Blog
We’ve been told many times by professional growth “gurus” (guilty as charged), that we should live a life with no limits. I’m fully on board with one interpretation of this message – You shouldn’t place limits on your future abilities just because you’ve never...
by CJ McClanahan | Apr 13, 2023 | Blog
We live in a society obsessed with accomplishment. Our heroes are professional athletes, celebrities, and social media influencers. We’ve convinced ourselves that individual achievement is the surest path to success and that this alone will make us...
by CJ McClanahan | Apr 6, 2023 | Blog
We are all rational human beings. However, I’ve been through enough therapy in my life to know that we are also a product of our environments. Our belief system is initially influenced by our family and close friends. Next, it’s heavily influenced by social (and...
by CJ McClanahan | Mar 30, 2023 | Blog
I want to live a life characterized by sharing abundantly (time and money) with those who are less fortunate. Some days I live that out, but many times I put off helping those who really need it. I rationalize that by promising that I’ll give “as soon as”...
by CJ McClanahan | Mar 23, 2023 | Blog
Microstress is an accumulation of small events that build over time. They are seemingly insignificant obstacles that we easily overcome. On their own, they’re not so bad. Our bodies are extremely good at navigating stress – big events that trigger a...
by CJ McClanahan | Mar 16, 2023 | Blog
In The Road to Character, David Brooks asks two important questions: What does life want from me? What are my circumstances calling me to do? You’ll notice a slight difference between this inquiry and everything else you read, watch, and listen to from the...
by CJ McClanahan | Mar 9, 2023 | Blog
Most overachievers believe that out-doing everyone else is the best path to being successful. This belief leads to a long list of goals designed to maximize our capabilities (and eventually impress our social media followers). We can’t imagine a weekend without a...
by CJ McClanahan | Mar 2, 2023 | Blog
Intellectually, we get it. We understand that some people are born with a full head of overflowing hair while others are almost completely bald by the age of 30. (20 years later, this one still stings a little.) But even though our rational, thinking brain appreciates...
by CJ McClanahan | Feb 23, 2023 | Blog
In 2014, Timothy Wilson conducted a study in which participants stated that they would pay money to avoid an electric shock. No surprises there. However, once they were left alone in the lab room, the inactivity became too much to bear, and people sought to fill the...
by CJ McClanahan | Feb 21, 2023 | Podcast
How do you build a foundation for a happy and joy filled life, regardless of your circumstances? Kristi Nelson, author of Wake Up Grateful will help you understand why living gratefully is so difficult in our world, and how gratitude as a habit – not an...
by CJ McClanahan | Feb 16, 2023 | Blog
It’s not unusual for one of my executive coaching clients to begin a meeting with, “I apologize in advance but, today I need some couch time.” Whether you recognize it or not, every conversation we have involves some “therapy”. Smart, driven, overachieving...
by CJ McClanahan | Feb 9, 2023 | Blog
Recently, I did something that would have been nearly impossible 10 years ago… I stopped reading a book before it was completed. I understand how ridiculous that sounds, but the truth is that for much of my adult life I never put a book down until it was completed...
by CJ McClanahan | Feb 2, 2023 | Blog
If you were to look at the lives of executives in the United States, here’s what you’d find: Their household income is greater than 95% of families in the U.S., which easily places them in the top 1% globally. They live in large homes, drive nice cars, and take great...
by CJ McClanahan | Jan 26, 2023 | Blog
I tend to be a little “hyper-judgmental”. I overhear a conversation at a restaurant and immediately assume that the table next to me is filled with idiots. I watch a parent under/over discipline a child and wonder if you should have to pass a 12-month...
by CJ McClanahan | Jan 19, 2023 | Blog
There was once a time in our country when you stopped purchasing stuff when you ran out of room in your home. Then, in the late 1960’s, America was introduced to the concept of self-storage (or mini warehousing). A little more than 50 years later, we now have more...
by CJ McClanahan | Jan 12, 2023 | Blog
Embrace that life is meant to be experienced… not mastered. This past Sunday, I dropped my son off at school for the 2nd semester of his freshman year (I almost cried but held it together). My parting words included something along the lines of… “Take...
