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How your past shapes your future.

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I was principal at an elementary school that was robbed back in 2013. For 13 years now, I have been doing Victims Impact Panels for the Montana Department of Corrections. Probably have done 75-100 of them. Part of the process is the offenders writing letters to the speakers afterwards. I’ve always valued these as you hope you make an impact. These are a few from a talk I did last week.  As a kid, enduring continuous physical abuse from an older brother, I would wonder why I was going through it. Had times I wanted to end it all to make it stop. Part of the survival of all that shaped me as an educator and school administrator. I was and am anti-bully. Did a TedTalk on it. But it also shaped my response to this crime. I share that with the offenders. You never know how your experiences, good and bad, can shape your future.  I’m now a certified suicide awareness speaker and so leadership and mental wellness trainings across the US, Canada, and elsewhere. ​ One of my favorite say...
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Fathers Day

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A glorious Father’s Day at Top Knot. My oldest is in Barcelona, Spain with his wife and my baby girl is in Arlington, Texas living her best life.  So fortunate to have the amazing kids I have. Yes, at 28 and 30, they are what you might think of as kids, but they’ll always be my kids. So proud of them. I love the people they are and continue to evolve to be.  Meanwhile, at Top Knot, it’s an absolutely perfect first full day of summer. 68 degrees. 30% humidity. Critters enjoying some snacks. And the mountains and Big Sky country just showing off.  I get to look to the future with pride, hope, and deep optimism because of the work and effort of the past. And a whole lot of good fortune and resiliency.  Learn from any and all experiences and always be a dreamer. ​
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How can I help?

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Website is live today. How can I help? ​ https://focusedconsulting.biz/
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Even baby steps are steps

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Little nuggets of more completion at the cabin. And even more toward the relaunch of the consulting company. Feels good to be in a forward direction. I have been able to do a few keynote speaking engagements this spring. Really enjoying it. I have also been fortunate to get the Focused Consulting website redesigned and it is about ready for relaunch. I have come to really enjoy keynoting and I am told I am a great storyteller. I know I have stories to tell. Spending less time working on the cabin this weekend. Front porch is functional and the stairs are on it. Putting in a little time on the books I have in my head to write. There are 5 of them bouncing around up there.  Summer is upon us. I have 5 trips in the queue for the next year. Some to new places and some are return trips. I do love to travel and see things.  I’m a very lucky boy. ​
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What recharges you?

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How quickly things can change. The first three pictures and the second three pictures are 12 hours apart. Montana is often capable of all four seasons in a day. That’s some of the magic and mystique of it.  Once the snow started in earnest, the two ladies in the last pictures came by the cabin. I think they knew how they could and would help calm my soul. The peace of the snow falling, the crackling of the fire in the stove, the rushing of the creek in the distance, and the majesty of the two elk walking through.  What do you do for self care and recharging? Do you see the value in it? Earlier that day, I participated in a suicide awareness walk. As I stood in the gathering area, I was struck by how varied the people were that had been impacted. Some lost siblings, children, parents, friends, co-workers. As individual as fingerprints, so are the impacts and ripples from suicide.  As an educator, I’ve been impacted by students choosing suicide. I’ve seen the brutal impact ...
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“I quote the Stones….”

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​My kids hated when I would say, “I quote the Stones…” because it was usually followed with, “You can’t always get what you want..”  I had a Stones moment this past week. Had something I wanted not go as I had hoped. But, after 59+ years, I’m much better at seeing AND accepting that it happened as it should.  “But if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need….” Not getting something I wanted this week helped further ignite plans and goal for the future and helped me realize I needed to reallocate some time and energy. All good things. And it is a Top Knot weekend. The weather is top shelf. Getting stairs on the deck. Putting the solar panels on racks for greater efficacy and ease of upgrade in the future. And a pop up reminder of what it looked like 2 years ago today. Life is good.  No…life is GREAT! I’m a lucky boy.  “We decided that we would have a soda….my favorite flavor….cherry red….”
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Hello May!

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Gift weekend at Top Knot. Feeling my age a little this weekend. Still get to do all I want…just has a slower pace and a lot more science in it. Poured footers to hold the kids that will be the stair stringers for the steps up to the deck  did a little plumbing work. Tinkers with the solar. This place will never be “done”, but I also had down time. Napped in the sun. Fed the birds and chipmunks.  Amazing how important time away becomes. Clears the mind. Recharges the batteries. Helps provide clarity of purpose and planning. What may the future hold? Ideas are percolating and developing. Stay tuned!  But, life at Top Knot will be about letting the pace be set naturally, not dictated. Less is truly more. ​
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