The Adventure

Arete ( /ˈærətiː/; Greek: ἀρετή), in its basic sense, means excellence of any kind.  In its earliest appearance in Greek, this thought of excellence was ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one’s full potential.

Just think of what would be possible if we lived this way, trying to use up every last drop of ourselves during our short time here.  The apostle Paul lived this way.

Imagine what could be done to spread God’s Word to the ends of the Earth if we lived this way too…

We would change the world, leave a legacy, and live a lifetime of adventure.  May we all strive for Arete.

Have you ever desired to change the world with your words?  To make your own dent in the universe?  If you know what I’m talking about, then we have something in common.

We want to be writers.

We want to be communicators.

We want to be influencers.  But…

Wanting is not enough.  How do we remove the shroud and become writers?

Enter: You Are a Writer by Jeff Goins.

(more…)

Note: Mixing it up today with a poetry post. It’s darker in tone, but speaks to things like vision and responsibility, and what happens when they are absent. 

The City is Contagious

Empty streets, crowded alleys
not a soul to be seen
unless you know where to look.
Change is in the air
traveling as hushed whispers
and uncertain glances.
An invisible feeling is
ever-present in the hearts and minds
of those who call this home
casting shadows darker than before.
Sinister plans disguised as hope
and catalyzed with fear
abscond with our ambition and
weaken our resolve
as we feign ignorance
to avoid responsibility
for the decay and depravity
that has crept within our walls.
A black mold plaguing our foundation
that is hiding in plain sight.
Without vision cities perish
consumed by it’s residents
and reduced to ashes.
Unable to sustain life
it is abandoned and forgotten,
the ruins standing as a testament
to our pestilence.

Is your courage showing in your life and art?

Well… is it?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

I’ve been doing some of these handwritten images on facebook and twitter.  This one had a particularly great response, so I wanted to share it here and see the discussion it sparks.  Please share how your dreams have changed or been let go of and why.

Today I was thinking of how many of my friends–offline and online–don’t understand chiropractic, let alone my passion for it.  I get it, as there are many mixed messages out there, including “chiropractors” who try to practice in a medical model treating back pain (we call these people medipractors).  I can see from their perspective it is hard to know what to believe.

Let me share with you what I believe.  

(more…)

I just wrapped up three decades on this big blue ball hurtling through space.  Crazy, I know.  Actually comprehending that sentence propelled me on an introspective journey that I’m going to share with you.  Here we go.

(more…)

I wrote this last night while watching my beautiful pregnant wife sleeping.

This morning I stopped to think about how incredible the world we live in truly is.  Aside from the stunning beauty of creation all around us, there are many reasons why now is the greatest time to be alive.

It is so easy to forget the greatness of now and wax nostalgic for a time that will never return (have you seen Midnight in Paris?  It got me thinking on this track).  This serves as a gentle reminder to myself–and you–to not only be grateful for the present, but to take full advantage of it.

Being alive right now is awesome, and here’s why.

(more…)