I’ll be quick. Here’s the thing: change is hard. And, as Michael Bungay Stanier says, “hard change needs a new operating system. Despite striving for change, a lot of the time—without even realizing it—we’re incredibly committed to maintaining the status quo. Here’s a visual to chew on…

There were 24 sets of eyes on me. At that point in the training, complete strangers. “Will you stand up with me, Reed, and show me what you were doing?” No part of me wanted to stand up. I wanted to stay in my comfort zone: sitting down, elbows and arms firmly planted…

Sometimes those closest to us tell us the things we need—but maybe don’t want—to hear. “Reed, you play the victim role a lot.” I think that’s why I fell in love with Julie—the sweet nothings she’s been whispering in my ear since 2018…

In 2019, Gustav Iden won the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France. Two years later, in 2021, he won the race again in St. George, UT. Meanwhile, his compatriot, Kristian Blummenfelt, was also racking up accomplishments: the 2020 Triathlon Olympic Champion, a world best time for the Ironman that same year, and then he was crowned…

I’m not really sure how to make sense of this: I keep seeing bald eagles. And, I’m seeing them at really weird times. Times when I feel incredibly present—in the moment—with what I’m doing. And, what I’m doing is…

Ezekiel walked into daycare by himself last Thursday. That day I also made it to his daycare, and then to my new office, without the help of GPS. Our recent move back to Minnesota from Florida has been much easier than the reverse direction we went in 2 years ago…

I get overwhelmed when I buy a new toothbrush—the wall of options paralyzes me. Geez, should I get the hard or soft bristle one? Oh, wait, there’s a medium one!? That one has different colored bristles—maybe that’s better!? Gosh, there’s one…

I started doing a little math this week. Running 4 miles takes me roughly 30 minutes. In the scheme of 24 hours, that’s not a lot of time. A little bit of work for a little bit of time. Little consistent steps…

This past Saturday I did something out of the ordinary for me. It was spurred by something I’ve learned about myself: I’ve got some work to do when it comes to developing a growth mindset. Namely, I have a habit of…

About 7 years ago, I was biking home from work while it was raining. I took a right turn on a section of road with a white-striped crosswalk—what I just learned is called a zebra crossing. As my back tire hit a white painted section of the road…

In January, I committed to a weekly newsletter/blog. It’s now September. My typical routine is to start noodling on an idea on Monday, sit down at my computer on Tuesday morning to get a first draft done, and then use Wednesday…

I’ve been thinking a lot about change lately. Yesterday, I facilitated a session for an organization that is going through a massive strategy change. Over two years ago, the world changed. As a result, the business had to change. This change…

Yesterday, Julie asked me: “What’s something you’re really proud of?” Without hesitation: “Learning how to solve the Rubik’s Cube.” I learned how to solve it while I was in graduate school. Perhaps it was a form of procrastination. I remember a graduate school colleague…

A number of years ago, I came across a swimming video breaking down the breaststroke pullout. I’ve always loved the details of swimming, and this drill series gave me details to obsess over. To this day…

I got sober when I was 20. November 1, 2000 was an incredibly important marker in my life. November 1, 2000 was my start. For years I focused on what I needed to do on a daily basis—habits—to keep building an important body of work. I stopped for one day…

What rule are you applying to your goal? “My Olympic coach told me after a particularly challenging workout where I could not hit my splits before going to the Rio Olympics that it was okay. It’s the rule of…”

A couple of weeks ago, I worked with a team on their individual and collective BIG, SCARY, HAIRY GOALS. After the first session, the leader pulled his team together and said: Here’s the deal: you get to determine where you set your goal. It’s important to know that no matter where you set it, there is a good chance…

This week’s blog has been a challenge. I’ve been thinking a lot about it. So much so that, by my standards, I’m a day late. I’m big on routine. And, when routine works out, I usually spend Wednesday mornings tidying up the week’s blog and then hit publish.Yesterday morning, though, I still…

This past Sunday was my second Father’s Day. I’ve played a lot of roles in life—being a dad is the best one! I woke up to a poster that my wife had created for me along with an arrangement of gifts. Two identical gifts stood out and made me smile ear to ear: water guns with the following inscriptions…

I believe I can break 5 minutes for a 500-yard freestyle. For me, it’s my 4-minute mile. This goal nestled itself in my brain in 2006. I was 26 years old at the time and I fell in love with long-distance swimming. For years, I’ve obsessed over this goal: 20 lengths of the pool holding at or below the following splits…