I've been sharing quotes from my reading lists. As was true for Winter 2021, Fall 2020, and Summer 2020, this latest lineup features diverse characters:

• Human behavior researchers
• Businesspeople
• University professors
• Lawyer
• Catholic saint
• Leadership coach
• Holocaust survivor
• Pastors

Thanks to them, living and deceased, for their works:

“More often than not, our values are what lead us to the arena door—we’re willing to do something uncomfortable and daring because of our...

As of today, I’m no longer working full-time at EnergyCAP. I’ve moved to part-time status to make room for growing Chris Heinz Co. and the Life Calling Institute. I’m grateful for my history and excited about the future.

Five years ago almost to the day, I posted this on Facebook:

It was an opportunity to shift my career from software marketing to personal development. Like new steps, I didn’t know how it would go, but I knew that personal development was the kind of...

My Winter 2021 reading list was made possible by many exciting and diverse people. There were athletes and activists, scholars and entertainers, preachers and businesspeople. Some were a couple of these at once!

I'm grateful for their lessons, stories, and inspiration, which all came at a cost to them. Their marks have made their way into my life and work, and if you follow the Life Calling Institute or other blog posts, you'll see them too. 

We previously shared our Summer 2020 and Fall...

One of my top strengths is being committed to growth and progress in my life and others' lives. (In CliftonStrengths®, this is called Developer®). If you looked at me, you would find various ways this strength plays out, including reading books. But not just any kind of book.

I don't read e-books because e-books don't feel real to me. Reading a book is a sensory experience, like making coffee or gardening may be to others. I need to feel the book in my hands, hear the sound of...

This summer I read a lot of great books on coaching, professional development, strengths, Enneagram, and spiritual growth. There was a lot that moved me. Here are 10 impactful quotes from my reading list. I resisted commenting and instead let them speak for themselves:

“Friends are people you make part of your life just because you feel like it.”

Frederick Buechner, Listening to Your Life

“Sustained success comes only when you take what’s unique about you and figure...

Today is July 1, which means it’s now the second half of 2020. This year isn’t going the way we thought it would when it started. But we thought it worthwhile to look back at the first half of the year and then look forward to what's coming.

Developments

Although this year has been really hard for a number of reasons, there were good leaps forward. Thanks for sticking with us.

This year we:

• Launched our new website
• Launched our online Enneagram course
• Started the Enneagram +...

I came across the speech I wrote as a senior in high school. That was 1995 and I was 17. Popular were the “Things I Learned…” books, so in 1995 I wrote the 95 things I’ve learned so far. Here they are in original form, that is, unedited. I still agree with most of them, although I would love to rewrite a few.

When I was assigned to write a speech about my experiences thus far, I immediately felt overwhelmed. How could I possibly include every moment that has been...

Dec. 30, 2019

On Christmas Day, I went to the emergency room with pain in my left chest and trouble breathing. After a series of scans and blood tests, the doctors concluded I had a blood clot in my left lung. Officially it's called a pulmonary embolism.

"So I won't be going home tonight?" I asked.

The doctor's serious, I-know-more-than-you look on his face answered the question.

Apparently a pulmonary embolism is serious. Each year 60,0000 - 100,000 people die from it and it calls for...

Note: This guest post is an open letter from my wife to the members of the Penn State fraternity in our hometown, who photographed nude pictures of unconscious women and posted them online.

March 20, 2015

Dear Young Men of Kappa Delta Rho,

Take a moment and dream with me:

It’s graduation. You worked this season the hardest you knew how. So you graduate, celebrate, say goodbye to the chapters of your life you will never redo again. Excited because you got a job in your field. Not a dream...

Note: I had the deep honor of delivering the eulogy at Grandpa Jack’s funeral.

October 28, 2011
Allentown, PA

I’m glad you’re here today.

A few years ago, Jack gave me a clock. His father gave it to him. It was a desk clock and originally had little arms on which it rested. But the arms had fallen off, so I made it into a pocket watch. A picture of it is in your program.

On a recent visit, I showed it to Jack. He held it, swirling the circumference with his fingers. “I...