March 2025
The Power of One Thoughtful Gift
Many of you know that life is pretty full for me these days. Between running a business and raising a family, most of my time is spoken for. What’s left is dedicated to my health, serving others, and the occasional moment with friends. This season of life demands a lot from Shelby and me as parents, and while the challenges won’t disappear, I do believe the intensity will ease over time. Right now, we’re potty training the twins—when they’re done, we’ll officially be done with diapers. Any parent reading this knows that’s a small thing that’s actually a big thing. It doesn’t make sense… until it does.
The Gift…5 minute Journal
Coming into this year, my focus has been on intention. In real estate, it’s easy to get caught up in the business rather than working on the business—focusing on tasks instead of building systems that create real efficiency. It’s also easy to be pulled in a hundred directions by whatever fire needs the most urgent attention. I’m sure many of you can relate, especially if you don’t have a “boss” keeping you accountable. Being your own boss sounds great, but in reality, it’s exhausting if you don’t have structure. That’s why I’ve made it a priority to be intentional with my time every day.
Last year, I set two simple but meaningful goals:
Read something every day—even if it’s just one page.
Exercise for at least 30 minutes, three times a week.
These weren’t huge, complicated goals, but they created momentum. The result? I read 16 books last year (the most I’ve ever read while working full-time), and I haven’t missed a day of reading since December 16, 2023. Some nights, I was falling asleep mid-page just to keep my streak alive, but now, I look forward to it. As for exercise, I’ve stuck to three workouts a week for over 13 months, and I feel stronger and more fit than I have in years.
James Clear, in Atomic Habits, talks about habit stacking—building new habits into existing routines to make them stick. Shelby knew I wanted to be more intentional, so she got me The 5-Minute Journal. Every morning, before anything else, I fill in the date, three things I’m grateful for, three things that would make the day great, and two affirmations. I follow that with reading from my Bible app—then I start making breakfast for the family. This practice forces me to get out of bed when my alarm goes off, and for the past three months, it’s helped me start each day with focus and gratitude. The best part? I now look for daily highlights, because I know I’ll be writing them down at the end of the day.
Many of us who are high achievers tend to focus on what didn’t go well, forgetting the wins that happened along the way. Practicing gratitude shifts that. And trust me, when you’re explaining for the 15,000th time that the potty goes in the toilet, perspective helps.
If there’s something you want to improve, I encourage you to start small. Pick one micro-goal and build from there. I have so many more things I want to add to my routine, but I know this is a process—and I’m in it for the long run.