I share through my writing because I’m interested in finding people who enjoy sharing and learning.  The people who get called “They”…you know those people.  “They” say it’s a good idea or “They” say it’s not.  “They” will say that one who is interested in writing or speaking or guiding would benefit from writing, speaking, and guiding about something they know, something that inspires them.

My inspiration- eradicating the belief that anyone of us is “broken”.  Eradicating the anxiety, fear, and depression that are the traditional byproducts of the “broken” mindset.  I know that all-consuming fear that comes from feeling broken – and I’m sure a bunch of you know it too.  It may appear odd that “feeling broken” has turned into an inspiration.  Yes- coming from a man who spends hours each week exploring reasons that had me feel broken led me into a deeper search for understanding.  What I learned as I practiced ways to shift my mindset was this: the most effective way, for me, out of that place was through that place.  Passing through that state of mind started with sharing and dialogue.  Sharing articles, book talks, coaching and sharing with high school kids are the ways I sparked more dialogue (and it was super therapeutic).  The sharing did something for me and for those receiving the sharing - it created more curiosity.  I noticed that questions began coming to me (from the most unlikely people).  People made statements about their lives and taught me about how they were feeling.  They shared what had them feeling this sense of “broken”, and these talks were inspirational.  Energy begets energy and that would mean sharing begets sharing.  More and more sharing (with hundreds of people) and the topics were bad-ass: anxiety, careers, relationships, parenting, depression, money…we kept sharing and the more we shared the more I learned and the less broken I felt.  I want to share more and I want to learn more- who’s in?

We have all heard phrases like, toughen-up, buck-up, man-up, or woman-up.  What if we dialogued-up?  I’m gathering data that suggests that the lives we choose were meant to be appreciated as the ultimate adventure in learning and too many of us are riddled with the fear and anxiety that comes from feeling broken and that is preventing us from learning and growing, so I’d like to dialogue more (with all of you).  Get a group together and we can all chat.  If you want to share 1:1, we can meet for coffee or a drink or a dinner and the discussions can be rooted in sharing, teaching, learning- that’s true dialogue.  That feeling of “being broken” is a lie that I told myself and then I did the most damaging thing imaginable, I believed the lie- the lie of lack, the lie of not being “enough”.  Please don’t do that to yourself.  If you haven’t done that- excellent, yet share with me anyway because I want to learn how you prevented buying into that garbage lie I’d told myself.  If you do feel a bit busted up or confused about life’s journey- excellent, share with me, so we can work together and remind each other that life has all kinds of fun waiting for us to explore.  Does anyone know someone who might benefit from some sharing and some learning?  I believe you are out there.  I’d enjoy learning from you. 

If you enjoy these posts – you might enjoy a copy of my book, “Happiness is Over There” – which is a personal memoir detailing the stories, learnings, and exercises I used to shift my life from dark and chaotic to a life of light and productivity.  Through Paperclip Thinking LLC, I also support group and individual coaching sessions as well as book talks for groups of 15-20.  You can buy a signed copy at www.paperclipthinking.com or you can email me at travis@paperclipthinking.com to arrange book delivery or set up coaching and group talks/sessions.