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A thank you, 10 years in the making
Ten years ago, cancer almost killed me. Blood donors saved my life. And for that, I just want to say thanks.
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Practicing gratitude: Lessons learned from duct tape and diarrhea
Gratitude. What’s so special about it, how can we cultivate more of it in our lives and what does it have to do with a wicked case of diarrhea?
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What a snowy beat-down taught me about success
In this video story, I recount the fateful winter day my nearly naked brother and I ran a snowy gauntlet in an attempt to win five bucks… Yeah, looking back it doesn’t make much sense to me either. Like this story? Then check out my book Misadventure Musings: Lessons learned from life’s awesome and absurd…
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Luck: Lessons learned from a man named Frank
We all like to think we’re in control of our lives. But as I learned from a fellow cancer patient, luck is still very much part of the equation. “I’ll see you when you get out,” I said, shaking Frank’s hand. Part of me knew I was lying. I’m no doctor, but I had a…
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Handing over the reins: Lessons learned from banshee babies and buttered butts
As I learned from being a terrible babysitter, the best bosses don’t freak out when mistakes are made and give their employees time to get better at their job. I don’t have kids. But I’ve got to think that trusting your children with a babysitter can be a nerve-wracking experience. Particularly if that babysitter is…
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Why “Never give up” can be awful advice: Lessons learned from sleeping on a woodpile in a snowstorm
Perseverance and commitment are awesome. But as an ill-fated camping trip in March taught me, sometimes we just need to know when to quit.
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Refugee Connections: Lessons learned from digging wells in Ghana
I arrived at the Liberian refugee camp in darkness. Without electricity, it was hard to see much of anything in this settlement outside of Accra, Ghana, where more than 40,000 asylum seekers lived. Our van’s headlights offered us myopic glimpses of our surroundings as the driver slowly navigated the maze of rutted, dirt roads toward…
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5 Cultural Traditions the World Needs More Of
I recently had the opportunity to guest blog on Steve Aitchison’s Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life site. Pop on over to have a looksie, and while you’re at it be sure to check out the other great personal development articles there! Click here to read my article 5 Cultural Traditions the World Needs More…
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How to cope and keep going when times get tough (my guest blog on Tiny Buddha)
Life is full of difficult moments. Sometimes we can find ways around them. A lot of times though, we just need to power through them. I’ve had the good fortune once again to guest blog for the uber-awesome advice website Tiny Buddha, where I share five ways to help you weather the storms life throws…
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How an optimistic attitude can help you succeed
Since my bone marrow transplant in 2008, my blood type has changed from A-Negative to O-Positive. That change has become a metaphor in my life about the importance of turning negative situations into something positive. In this guest blog on the website Wealthy Gorilla, I explore the benefits of a positive attitude in life and…
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Benefits of Camping: Lesssons learned from five farting men in a yurt
Farts. The butt of so many jokes. The joke of so many butts. Growing up, I firmly believed that flatulence was infinitely funny; that cranking one out and laughter went hand in hand. Always. But a winter camping trip with some friends proved I was wrong. Dead, stinking wrong. Emphasis on the stinking.
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Thinking Things Through: Lessons learned from nearly swallowing a severed human toe
There are 3 items on my ultimate bucket list. Joining Captain Dick’s World Famous Sour Toe Cocktail Club is one of them. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this… unusual… drinking tradition, Sour Toe cocktails are found exclusively at the Downtown Hotel bar in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. Entry into the prestigious club…
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Wearing Things Out: Lessons learned from my see-through swim trunks
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. My back sucks. Partly due to bad posture. Partly due to an aversion core-strengthening exercises like sit-ups. Partly due to the unhealthy ergonomics that come with using a kitchen table and wooden chair as a desk.
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Life’s Shortcuts: Lessons learned from a Sunday stroll through stinging nettle
Cutting corners in life can have painful results. Whoever said two heads are better than one clearly weren’t thinking of me and my brother Nicholas. Individually, we could make sensible—even smart—choices. Together? Yeah, not so much. As teenagers, we’d often hatch plans that seldom went smoothly, like the time we decided to embark on a two…
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Life’s Twists and Turns: Lessons learned from three bison
In August 2013, my girlfriend Ashley and I loaded up my Hyundai Accent and struck out from Waterloo, Ontario on our way to Vancouver, British Columbia. We drove through the US on our journey west, and indeed, it was a very American experience.
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Failing Your Way to Success: Lessons learned from being blindfolded and left in a farmer’s field
Whenever my extended family gets together you can usually count on three things: a lot of boxed wine, a lot of Euchre and a lot of jackassery. Our Easter celebration a couple years ago delivered on all three counts and included an activity that my Van Osch cousins came up with: the Blindfold Game.
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Getting Out of Debt: Lessons learned from my sister getting stuck in a pit of clay
A lot of words come to mind when thinking about debt. Stuck. Mired. Drowning. Buried. The images these words conjure up remind me of a story from my childhood. As a kid, my youngest sister Meghan would often join my brother Nicholas and me on our adventures to the “Death Cliffs”. Admittedly, a bit of…
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Life’s Curveballs: Lessons learned from the ugliest pie in the land
Before we somehow managed to find ourselves girlfriends, my roommate Shane and I were typical bachelors in many ways. I had a Superman poster in my bedroom. Shane had a bunch of Star Wars toys in his. The furniture in our place was a mishmash of used pieces, chosen for utility and convenience over what’s…