Intentional Space Creation

Hey Friend,

We made it through another fabulous Christmas season. I hope you had as much fun as I did and were filled with love, gratitude and joy. I made the 11+ hour drive to Oklahoma on Monday and returned on Friday. I rented an AirBnB right in the heart of Edmond. It was a new build in a community of small homes, in walking distance to downtown Edmond. It was nice.

However, I had to transform it into a Christmas home, so I took my tree and decorations and got the whole thing looking Christmasy before I went to bed Monday night. Talk about a long day. But so worth it. I love gazing upon a Christmas tree. Somehow my time alone with the tree becomes a holy moment.

My kids were great. I created a full day schedule that they accommodated willingly and generously. Brunch, baking, a movie, dinner, house-lights-looking and opening presents went for 12 hour straight. We are a family of maximizers so they are used to a steady pace of accomplishment on any sort of vacation. I'm grateful.

Family culture is awesome. Since entering into a second marriage, I have been exposed to an entirely different one. It's fascinating to realize our kids personalities are uniquely theirs, but bare a reflection of the fam's culture. It's inescapable. Is it intentional, though? How often are we consciously creating it or does it exist by default?

INVISIBLE

I spend my life compelling and enabling organizations to deliberately "shape environments" for the benefit of everyone involved. From employees to stakeholders to customers, how the relationships interact; and within what values guide them, determine a satisfying fulfillment and meaningful progress. Yet the intangibility of it all is illusive.

It's often compared to a potted plant. The soil, water and sunlight, plus the size of the pot, directly determine the potential of the plant realized. All those are tangible, measurable aspects for growth. Our homes and our workplaces aren't so evident. The traits that do produce visible results:

Ownership    Courage Consistency  Trust Grace     Development

MINDSHIFT

What would it look like for you to intentionally create a space where all of your potential could be actualized?

In just a few days it will be New Years Eve. This is my favorite holiday. The reset. The reinvigorated focus. Letting go of what was, anticipating what will be. The opportunity to reimagine. Mostly the pause to settle on the direction we're already going with considerations for what nuanced elements could be added or subtracted, that would be a blessing in our lives and the lives of those we love.

Often it's a time for goal setting. I listened to Atomic Habits on my drive and James Clear makes the distinction between goals and the systems/process/habits it takes to achieve those goals. I'm daring to take it a step further.

What is the environment like that those systems are being implemented?

As you finish off the last of the holiday treats and hunker down to launch into 2026, I hope you purposely contemplate the space you are creating for you, your fam, your work and your future to thrive in. It rubs off on everyone it touches. The longer we're exposed to it, the more deeply it defines us whether we realize it or not.

What three words do you want to describe your home?

What three words do you want to describe your work?

What three words do you want to describe you?

Enjoy these last few days of 2025 and get ready for the most amazing 2026 you could ever imagine!