With a little spark...

Once, a million years ago, a respected peer called me a Maven in the Malcolm Gladwell sense: I like to learn about a variety of things and I like to talk about those things, and I am lucky to have a solid bunch of people who trust my judgement about those things. 

As I went about my newly minted Maven-eseque life, my intended pursuit was illuminated to the point I couldn’t unsee it:

I teach, I share, I write, not because I know more, but because I am so positive that if others saw what I saw, met the fascinating humans I met, read what I read, they would be as into these things as I am, and then they would do more with them. They would become Mavens in the true sense.

They wouldn’t be Janes-of-all-trades, but actual experts—innovators, world changers, souls so rich they couldn’t help but live vibrant, joy-filled lives no matter their circumstances.

MavenYou is a place to spark the curiosity that leads to the deep-dives necessary for mastery. You’re the maven-in-training, visiting Maven U to discover a thing to run with— even if that thing is simply a better relationship with your partner, greater spiritual strength, or trust in yourself. Those are not small things, as any joyful person will tell you.

I believe life is most richly lived when based upon three pillars: healthy connection with others, a quest to know God, and an ever-evolving interest in the world around you. This interest leads to knowing and respecting yourself more, and it leads to serving others better.

Love, God, Self. That’s it. 

MavenYou is not another place to tell you big change is in order; but it’s not a place to tell you the work is complete, either. The focus here is refinement: a steady flow of incremental efforts applied to already good things. That leads to the Good Life.

The secret to the Good Life is realizing that you’re already living it. I’m just here to help you notice.

Inside MavenYou you’ll find three themes:

Water: Relationship Refinement- I used to symbolize refinement with fire, as in, the Refiner’s Fire. But I realized that water is a more fitting representation for how gentle, consistent, and forgiving efforts work to soften and strengthen relationships over time. Water can turn a mountain into sand, but only with resilient and steady progress.

Light: God and Spirituality. I used to keep this topic out of my relationships or “life” posts. Then I realized my relationships and my life are based on a foundation of the Love of God, so trying to keep the topic out of my writing was a near impossibility.

City: These are the Maven posts, focused on the vibrancy and connection to life outside of yourself and your home. We can navel-gaze all day, but until those sparks of self-improvements are put to work in reaching and supporting those outside our comfort walls, they won’t catch fire and create true inner change.