“If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present.”

― Lao Tzu

Beginning the newest iteration of my blog with this quote feels like the perfect starting point due to the significance of these words, and the impact they’ve had on my thoughts since the moment I consumed them on October 10th, 2013 (thanks Facebook).

I’m a 46 year old husband and father of five awesome kids (Matt 25, Kaitlin 20, Taylor 18, Alexa 14, and Oliver 19 months). I recently celebrated my 10 year wedding anniversary with my bride Amanda, who I absolutely consider the cornerstone of my life.

I’ve been the CEO and Co-Founder of MINDSCAPE for the past 15 years, and have been heavily involved in the marketing world for the past 26 years. I love helping organizations grow by sharing what I’ve learned through consulting or through curriculum I’ve developed and delivered over my career.

I’m very proud of the fact that I’m a citizen of the great State of Michigan, as well as a resident of Grand Rapids, a city which has evolved into one of the most desirable cities in the United States. I show my pride by getting involved to help make the community a better place for everyone who visits or calls it home.

I am also a passionate outdoors enthusiast and absolutely love hitting the North Country Trail and wandering through the woods as far away from the comforts of life as possible. I find a tremendous amount of energy and mental clarity when I’m out there. It’s like an addiction where even the thought of being there, helps bring a feeling of peace.

I tell you all of this about me to simply set the stage as I share my story, my philosophy, and my thoughts on life. We all have a lot on our plates, and it’s very easy to get so caught up in the “I’m so busy” lifestyle, that we forget to STOP….take a breath….and enjoy life. This reality for is what made this quote resonate with me so strongly when I first heard it.

I’ve never really struggled with depression, as I don’t regret my past actions. I’m not saying I’ve never made mistakes, because I’m proud to say that I make mistakes DAILY. I simply believe that everything I’ve done to this point in my life, has made me who I am, and I can honestly say I’m happy with who I’ve become.

I have definitely spent quite a bit of time feeling anxious about the future, and have had my fair share of “the sky is falling” moments where my mind races to the worst possible scenario, and I find myself seemingly paralyzed by fear of a scenario which will probably never occur. As ridiculous as this seems to me, as I look back objectively, I still struggle sometimes to be released from the clutches of anxiety when it grabs me.

I’ve also spent a significant amount of time in my head as I’ve “sleep walked” through life while fixating on thoughts of the future, what other people might be thinking or saying, or obsessing over trivial events, instead of using my senses to appreciate the moment in time that I’m fortunate enough to be experiencing.

I’ll be using this blog to explore my thoughts and feelings on living a life much more grounded in the present. I’ll share my experiences and insights which have helped me gain perspective, and allowed me to clear out the mind clutter that has gotten in the way as I try to get more out of life.

I am also using this blog to capture the “life lessons” I’ve gained in hopes that my kids can learn and avoid going down some of the painful roads I’ve traveled down. Fortunately my kids don’t have the same bullheaded, “I know everything” attitude I had when I was their ages, so I have hope that they’ll understand that my years on this planet have provided me with wisdom they can learn from.

Thank you for taking the time to read my words, and for allowing me to share my experiences with you. I’ll do my best to honor your attention by creating content that is interesting, and that helps you in some way, shape or form. If you’d like to be notified each time I write a new post, just enter your name over on the left side of this page, and you’ll get each post delivered right to your inbox.

Until next time …. Enjoy each moment!

Pete