Blog | findmycenter

Whoooaaahhh!

Stephen
Dec 18, 2025
2 min read

I've had the honor of witnessing firsthand this holiday season through the eyes of a 2 & ½ year old. Let me just say it's been magical!

One of the things this toddler has inherited is a family tradition where one of Santa's elves comes to your house every night starting on December 1^st and leaves a small package for you if you leave your shoes outside of your room. It has some loose connection to an Icelandic tradition about 13 Yule Lads who visit the children of that country, but regardless of its origins, this tradition has been a gift to me this year.

Every morning I've gotten to watch a video of this sleepy toddler find their package from the elf and open it. And without fail, and no matter what is inside the bag, the response is always this genuine joy that comes out in a, "Whoooaaahhh!" Melts my heart every day!

Earlier this week I was watching one of these videos with my usual big, cheesy grin on my face, and the thought occurred to me, "I need to embrace more Whoooaaahhh in my life!"

There are so many small opportunities where I could find genuine joy in a moment of awe and wonder, but I don't seem to let those moments linger. I understand that with the pressures of life and adulthood, it's often more difficult to see these moments through those eyes of innocence, but I think if I were to slow down, and actually notice more, my life and heart would be fuller and richer because of it.

Of course, this also made me think of you today, wondering how all of our lives might be enriched if we were to embrace more Whoooaaahhh. Are there places or relationships that immediately come to your mind where you might be able to find some of that Whoooaaahhh for yourself? How could you adjust your perspective, so you were seeing the world with a little more childlike innocence? If you were to pay attention to the small moments today, no matter what they contained, could you embrace a little more awe and wonder in your life, and how might you share that with the people around you?

Here's to embrace more Whoooaaahhh in our lives this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

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Intention

Stephen
Dec 11, 2025
3 min read

I recently read something that a wise, elderly sage said is one of their daily prayers.

"God, help me to be the kind of old person young people want old people to be. Help me not just to talk like this but help me to walk around like this and answer the phone like this and talk to my grandchildren like this."

Regardless of your spiritual practice, I was really struck by this thoughtful desire, especially since I am also advancing in years and discovering the definitions of "old" seems to be changing!! It also made me think about it in an expanded way for all of us. What if we modified it slightly and made it work for anyone, regardless of their age?

"Help me be the kind of person others want me to be. Help me not just to talk like this, but help me walk around like this and answer the phone like this and talk to anyone like this."

It's about setting an Intention and living and acting from that Intentional perspective.

I actually got a chance to witness this in action this week. I was attending a community event that had some tension and contentious conversations in it, and I saw a few folks engaging with people I didn't think should be listened to (clearly, I need these reminders for myself!). Afterwards, when I checked in with one of my friends who was engaged in those contentious chats, I asked them how it went. I was expecting them to immediately say something like, "it was awful!" since that's what I thought it would (and if I'm honest, should) be. To my surprise, they told me they actually felt pretty good about it and that the other person seemed more open than they thought they would be. My friend was engaging with this type of Intention in their conversation, so rather than matching the contentious energy of the other person, they engaged with the Intention of who they wanted to be in the world and how they thought others would actually want them to be. I was able to witness them embody this desire, and it made a difference!

"Help me be the kind of person others want me to be. Help me not just to talk like this, but help me walk around like this and answer the phone like this and talk to anyone like this."

I really appreciate my friend acting in this way, and through their Intentional example, reminding me of just how important this is.

As you think about this desire in your own life, where are the spaces it feels hard to lean in with this attitude? Perhaps it would also be helpful to consider who are the people you need to engage with in this way? Are there contentious spaces or individuals you know are happening around you, and how could you approach them with this kind of Intention? What impact might occur if we took this kind of Intentional approach in the world in the way we talked and walked and answered the phone?

Here's to leaning in with positive Intention in the world this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Showing Up

Stephen
Dec 4, 2025
2 min read

I was chatting with a friend earlier this week who is planning to go see his grandkids in their church Christmas musical soon. I've certainly been to a lot of those over the years, and 'm sure I was even in them when I was a kid! That got me thinking about the impact of showing up for the people in our lives.

You know the scene, a group of kids are performing, and they are desperately scanning the audience to see if they can find their people, and then the moment of recognition happens and their face breaks into a huge smile with an excited wave. Or maybe you've seen some of those videos of people who have been gone for a while, and they show up at the door of the house on Thanksgiving or Christmas as a surprise for their family? Gets me every time!

Showing up matters.

But here's the thing, it doesn't just have to be something like a performance or a long, lost surprise visit. Showing up in the everyday also matters.

I have a coworker who recently lost his 94-year-old mother, and I witnessed several moments when other coworkers took a minute to ask him how he was doing. Small gestures of showing up that I could tell really made an impact on him. I also know of a person who moved into a new house and their dryer plug wasn't the right fitting for their new place, so their friend came over and took 15 minutes to help change it. It was astonishing to see how much that meant to them. And as a final example of the small ways we can show up, I know of a very influential leader who is responsible for a massive organization, and they regularly walk around their building just to stop, chat and check in with people as they go about their day. Small gesture, huge impact!

Showing up matters. In the big moments and the small ones, and it doesn't matter if it's family, or friends, or coworkers or leaders. Each of us can find a way to show up for others in ways that can bring a smile and a wave!

As you think about the routines of your life, where are the small places you may be able to show up with some purpose and intention in the next week? Are there specific individuals who come to your mind and heart that you sense could use a simple check-in, and what impact do you think that might make if you were to show up in that way for them? Maybe you want to start thinking about a big moment of showing up that you could pull off in the coming weeks or months? I bet it would be powerful!

Here's to Showing Up this week, because it matters!

Be Well,

Stephen