Square Peg Round Hole

I got an email last week that I've read fifteen times.

Someone had been reading the book. And at the end of it, they wrote: "Maybe I might just be okay."

I had to put my phone down.

A few days later, I got a phone call—different person, same word. After a long silence, they said, "Maybe I can do one more day."

Not a declaration. Not faith. Just — maybe.

This episode is about that word. What it costs to say it. W...

For thirty years, Tim Eldred taught people how to change. He knew every framework. He'd stood on stages and moved rooms full of people.

And he couldn't change himself.

Not because he wasn't trying. He was trying everything—thinking harder, praying more, begging God to just let him feel like he was actually living his own life. Nothing moved.

Then his health collapsed. His faith crashed. He spent six months cussing God o...

Last week, this episode didn't drop. Life made other plans—an unplanned flight to Minnesota, a father-in-law in the hospital, a week that looked nothing like the schedule. And the framework held.

Not because circumstances cooperated. Because the rhythms were built before the crisis hit. That's the difference between a strategy and a system. And it's exactly what this episode is about.

Today, Tim walks through all five ...

You've tried the programs. Hired the coaches. Read the books. Set the goals. And something still won't move.

The personal development industry has a very convenient explanation for that: you. Your mindset. Your discipline. Your willingness to do the work.

They're wrong. And in this episode, Tim Eldred names the thing nobody in that industry wants to say out loud—because saying it blows up the business model.

The reason ...

After an extended absence, Tim is back—and he's not coming back empty-handed. 

A brain aneurysm. A rare nerve condition. A body that stopped cooperating. And 35 years of knowing how to help people change—none of it working when he was the one who needed to change.

That's where this starts.

In this episode, Tim tells the full story he's never told: what broke down, what he found in the science, and what he spent two year...

In this conversation, Tim talks with Beth Abbott who shares her journey of hitting rock bottom and finding redemption. She discusses the events that led to her national news coverage, including a DUI accident that injured pedestrians. Beth opens up about her struggles with depression, PTSD, and hiding her sexuality. She talks about the pressure she felt to meet others' expectations and how she used alcohol and desensitization ...

You don’t want to miss this episode. In my opinion anyway (but I’m biased).

Clearly, I’ve been away from the microphone for a few weeks—much longer than even I expected for sure. But I’ve had good reason. And the lessons I’ve been learning during this hiatus have only helped to strengthen what I’ve been wanting to say to my loyal listeners as I talk openly about my recent experiences. 

As you can ascertain from the title, my emphasis...

Sometimes life feels insurmountable. Those are the moments when you don't believe you have the strength or stamina to overcome the obstacles in your path—the seasons when you seriously consider giving up.

You're not alone. We all face seasons in life when molehills feel like mountains. But there's always hope if we will learn to pause long enough to catch our breath and recalibrate to do the climb that lies ...

"If it doesn't bring you peace, profit, or purpose, then don't give it your time, energy, or attention." —Unknown

I posted that quote on social media over the last few days. As you might suppose, the response was affirming. Because it just makes sense, right? 

So why does such simple wisdom appear to be so difficult to implement in our lives? Why do we give our time, energy, and attention away ...

No one likes to admit the possibility they might create the majority of their own problems or that they are the source of their own pain. Even considering the idea is slightly embarrassing. Or shameful.

But is it true?

I hate to be the one to tell you, but it’s true. Most of our pain is self-inflicted.

Deliberately? Not usually. Inadvertently? Most likely.

Until we even ponder that possibility,...