Posts by mearls
From Aruba to My Kitchen: Homemade Stroopwafels, Gratitude, and Slowing Down
A first-time attempt at homemade stroopwafels inspired by Aruba, with reflections on gratitude, coffee, process, and slowing down into 2026.
Read MoreRefining the Base
Different city. Same Orangetheory workout. That alone was the reminder. No matter where you go, the work shows up the same. Today’s focus was simple: your base — and pushing it up. Refining the base isn’t exciting.It’s quiet.It’s repetitive.Sometimes uncomfortable. There’s no spotlight on it. No immediate payoff. Just showing up and doing the work that…
Read MoreExpert Mode, No Guardrails — But With Control
Multi-cloud promised flexibility. It delivered complexity. A real-world look at control planes, identity-first design, and operating at full speed.
Read MoreMorning Coffee, Quiet Time, and the Question: How Do I Become a Better Me in 2026?
A quiet morning, coffee in hand, reflecting on purpose, balance, and what it really means to make 2026 with intention—not hacks.
Read MoreClosing the Year: Reflecting on Change, Letting Go, and Setting Direction
As this year comes to a close, it feels like the right moment to zoom out. Throughout Reflecting on Change, one message kept surfacing, sometimes quietly, sometimes through discomfort:Growth isn’t always about adding more.Often, it’s about letting go. We focused this year.We pulled ourselves forward when things felt heavy.We built discipline, rhythm, and awareness, sometimes…
Read MoreThe Quit Week
A simple Christmas-week reset: integration over intensity—close loops, protect presence, and carry less into the new year.
Read MoreIntegration Over Intensity
The rain, the cold, the gray—none of it rushes. Maybe the lesson isn’t to push harder, but to integrate what we’ve learned before the calendar flip
Read MoreAwareness Before Change
Snow is melting.
Still gray, but hints of green are showing.
Growth happens quietly when we stop rushing the end.
This month I moved out of autopilot—raised my running base and leaned into discomfort.
Where are you finding clarity right now?
Read MoreStanding in the Snow (The RAIN Method)
A reflection on snow, discomfort, and the RAIN method from Master Shi Heng Yi—recognizing patterns, accepting stillness, and building awareness before the new year.
Read MoreAlignment
A reflection on alignment, life lessons, and how consistent practice — inspired by Vegas, Zac Brown, and Master Shi Heng Yi — helps us recognize the signs guiding our growth.
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