Derek Weber

Achievement: A Complicated Beast “Why do I do this to myself?!” I desperately asked my high school girl friend. The pressure and stress of trying to take on and excel at everything were reaching a boiling point. My high school resume was one to be proud of. Each area of success (academics, athletics, leadership, social) was robust enough to stand alone and be worthy of pride, but together, they were truly impressive…externally…to everyone else. But …

The Dark Side of Your Strengths: Overcoming Burnout and Stress Keep Reading »

“You only grow outside of your comfort zone.” I became so adept at pushing myself outside my comfort zone that comfort itself became my greatest discomfort. I became uncomfortable being comfortable. Sound familiar? If you’re a driven leader constantly chasing growth, this might be your story too. Whenever I created a little extra time, energy, or money and things got a little comfortable, the discomfort pushed me to start another challenge, another project, another company. …

The Comfort Zone Paradox: When Growth Actually Destroys You Keep Reading »

Gratitude. Immense gratitude for my wife, partners, leadership team, doctors, therapists, friends, mentors, and coaches  – all those who have played parts both large and small, volunteer and voluntold, free and paid.  Today marks the one-year anniversary of my sabbatical, a period that has profoundly altered my understanding of myself and the world around me. Over the last year, I’ve studied and experimented with an open mind on a wide variety of topics: neurochemicals, mind-body …

The Power of Pause: A Year of Reflection, Growth, and Gratitude Keep Reading »

Visionless and Questionful As the screen began to blur, I surveyed my cramped room, now cluttered with my desk shoved into the corner alongside a futon that doubled as my couch by day and bed by night. My dog’s bed covering what little carpet still visible. Just a few months prior, this tiny space morphed into both my office and bedroom, squeezing my entire existence into less than 100 square feet. Returning my gaze to …

Embracing Life’s Uncertainties: Finding Peace In Perspective Keep Reading »

The Misunderstood Compliment Have you ever received a backhanded compliment that made you rethink your achievements? That’s exactly what happened to me the other night when my wife and I were out to dinner with another couple. As the waiter dropped off our drinks, we were all talking about the pressures of trying to be great at everything all the time: parenting, working, marriage, friends, and somehow finding time for ourselves. Any of this sound …

The Truth About ‘Effortless’ Success Keep Reading »

The Challenge of Conflicting Goals When it came to setting goals, I would apply all the best practices of splitting my life into categories – personal, professional, family, relationships, health, etc – creating 3-5 SMART goals for each…which worked for me until it didn’t. I consistently found this traditional approach often led to goals in direct conflict with each other in allocating my time and energy: hitting my workout and morning routine goals required me …

What I Do Now Instead of New Year’s Resolutions Keep Reading »