The Dean's List

Over the last 20 years or so, I've been interested in capturing the key learnings I've had about life.  Turned those into my top Life Mottos, that capture what I believe are tru-isms of life, values of human life on this earth that we inhabit. I like to always better understand myself and the world and people around me.   I've spewed these mottos enough that my wife and daughters can likely quote them verbatim.    So now that I'm on the other side of 50, I wanted to unpack these life mottos, give them life, and share them with whomever would be interested.  If nothing else, to unpack them for myself.  Thus you have "The Dean's List".   Love the title, and have to give credit where it's due- our friends Lance & Michelle Gibbon instituted the "backyard philosophy club" in 2020 when we moved to Whidbey Island, WA, and upon hearing my idea of writing about my life mottos, Michelle coined "The Dean's List".
 

These life mottos are not innovative, nor original.  It won't be the first time you've likely heard them.  But this is my spin on them, what I've found important in life to be mindful of. 

Many folk write stories including the Hero's Journey, where the protagonist faces a huge obstacle, fails, works through it, and lands successfully on the other side.  Currently, I'm the protagonist facing a huge obstacle, working through it, but not yet through to the other side.  A work in progress that fails to live up to my own mottos at times, yet I still believe in them with every fiber of my human being.  I'm on a journey as we all are.  I'll never be done. Progress over perfection.  Always learning, hopefully always growing.  Waking up each day to be a better version of myself than the day before.  

​

There's currently seven mottos in the Dean's List.  I'm rolling them out slowly (not in order either), and if you'd like to be notified when I publish the next motto, you can sign up to be on the Dean's List in the footer below (and who doesn't want to be on the Dean's List at least once?)