O'talkin' with Dave

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Have you ever ran out of gas!  Yeah, me too...

There are two fuels we all understand: gas for our cars and food for our bodies.

Without gas, the car stops. Without food, eventually, so do we.

Now, some people say, “I just consider food fuel.”

I don’t understand those people. I don't know if I even respect them, but I do know that I don’t want them picking the restaurant.

Join Dave for some "toppin' of the tank" chatter about:

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Have you ever caught yourself working so hard at something, but felt like you weren't making any progress?  Yeah, me too...

LIFT THE ANCHOR

“Sometimes the answer is not rowing harder or faster. It’s about lifting the anchor.”

Join Dave for some UPLIFTING talk about:

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Have you ever picked out the GOOD STUFF from a collection of trail mix, songs, or food items on a buffet?  Yeah, me too...

When I was growing up, my mom used to buy cans of mixed nuts.

Dad would go through and pick out all the cashews. My sister would pick out the peanuts. Then Mom and my other sister would make their selections.

By the time that can got to me, all I got was the Brazil nuts.

Join Dave for some NUTTY t...

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Have you ever been looking for something and realized it was right in front of you all along?  Yeah, me too...

Have you ever driven the same road a thousand times, then one day spotted a little restaurant and thought, “How long has that been there?”  Probably years...

Or you’ve known somebody forever, and one ordinary Tuesday they say something that makes you realize how wise they are. They didn’t become wise on Tuesday. You finally heard them.

Join Dave for some OBVIOUS discussion about:

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Have you ever had to wait on news - test result, job offer, decision by someone?  Yeah, me too..

I’ve heard some beautiful words in my life.

Love. Home. Yes. Congratulations. Approved. Healthy. Free.

But I’m beginning to think one of the most beautiful words in the English language is one we rarely put on a coffee mug.

Benign!!!

Join Dave for some news about news that we all have or will receive:

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Have you ever had someone give you a word, look, or comment that encouraged you out of nowhere?  Yeah, me too...

Random acts of encouragement.

Because kindness says: “I care about you.”

Encouragement says: “I believe in you.”

And sometimes that is exactly what somebody needs to hear.

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Have you ever been around someone who can take a nice conversation to a new level of depression?  Yeah, me too...

We all know one. You tell them you got a promotion. They say: “Congratulations. Of course, now you're probably going to be working a lot more.”

You tell them you're going on vacation. “Oh, nice. Airports are a nightmare right now.” 

You tell them your daughter is getting married. “Weddings are expensive. You know half of marriages end in divorce.”

Join Dave for some uplifting ways...

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Have you ever had someone tell you that you shouldn't, they wouldn't, or you CAN'T do something?  Yeah, me too...

Shouldn’t. Wouldn’t. Can’t. They Are Not the Same.

There are four words that have always gotten my attention:

“You can’t do that.”

Really? Can’t? That is a pretty definitive word.

Join Dave for some conversation about POSSIBILITIES:

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Have you ever been in a situation where you weren't sure if you needed more, less, or none at all?  Yeah, me too...

There are three words that control an enormous amount of our lives:

STOP. GO. QUIT.

We hear them from the time we're children.

Stop touching that.

Go clean your room.

Quit hitting your brother.

Then we grow up, and somehow the instructions get harder.

Join Dave for some direction talk about"

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Have you ever had a decision that needed to be made and you struggled longer that you should have or maybe delayed it?  Yeah, me too...

At some point in life, every one of us hears an invisible voice say:

“Alright. Enough talking. Put on your Big Boy Pants.”

Join Dave for some Grown Up talk about:

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Have you ever TOLD or BEEN TOLD what you SHOULD do?  Yeah, me too...

There is a word we use constantly that sounds helpful, caring, intelligent, even loving, but sometimes it’s none of those things.

The word is: Should.

“You should leave him.” “You should forgive her.” “You should take that job.” “You should sell the house.” “You should call your kids more.” “You should exercise.” “You should be grateful.” “You should get over it.” “You should stop worrying.” “You should be happy.”

And eventually you want to look at somebody and...

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Have you ever been in a situation when you didn't say something that needed to be said and later you said to yourself, "I wish I had said"...or..."I should have said"... Yeah, me too...

When most people hear the word trigger, they think of something negative.

"I was triggered." "They triggered me." "They know how to push my buttons."

But what if we've been thinking about triggers all wrong?

What if the most successful, peaceful, and emotionally healthy people don't have fewer triggers...

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Have you ever had a moment, a morning, or longer that you just can't get your hands or head around some HEAVINESS that hit you?  Yeah, me too...

There are moments in life that don’t feel dramatic enough to explain...but they still hurt.  A strange silence in the house, a hard conversation that replays in your head all day, a morning where everything seems difficult before you even get out of bed, or maybe just a season where nothing is technically wrong...but nothing feels right either.

Join...

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Have you ever had a major life event happen and it looked like the end of something?  Yeah, me too...

Over the past year, have received a ton of emails, text messages, and private conversations about one subject more than any other.

"Dave...when are you going to talk about your divorce?"

Some people have simply been curious. Others have quietly shared that they're going through one themselves.

Join Dave for some candid conversation including:

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Have you ever been frustrated to the point you didn't know what to do next?  Yeah, me too...

There comes a moment in every life when reality taps us on the shoulder and says:

"Well...here you are."

Not where you planned to be. Not where you expected to be. Not where you hoped to be. Just...here...

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Have you ever known anyone that focuses more on what's missing than what they have?  Yeah, me too...

We live in a world that constantly reminds us of what we don't have...More money. More success. More recognition. More followers. More square footage. More everything!!!

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Have you ever thought you were being taught something, but then realized the LESSON you learned was much more important?  Yeah, me too...

When I was a little boy, I thought I was learning how to farm...turns out, I was learning how to live.

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Have you ever been in a meeting or on a conference call and thought, "what a complete waste of time..."  Yeah, me too...

Somewhere, right now, a conference call is taking place that should not exist. Twenty-three people have stopped what they were doing. Three are paying attention. Seven are checking email. Five are wondering why they're there. Four are on mute walking their dog. Two are pretending their camera is broken. And one person is sharing a spreadsheet nobody can read.

Welcome to the modern meeting.

J...

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Do you know anyone who is a KNOW-IT-ALL?  Yeah, me to...

There are people in this world who know everything, at least according to them.

You know these people.

You can’t tell a story without them interrupting halfway through to explain how they had it worse, did it better, fixed it faster, or knew about it before it was popular.

Join Dave for some INFORMATIVE talk about:

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Have you ever found yourself WORRYING about something that turned out to be nothing?  Yeah, me too...

Worry is the interest payment on a debt that usually never comes due.

Worry is the imagination hijacking the present and dragging it into a future that may never happen. It is rehearsing tragedy before the curtain even opens. It is borrowing pain from tomorrow and demanding payment today.

Join Dave for what might be the most important O'talk topic of all:

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Have you ever noticed that something you do or witness as part of your normal life strikes you as FUNNY?  Yeah, me too...

Some of the funniest things in life aren’t stand-up comedy, punchlines, memes, or viral videos of raccoons stealing tacos.

They happen every single day and because they happen every day, we stop noticing them.

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Have you ever had a person in your life that seemed to get away with everything...no apparent Karma at all?  Yeah, me too...

There’s an old saying: “Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

The frustrating part is that sometimes the pig is your coworker, a family member, or a loudmouth online. It might be the manipulator at work, the control freak at home, or the professional victim who leaves emotional mud tracks everywhere they go.

Join Dave for some MU...

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Have you ever looked around while in public and noticed that most people have their faces buried in their phones?  Yeah, me too...

The phone was supposed to make life easier.

Instead, many of us now carry around a glowing emotional support rectangle that follows us everywhere like an electronic ankle monitor we volunteered to wear.

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Have you ever wished you could give advice to your younger self to make things easier?  Yeah, me too...

Your 30s feel like you’re finally getting traction and at the exact same time, like the ground is moving under your feet.

You’re building a life while living it, raising kids while still figuring yourself out, making money while learning what money actually means, and choosing people, paths, and priorities that will echo for decades.

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Have you ever known someone who was either full of LOVE or full of HATE?  Yeah, me too...

They are both pretty tough to take at time...

There’s a hard truth about human nature that most people never realize: We usually find what we’re looking for...

If you want to love someone, you focus on what’s beautiful and quietly excuse what isn’t. If you want to hate someone, you focus on what’s broken and ignore everything redeemable.

That’s why two people ca...

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Have you ever had someone hear or talk about a musical style that you like and make a negative comment about it?  Yeah, me too...

You ever notice, music is the only thing where people will judge your entire character based on what you listen to in your truck?

Not your morals, not your work ethic...No, but by your playlist.

I love yacht rock, classic rock, funk, blues, metal, hardcore, and death metal -  which means I can go from sipping a drink on a boat, to...

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Have you ever known someone to claim something they did or said was a MISTAKE, when you know it was really a DECISION?  Yeah, me too...

Everybody makes mistakes. That’s not the issue.

The issue is what we call things after they happen.

Because sometimes, what we label a “mistake” wasn’t an accident.

It was a decision.

John Dave for some INTENTIONAL talk about:

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Have you ever had a moment when you thought, "MAN, THAT FEELS GOOD"?!?!  Yeah, me too...

There’s a difference between life happening...and life landing.

Most people are moving so fast they don’t notice when something hits just right. But when you’re aware, when you’re grateful, and when you’ve got even a loose plan for your day. Certain moments don’t just happen...They land.

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Have you ever found yourself in a funk or maybe just felt a little BEHIND where you think you should be?  Yeah, me too...

There’s a group of people out there right now, maybe you’re one of them, who are battling something, questioning everything, or a little overwhelmed.

It might not even that dramatic...just stuck in a quiet funk you can’t quite explain.

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Have you ever had someone close to you betray you?  Yeah, me too...

The worst part of getting stabbed in the back is turning around and seeing who was holding the knife.

Join Dave for some incoming talk about:

Yes, there are sharks in the water. But that’s where the life is too.

You don’t avoid the ocean becau...

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Have you ever been doing something really important, but you were distracted and didn't have the experience you had hoped?  Yeah, me too...

You’ve got the training. You’ve got the experience. You’ve got the tools, the contacts, the plan.

And yet...Some days you stall. Some days you drift. Some days you flat-out don’t execute.

Why?

Join Dave for some PRODUCTIVE talk about:

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Have you ever been BULLIED as an adult?  Yeah, me too...

Let’s just say it clean. We didn’t outgrow bullies...we just gave them calendars, credentials, and a way to expense lunch.

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There are still bullies everywhere. Not because they’re powerful. Because too many people have decided: “It’s just easi...

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Have you ever WAITED on something or someone and you wondered if they ever would show up?  Yeah, me to...

Let’s just say it out loud - Waiting is brutal.

Because waiting lives in that uncomfortable space between where you are and where you believe you’re supposed to be.

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Have you ever just accepted something that you didn't know was NEGOTIABLE?  Yeah, me too...

Negotiation isn’t a boardroom skill - It’s a life skill.

It shows up when you’re deciding where to eat, when a company tries to rewrite your deal, or when three grown adults stand on a tee box pretending they don’t care who goes first...while absolutely caring.

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Does someone in particular pop in your head when you hear the word FRIEND?  Yeah, me too...

Let’s start with a little truth that might sting. We’ve cheapened the word friend.

You shared a ride once? Friend. 
 You follow each other online? Friend.
 You had a good conversation at a conference? “That’s my guy.”

No it’s not. That’s convenience with a memory.

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Have you ever known someone who is always TAKING and never GIVING anything back to a relationship?  Yeah, me too...

Givers are the people who show up early, stay late, help someone move, listen to your problems, bring soup when you’re sick, and ask how your day went and actually mean it.

Takers are the people who call when they need something.
 Disappear when you need something.
 And somehow still believe the world owes them more.

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Have you ever tasted something that was so BITTER, that you couldn't stand it?  Yeah, me too...

Some things in life are flat-out bitter. Not “kind of unpleasant.” Not “a little uncomfortable.” I’m talking about the kind of bitter that hits your tongue and makes you question your life choices. The kind you’d spit out if nobody was watching.

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Have you ever met someone with less talent, less intelligence, or even less charisma, but there was just something about their ENERGY?  Yeah, me too...

High energy beats low energy every time. Not today. Not always loudly.
But eventually...

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Have you ever had something to share, but were not taken SERIOUSLY when you shared it?  Yeah, me too...

There is a strange and unfortunate thing that happens in life. Some people have something valuable to say, but nobody is listening.

Not because the idea is bad. Not because the person is unintelligent. But because somewhere along the way they got labeled: “Not serious.”

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Have you every had an event or challenge in your life and asked, "Why is this happening TO me?"  Yeah, me too...

Most people walk through life like it’s happening to them.  A smaller group walks through life like it’s happening for them.

Same events. Same world. Same chaos. Different interpretation. Different outcome. This isn’t some soft, motivational fluff. It’s a practical advantage.

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