Joy Phenix's Blog

Recently, I wrote a post advocating that you have to be hyper-vigilant to close the gaps in your marriage or any relationship that you wish to keep healthy. I followed up with a few practical tips to help keep the gaps from forming in the first place. One of those tips was to intentionally find [...]

When I first started working, I went to a convention that offered a golf outing in the middle of the week.  I didn’t golf at the time, so I took some reading material and sat by the pool.  It didn’t take long to realize that none – zero – nada – of the decision makers [...]

Once upon a time… The phrase makes you want to know what’s next, doesn’t it? I think it’s amazing how people are universally attracted to a great storyline. We are hardwired to enjoy a good narrative.  We are drawn into stories where large and small events convey meaning and significance. In our lives, whether  it [...]

“There is always the temptation in life to diddle around making itsy-bitsy friends and meals and journeys for years on end. It is all so self conscious, so apparently moral…But I won’t have it. The world is wilder than that in all directions, more dangerous…more extravagant and bright. We are…raising tomatoes when we should be [...]

This video from Ira Glass has been floating around the web for months now, and I keep it on my short list and watch it whenever I need encouragement. So often, I find that what I create isn’t as good as I want it to be. I know, all too well, those moments when I [...]

I think the headline is a Gandhi quote. Three very true words.   Action Expresses Priorities. Words don’t do the trick.  What I SAY is irrelevant when it comes to priorities; it’s what I DO that matters (and reveals my true priorities).  If you really want to know what I value, you can look at my [...]

Last weekend’s date night took a different twist.  Billy took our daughter out to her restaurant of choice, and I took my son out.  My son’s only stipulation on the restaurant selection was that he had to be able to order a burrito.  Easy enough! I approach date nights with the kids as a way [...]

How do you plan to recover this weekend? I’m guessing that you’ve had a week full of work, filled with mountains to climb and rivers to cross (or at least meals to cook and commutes to endure!) and that you’re looking forward to a couple of days off. However, if you are at all like [...]

Do you have a strategy for growing your relationship with your spouse?  Do you have goals & objectives?  Do you have tactics and measurable deliverables?  How do you track how you’re doing in your relationship?  Do you have a compelling vision for where you want to be in 12 months? 5 years? 10 years? These [...]

“We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle Earlier this year I drove past my kids’ school and was startled to see this painted on the street: Nice work, huh?  I’m not 100% sure of what kind of font that is, but whatever it is, English [...]