The Power of Slowing Down: Lessons From Family, School, and Creativity
Life has a way of surprising us. Sometimes those surprises bring joy, and other times they force us to slow down and take stock of what really matters.
Over the past year, I’ve been quieter online, but it hasn’t been wasted time — far from it.
It’s been a season of family, growth, challenges, and creativity. And now, with a clearer sense of direction, I’m ready to share what’s been happening behind the scenes, what’s coming next, and one small step you can take in your own life this month.
Focusing on What Matters
The biggest shift for me has been choosing to lean into family life. Being a dad has been the most rewarding (and busy) role of my life — school plays, bedtime stories, weekend adventures, the whole cha-bang. These are the moments that slip by quickly, and I didn’t want to look back one day and realize I’d missed them. That choice to be present also meant pressing pause on some of the things I had been creating online.
At the same time, I went back to school myself to finish my Master’s in Education. Balancing grad school with family and work hasn’t been simple, but it reminded me that growth is always possible — no matter your age or stage in life. It reinforced something I’ve always believed: you don’t have to take giant leaps to make progress, just steady steps forward.
This past summer, life threw me a bit of a curveball in the form of surgery. It wasn’t something I had planned for, but it did force me to slow down even more. That pause, while not fun, gave me some space to think carefully about where I wanted to spend my time and energy moving forward.
Out of that space came a return to creativity. My wife, Johnni, and I had the chance to share our children’s book, A Day at the Beach, at local schools. Seeing kids light up, laugh, and ask questions reminded me why we wrote it in the first place — to spark imagination and help families connect through stories.
Around the same time, I revisited something I had left on the shelf for nearly 20 years: a collection of piano pieces I had written as a teenager. For years I held back from sharing them, telling myself they weren’t “perfect.” But I finally decided it was time to let them go and published them as my first album, Gorgeous Melodies. The response was humbling — and the most meaningful part was that my daughter was inspired to start creating her own music. What started as letting go of perfection turned into a full-circle moment of inspiration for her.
What I’ll Be Creating for You
Now that life has settled into a healthier rhythm, I’m excited to create and share more consistently again. Here’s what’s ahead:
Up to now, much of my content on YouTube has focused on ASL and language learning. That will still be part of it, but I’ll also be digging into something bigger: how you can learn anything more effectively. Expect videos on building better habits, making more time for what matters, boosting productivity without burning out, and practical strategies you can actually apply right away.
I know your time is limited, so I’m aiming to write articles that are quick to read but leave you motivated and equipped with something concrete to try. No fluff — just a story, a lesson, and one actionable takeaway you can experiment with in your own life.
Lastly, the big project on my desk right now is finishing my first book, Intentional Habits. If you’ve ever struggled with starting over, losing momentum, or falling back into old patterns, this book is being written with you in mind.
Through it all, my goal is simple: to create resources that don’t just give you more things to do, but help you carve out more time, energy, and focus for the things that truly matter — whether that’s family, personal growth, or a passion project you’ve been meaning to pursue.
One Thing For You to Try
If there’s one lesson I’ve learned from this season, it’s that progress is built on small, intentional steps. So here’s one thing you can try: pick one simple action and commit to it.
It doesn’t have to be big. Maybe it’s journaling for five minutes a day, putting your phone down during dinner, or setting aside 20 minutes to work on that idea you’ve been thinking about.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, calls this the “1% rule” — the idea that if you focus on getting just a little better each day, those improvements will compound into remarkable results over time.
The British cycling team is a great example of this in action. They didn’t try to overhaul everything at once. Instead, they focused on improving by just 1% in dozens of tiny areas — sleep, nutrition, even the type of pillows they used. On their own, those changes didn’t seem like much. But together, they transformed the team into one of the most dominant forces in cycling history.
That’s the power of small wins. Psychology backs it up too: finishing even the tiniest task builds motivation to keep going.
So don’t underestimate the tiny step. It might be exactly what moves you forward.
What’s one small step will you take next?
