Author: Jonathan Clark

Jonathan Clark is the Life Skills Development Director for Cra-Z-Dreams. His background includes tutoring, mentoring, and coaching youth ages 5 - 17, as well as providing assistance with professional development. He also has 20 years of business experience including human resources, data analysis, marketing, business management, and fundraising consulting. His passion is helping others achieve personal growth and create the lives they imagine through workshops, writing, and personal coaching.

Hero Complex: Do You Obsess Over Saving Others and Neglect Yourself?

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Do you have a lot of people depending on you?  Do you feel pulled in so many different directions that you might explode?  Are your own needs typically an afterthought, and do you often find yourself addressing your needs later than you should, or not at all? I realize the world isn’t going to save itself, and that everyone in your life needs you desperately (and RIGHT NOW), but hear me out on this one because I speak from experience...

How To Avoid Losing Interest In Your Day Job While Pursuing Your Dream on the Side

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On-the-job ADD (Active Dreaming Disorder) Have you ever had difficulty concentrating or staying emotionally invested in your day job after you’ve ignited that fire inside to pursue your dream?  The flames start to rage inside, and you can hardly contain your energy and desire to make it happen.  The mental dam that once withheld your creativity breaks, and a gushing torrent of ideas starts to flood your brain with no regard for timing or convenience.  Whether you’re in the middle of a project that’s approaching deadline, or in a monthly team meeting, thoughts of how you can bring your dream to reality continue to occupy your brain at all hours of the day.  They sometimes even keep you up at night to the point...

Workaholics Anonymous: Vacation Guilt

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Do you ever feel guilty for taking time off?  I could be the only one, but I doubt it .  Vacation guilt is only one of many symptoms of being a workaholic.  Other signs you need to chill out include: Not taking time off in the first place Thinking something will go wrong with the business/team if you are not working Constantly checking work emails on your days off

Broken Rulers: Determining Identity and Value by Comparison

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The Real “Mr. Big Stuff” How we define things and people in life can often be so relative. One Saturday I took my wife and kids out to dinner.  We had placed our orders and were waiting quite impatiently for our food to arrive.  We had not eaten since breakfast, so everyone was more than ready to chow down.  When you’re hungry, waiting on your food at a restaurant seems to take forever.  We found ourselves...

Anxiety Sobriety: Freedom from Being Overwhelmed

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Full of adrenaline, I paced the room with a nervous energy that wouldn’t go away. I tried sitting down, but then instead of pacing I began wringing my hands and rubbing my arms and legs. My body seemed confused… searching for a movement, any type of movement, that would release the energy I was carrying. My mind was spinning, and I’m sure at some point my lips actually moved, mumbling in an attempt to process the flood of thoughts swirling through my brain. It started with one thing I was worried about, then snowballed forward into a torrent of unpleasant thoughts that consumed me with fear and worry. The restlessness extended into the night and I could hardly sleep. For some reason I just couldn’t relax. This might sound quite familiar to anyone who has battled anxiety.

Legacy in My Shoes: Greatness Leaves Traces

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Cloudy with a Chance of Phone Calls I was halfway through my commute home from work when the phone rang.  I grabbed my cell to see who it was so I could decide if I felt like talking.  I have never been one to talk on the phone or anywhere else much for that matter.  I am an extreme introvert and most of my life is spent in blissful silence.  My drive home was typically a calm and peaceful time spent unwinding and reflecting or listening to podcasts.  I rarely spent that time talking on the phone unless my wife called with some update or an errand for me to run.  But today was different.