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Cliffs and River

MORE ABOUT JOHN-PAUL

"I don't want good; I want great."

I live a great life. Yes, I’ve gotten many breaks. But I also CREATED this great life. And I continue to create it every day. Because life is not a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. And a big part of what makes my life great is coaching – helping others create their great life.

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I’m a father of two high school boys. I’m a husband. And I’m damned good at both.

 

I’m also a brother. And the son of divorced parents. I’m working on being damned good there too.

 

In the 90’s I married my law school sweetheart. After graduating, I began practicing law. Business law, construction law, commercial real estate. I worked for “the man.” I made a decent living. We bought a house. I loved working in the yard. We had a cat. And a canoe. We hiked. I played soccer. Life was good.

 

But I wanted great.

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So, together with my first wife, we were intentional and generated something that’s rare: a great divorce. (I kept the cat. She kept the canoe.) We remain friends to this day.

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I soon met Stacy. At first, we were a couple. Dual income, no kids. We bought our first house together. Then, we became parents, first to Xander, then to Sebastian. I promised Stacy she would not be a single mother. And I’ve kept my promise. I relished handling the middle-of-the-night feed, so Stacy could get some sleep. Swings, slides, sandcastles, fishing, bicycles, Legos. Lots of Thomas the Tank Engine. Splashing in the inflatable pool in the back yard. Soccer, basketball, Y Guides, baseball, ninjitsu, scootering. I was there for ALL of it. Not just there, but IN it.
 

For over 20 years, together with Stacy, we have been generating a great life. And that didn’t happen by accident. Yes, a lot of credit goes to Stacy, who is a phenomenal mother, partner, and CEO. But I also played a big part and CREATED this great life.

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Four months after Xander was born, I co-founded a small law firm. It was a lot of work. We grew, and we succeeded. But none of it came before Stacy, Xander, and Sebastian. While Stacy took the boys on the daytime school field trips, I arranged my life to go on the sleep-over and out-of-town school field trips. My law firm workday ended when baseball – or a PTA meeting, or a ninjitsu belt ceremony – began. Life was good.

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After 15 years at the law firm, I stood at another crossroads. “I don’t want good; I want great.” I also wanted to make a bigger difference. A bigger contribution in people’s lives.

 

So, I became a coach. At least formally. After listening to and helping clients for over 20 years, coaching made complete sense. Instead of talking about their business or their real estate project, now I talk with clients about what’s important in their life. It still may be their business. But often it’s about other things – happiness, joy, connection, peace, success. Often, we discuss relationships – not just to important people, but also to time, to money, to wellness.

 

I still practice law (as a solo attorney), but now I only do the work I want to, the work I enjoy, and I refer the rest of my work to others. For my legal clients, I listen and provide answers. For my coaching clients, I listen and help them identify the internal conversations that are getting in their way – in their way of creating the life they want.

 

I live a great life. I’m working on savoring it. Some days are not great. Schick happens. And some of my relationships aren’t perfect. In other words, I lead a “normal” life. However, day by day, I am intentional about living my life. I often ask myself, “Is this what I want? What I REALLY want?” I look for and take opportunities to generate and create the life I want - a great life!

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