Walt Hampton, J.D.

Creating the Work & Life You LOVE

About That Lie You Tell

by Walt | Jan 29, 2026 | Success | 0 Comments

I want to talk with you about that lie that you tell.

That one you tell all the time.

To yourself; to anyone who will listen.

That soothing lie.

That seductive pernicious one.

The one that goes like this: There’s time.

That there will be time to go on that trip you want to take, that second honeymoon, that book you want to write, the degree you want to get, the art you want to make, that new job, the new career… .

That there will be time to heal the rift, sooth the hurt, fulfill the dream.

That there will be time to connect with your precious boy, your sweet girl, that beautiful grand child.

That there will be time to walk hand in hand on the beach; slow dance in the city square on a summer night; sip the coffee; savor the wine; and watch the sunset.

That there will be time after you get through this quarter, this year; after you’ve made partner; gotten the promotion; after you’ve lost the weight; after the kids are out of high school, or college; or their students loans are paid off; after you’ve finished with the mortgage; after your husband retires; or you retire… .

I want to talk with you about it because 2025 is a distant memory; because you said maybe you’d get to it after the holidays, and it’s the end of January…. because this year will disappear in the rear view mirror as fast as the last.

I want to talk with you about it because tomorrow is promised to no one; because now is all there is; and now is all you have.

I want to talk with you about that lie you tell… because I tell it too.

Life Is What Happens

by Walt | Jan 22, 2026 | Success | 0 Comments

By the end of January, something familiar happens.

The calendar is no longer fresh. The adrenaline of a new year has worn off. Reality has shown up.

Bills. Emails. Family needs. Client demands. Life, doing what life does.

John Lennon said it simply: Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.

You began the year with real intention: Start the business. Grow the practice. Launch the program. Write the book.

None of it was frivolous. It mattered.

And yet, three weeks in, the weight of competing priorities presses hard. Time fragments. Energy leaks. Focus scatters.

You start wondering if this is just how it goes. Big intentions. Slow fade.

Most people assume the problem is motivation. It usually isn’t.

The real issue is friction.

Friction comes from too many decisions.

Too many open loops, too many demands pulling in different directions.

Friction exhausts even the most disciplined people. Especially capable, conscientious ones.

This is where most goals quietly die.

Not in failure. In fatigue.

A good coach does not hype you up. They steady you.

They help you see what actually matters now. They strip away the nonessential. They keep your head in the game when the novelty wears off.

Most importantly, they help remove friction.

Simplifying choices. Clarifying next steps. Creating structures that support follow through.

Accountability is part of it. But clarity is the real gift.

A clear roadmap and a guide to walk with you along the way.

Progress does not require heroics. It requires alignment.

By late January, the question is no longer “What do I want?” It is “What am I willing to protect?”

Your time. Your attention. Your intention.

If your goals are slipping through the cracks of a full life, you are not broken. You are human.

And you do not have to do this alone.

Need help? Let’s talk. Email me: [email protected]

Cycles of Doom

by Walt | Jan 15, 2026 | Success | 0 Comments

The news cycles are relentless right now.

Headlines refresh by the minute. Alerts buzz. Feeds scroll endlessly. It can feel like drinking from a fire hose that never shuts off.

As entrepreneurs and business professionals, we cannot afford to be uninformed. The world shapes markets. Policy shapes opportunity. Culture shapes demand. Paying attention matters.

But there is a line.

And many people have crossed it without realizing it.

Doom scrolling is not the same as being informed. It is a nervous system caught in a loop. One more headline; one more video; one more take. The body tightens. Focus fractures. Energy drains.

You feel busy. But you are not actually working.

Here is the quiet danger. When you consume news constantly, you slowly lose your capacity to think clearly. Creativity drops. Perspective narrows. Everything feels urgent, heavy, and bleak. That is not a good place from which to lead, decide, or build.

The goal is not disengagement. The goal is containment.

Think in terms of boundaries, not avoidance.

You choose when to step into the news. And you choose when to step back out.

One simple practice is time boxing.

Set a defined window once or twice a day. Fifteen or twenty minutes. Read from a few trusted sources. Then stop. No grazing. No scrolling beyond the window.

Another practice is location.

Don’t consume news everywhere. Pick one place. A chair. A desk. When you leave that spot, the news stays there. This trains your mind to associate information with intention rather than habit.

Pay attention to how your body responds.

If your shoulders tense, your jaw tightens, or your breath shortens, that is a signal. It is time to step away. The body often knows before the mind admits it.

Ask yourself a grounding question.

Is this making me more capable or less? More resourceful or more reactive? Informed or flooded?

Entrepreneurship already demands resilience. In the ordinary course, we have a lot going on in any given day. Decision making. Risk. Uncertainty. Creative problem solving. If you drain your nervous system with constant exposure to crisis, you have less capacity for the work that actually matters.

Staying informed is part of your job.

Staying overwhelmed is not.

There is another cost worth naming.

Doom cycles shrink your sense of agency. Everything starts to feel out of your control. But your work, your business, your leadership are places where agency still exists. Protecting your attention protects your ability to act.

This is not about being naive. It is about being strategic with your energy.

The world doesn’t need more exhausted, reactive leaders. It needs grounded people who can see clearly, think long term, and respond with wisdom rather than panic.

You’ve got this.

Need help? Let’s talk. Email me: [email protected]

Ladders and Walls

by Walt | Jan 8, 2026 | Success | 0 Comments

The New Year is here. A fresh start. A blank page.

For many, this is the time for setting goals and planning.

And yes, of course, planning is important. Because, with a clear plan, you increase your odds of achieving your goals significantly.

But I have some important questions for you: Are the goals you’re chasing after the ones you really want? Are they the ones that make your heart sing?

In our success-driven hustle culture, we’re all surrounded by the call for more. Bigger. Better. Faster. 10xing everything.

And before you know it, you’ve lost your way.

“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall,” Trappist monk and author Thomas Merton once said.

It’s a haunting image. A life full of effort and achievement. Only to realize it wasn’t your wall. It was someone else’s goal; someone else’s dream.

The world loves success stories.

But real success starts with this question: How do I want my life to be?

Not just your work life. Or your financial life. But your life.

This question shifts everything. It invites reflection. Alignment. Purpose.

So my invitation to you as we move into the New Year is this: Pause. Take a breath. Ask yourself:

What truly matters to me?
Who do I want to be?
How do I want my days to feel?

This isn’t about rejecting ambition. It’s about clarity.

Goals are only worth pursuing if they lead to a life that feels whole.

Maybe this year isn’t about doing more.

Maybe it’s about doing what matters.

Take the time to choose your wall. Lean your ladder against something that feels solid. Something that aligns with your heart and soul.

Because a meaningful life isn’t about how high you climb.

It’s about where you’re climbing to.

This year, start with the right question. Build from there.

And may you find joy, peace, and purpose in every step.

May it be so.

What Do You Really Want?

by Walt | Jan 1, 2026 | Success | 0 Comments

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12

How are you today?

I hope you’ve woken up rested, refreshed and satisfied as your holiday celebrations draw to a close.

But if, instead, you’re feeling dazed and depleted and maybe a little bit empty, you are not alone.

The holidays are a huge source of stress; a seemingly never-ending torrent of buying and wrapping and eating and drinking and binging and networking and connecting and partying; with concomitant unceasing demands and obligations and expectations.

Likely you’ve spent the last several weeks (or months!) hustling around fulfilling everyone else’s wants. Tending to the needs of others.

Maybe you think you’re done.

Except that you’re not.

It’s today. Another day. And while you can, perhaps, distract yourself for a little while longer, “ringing in” this New Year, the day is coming soon when you will face the expanse – or the abyss – of the year ahead.

So today’s question is not about all those other folks you’ve been attending to. It’s about you.

What do you want?

What do you really want?

Not what you think you should want; or what you think you’re expected to want. Not what your father wanted; or what your mother thought would be right. Not what your partner or boyfriend or girlfriend or neighbors want. Not what your clients want. Not what some well-intentioned teacher or guidance counselor wanted for you.

Rather, what is it you want ? For yourself? Right here? Right now?

The folks who read this blog are, by their very nature, givers. The challenge for givers is receiving. The challenge for givers is getting quiet enough to listen to the still small voice that speaks to us of our heart’s desires. The challenge for givers is giving to ourselves what it is we really, really want.

Because, we often presume that what we want is bad. Or selfish. Or self-centered.

Or more frequently, we forget what we wanted. We become numb to our heart’s desire.

So on the threshold of a new year, I have a challenge for you: Set aside some time just for you; and spend some time asking yourself (and perhaps journaling about) these questions:

If I could make my life any way I wanted it, what would my ‘perfect’ day look like? My ‘perfect’ week? What time would I get up? What would I wear? Who would I spend my time with? What work would I do? What projects would I pursue? What travels would I take? What would my ‘perfect’ life look like?
If this were my very last year on earth, what would I do? Would I stay in the same relationship; would I keep the same job; would I hang out with the same people; would I go the same places; would I do things the way I’m doing them right now?
If money were no object, if I won the $30 million dollar Powerball, what would I do? After I bought all the toys I wanted, where would I go; who would I go with; where would I spend my time; what experiences would I want to create; what legacy would I want to leave?

Because here’s what’s true: Those whispers that are in your heart, those dreams that you have, those projects you want to create, those places you want to go, the empires you want to build, the impact you want to make… they’re not random musings; they’re not accidents. They are the call of your Spirit, the Divine within you, showing you – telling you – the way.

So think. Write. Draw. Free flow. Tear down the boundaries. No limitations. Let your imagination run wild.

And then get busy. Because, that’s what you want. That’s what you really want.

That’s your heart’s desire.

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If this is a challenge for you, then you are not alone. It’s easy to lose touch with what it is we really want. I can help you find that place again. Email me: [email protected]