In this episode of Trying to Figure This Out, I explore our tendency to attach happiness to what comes next: the next accomplishment, the next opportunity, the next version of ourselves. The goalpost moves, and before we know it, we're already chasing something else.

I also take a closer look at what genuinely makes me happy—freedom, time, good conversations, new experiences, and having nowhere I have to be—and what it means to actually make room for those things.

Choosing happiness isn't about pretending everything is good or giving up on ambition.

I'm going to keep moving the goalpost.

I just don't want happiness to have to move with it.

In this episode of Trying to Figure This Out, I reflect on what gratitude has started to mean in my life—not as a reason to stop dreaming or growing, but as a way to recognize what’s already here while I continue building what’s next.

From leading a basketball program, to taking new leaps of faith, to listening to my daughter talk endlessly on our rides to school, I’m learning that some of the things that frustrate us, challenge us, or simply feel ordinary can also be the things we’re most grateful to have.

Maybe gratitude isn’t about wanting less.

Maybe it’s about making sure we don’t become so focused on where we’re going that we walk past the life we’re already living. :::

In this episode of Trying to Figure This Out, I reflect on what it means to be truly present in a world that constantly competes for our attention. From missing small moments with the people I love to becoming more intentional about how I show up in everyday conversations, I've been learning that attention shapes far more than I ever realized.

This isn't an episode about productivity or eliminating distractions. It's an invitation to consider what our attention reveals, what life might be trying to teach us, and how becoming a student of life begins with simply paying attention.

Maybe the question isn't, "What has my attention?"

Maybe it's...

"What deserves it?

Some belong to people we love. Some come from mentors, friends, coworkers, or complete strangers. And sometimes, without even realizing it, we give those voices more influence than they were ever meant to have.

In this episode of Trying to Figure This Out, I reflect on how experience has changed the way I listen, how life has taught me to pay attention, and why not every opinion deserves a seat at the table.

This isn't about shutting people out. It's about learning the difference between being open to wisdom and living at the mercy of everyone else's expectations.

Because in the end, the question isn't just who gets a vote...

In this episode of Trying to Figure This Out, Clifton explores how experiences become identities, why we often mistake familiar stories for truth, and how a single question can change the way we see ourselves. This isn't about having all the answers—it's about becoming curious enough to question the stories that have quietly shaped our lives.

What if it does work?

What happens when you've spent most of your life doing everything you were supposed to do...and suddenly realize it's time to ask a different question?

In the first episode of Trying to Figure This Out, we explore the moments that shape us, the stories we tell ourselves, and why the questions we ask can change the direction of our lives. Through personal reflections on family, purpose, work, and life's transitions, this conversation is an invitation to pause, reflect, and consider what your next chapter might look like.

Because maybe the most important thing we can do isn't find all the answers...

It's start asking better questions.