Author Archives: site author

Over my career as an insurance agent my district manager would gather agents to discuss their ideas about writing more business. Many good ideas were presented. Often after an agent gave his tip someone would ask, “Are you still doing it?” Frequently, the answer was no. When asked why they would tell about something thatContinue reading “Back In The Saddle”

I was sick this week and felt pretty lousy. I don’t get sick often, but when I do I take notice of how bad I feel. I use it as a reminder of what a blessing it is to enjoy good health. It makes a giant difference in the quality of my life. It’s toughContinue reading “A Reminder”

The new year is a time for reflection and anticipation. What will 2025 hold for me? All coaches will tell you that confidence is essential for players to perform well. There is no substitute. That’s a main reason for good practice, to build confidence. I struggled with confidence most of my life. I crafted manyContinue reading “Ace In The Hole”

I have a question. That sentence works wonders for me and I say it a lot. I’m a curious person, so I often use it in the standard way, to get more information. However, it’s also a powerful tool in emotionally charged situations. Others are receptive to it, as long as it’s truly a question.Continue reading “I Have A Question”

Coaching basketball is complex. There are many skills to master, ball handling, passing, rebounding, defense and playing as a team to name a few. A team can be great at all these things, but they amount to nothing if you don’t score. Your team has to make shots. That’s why the first thing we didContinue reading “Shoot First”

For over twenty-five years my college friends and I had a reunion called EC weekend in my home town of El Campo. We always spent the night at the ranch house. We always played poker and always sat at the same seats while playing. We were big on tradition.  I love traditions. They’re great. TheyContinue reading “Tradition”

I dealt with a lot of underwriters when I was an insurance agent. An underwriter makes the final decision on whether a company will write an insurance policy on a certain risk. They often disagreed with agents and were big on reciting underwriting rules. I often thought that rules in the hands of an underwriterContinue reading “Lamp Posts”

Steve Jobs gave a commencement address in which he said, “Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking”. That’s one of the most important statements I’ve heard in my life. I do my best to remember that any information I receive outside of my own personal experience isContinue reading “Dogma”

In my last post I discussed what I know and don’t know. Magic Words Deepest knowing is my personal experience in the present moment. To know more things deeply I experiment. True research is about trying things to see what happens, not reading other people’s ideas. Here’s an example.  I love cheese and chocolate. YearsContinue reading “Research”

Of course everyone in my generation knows the magic words taught to us by our parents, please and thank you. We used those at my insurance agency, but the phrase I don’t know, was even more important. Clients called to ask if a certain hazard was covered by their policy. If we weren’t sure, ourContinue reading “Magic Words”