Category Archives: Uncategorized

A few months ago I was driving near my home and stopped at a red light. In front of me was a plumber’s van. On the back of the van was the name of the business and this slogan. “We answer the phone. We show up.” When I saw it I couldn’t quit laughing. WhatContinue reading “Showing Up”

My earliest memory is a trip to the barber shop with my dad when I was barely three. That was my first hair cut from a barber, my great uncle Harper. It didn’t go well. I don’t remember why, but I threw a big fit through the whole process. Most of the time was spentContinue reading “Trust”

Going off to college was a big change for me. Besides the academic challenges, I was moving from a small town on the Texas coastal plains to the heart of Dallas. I had never been away from home by myself for more than a week at time. Also as I mentioned in Kindness Changed My Life,Continue reading “Do the Best You Can”

Besides my parents, my friend Tim taught me the most valuable lesson of my life. He moved in two houses down and across the street when I was in fifth grade. We got to be friends in junior high, they call it middle school now. We had a neighborhood loaded with boys. I can rememberContinue reading “Kindness Changed My Life”

In 2005 my wife suggested I try Pilates for my chronic back pain. My response was “what’s that?” She explained it is an exercise program mostly designed to strengthen core muscles. She also told me Jackie, a friend of ours, was a local instructor. I was desperate for some relief, so I thought I’d giveContinue reading “Balance”

Starting a business from scratch was the hardest thing I’ve done in my profession life. I came into it with my eyes wide open. I had done my homework and was confident I would succeed. That was on April 1, 1986. A couple months later I wasn’t so confident anymore. I knew what I neededContinue reading “Relax but Don’t Let Go (The Sweet Spot)”

Ever since I can remember Theodore Roosevelt has been one of my heroes. Regardless of what you think about his politics he is widely regarded as the best read of all the Presidents and maybe the most intelligent. He was often in the spotlight and had many famous quotes. He liked to quote the AfricanContinue reading “The Great Thief”

Growing up I was lucky enough to have access to some duck and goose hunting land and terrific friends to go with me. Tim, Neil, Greg and I went hunting often, with mixed results. Sometimes we got many birds and other times not so much. We always had a terrific time being together. We wereContinue reading “Not Shut Out”

Being a rancher my dad needed to be good at many things. He was an excellent negotiator. He bargained over buying and selling cattle, horses, equipment, land, and just about everything else. His mindset was “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.” He would use just about any tactic to gain an advantage.Continue reading “What Did You Have in Mind?”

One of my coaching jobs was starting a girl’s basketball program at a local charter school. It was a challenge especially since we didn’t have any basketballs. The girls had to bring their own and only three of them had ever played before. We had only outdoor goals, so we played all our games at the other team’s gyms. We made it through the first yearContinue reading “Pounding the Rock”