Cleaning Out the Closet

There is an old saying that espouses Spring is for cleaning. Surely, it has to do with the snow melting, flowers blooming, cleaning up after the dirty winter, and a multitude of other good thoughts about refreshing after a tough winter. Well, we live in Florida, but people still say it. What’s worse, people, my loved ones, want to do it. Alright, it really isn’t that bad, and it is really refreshing to get rid of things that are causing an unnecessary clutter. Still, it is hard getting rid of something that feels like it has a history or even a chance of getting used. This conundrum is my current thought process this evening.

Today was a cleansing day for me personally. Last summer, when I left Florida Southern, I packed up my entire office in one wagon load and stuffed it in my Jeep. Ten years and that was it. I also had one large duffel bag of FSC tennis t-shirts that I was sure I needed at the house. I brought the running shoes, athletic shorts, tennis shoes, and my extra string home. Each of those items has found use over the past nine months. There were also, ten years’ worth of polos, khaki shorts, and long sleeve t-shirts. Each of those has been used repeatedly so there is usefulness to keeping them around. However, the t-shirts have just been hanging out. Some still in the bag and others were stuffed in a drawer out of the way. On a side note, it is amazing how many shirts I had amassed over the past ten years while there. I was sure I would wear them for exercising, out and about, and just as a memento for the time and years I spent, reppin’ the brand.

The road always seems so clear when the initial plan is created. We forget to plan for rubbernecking accidents, bathroom breaks, construction, and other delays along the way. My shirts are about the same. Starting a new career and leaving on such good terms, my thoughts are so positively strong about FSC that I felt keeping the shirts around would allow me to stay connected with happy reminders. The realization that this line of thinking was a bit of a farce, kind of like going to Orlando with no delays. During a moment of Feng Shui, it hit me that the shirts aren’t ever going to get used. Even when I was at FSC, the t-shirts got used for practice time, weight room time, conditioning practices, and casual official capacity moments. Heck, I only brought them home to wash them and then they immediately went back to my office and put back into the rotation.

Were they bothering anything stuck away at the house? Nope, but they weighed on my mind. I know, there are many other important things to ponder on the daily but what can I say. These shirts need to be used and used by people that have an attachment to being a MOC. Before we have a discussion on getting rid of used shirts, let me tell you about these shirts. If I had 70 shirts I had close to 100 t-shirts. A lot of them looked almost brand new. The first-year shirts and many of the second-year shirts have had their useful life extinguished but the remaining eight years were pretty stellar. Why throw away perfectly good threads when some college dude can buy it at the annual rummage sale to wear during his workouts, intramural sports, or Saturday night frat party? This seemed like such an easy solution. There was only one caveat. Was I sure I wouldn’t regret getting rid of my history? Blood, sweat, tears, stories, and memories wrapped up in cotton, dry fit, and multiple Florida Southern logos. The answer, now that I am satisfied with what I did was, yes!

Today was another cathartic day in the progression of moving away from being known as a coach and becoming a REALTOR®. When I arrived on campus for the delivery of past, the present was completely on display. For ten years all my colleagues saw me in shorts, polos, running shoes, and occasionally in jeans. Today, it was a working professional. There were many comments, compliments, and the realization that the switch was complete. Dropping of the shirts to their next owner was much less dramatic emotionally than I thought it might be. Really, it was quite a relief to get them gone and to know that I didn’t have to worry about them taking up space anymore. Getting home tonight I walked into the area where they were stored and looked at the empty spot with a bit of a grin. Also, there was a thought about what was next to go. My personal office at the house is like a museum to what I once was. It is time to show off what I want to be and who I currently am instead of hanging on to so many years ago. It’s too bad we only have one trash day. This Spring cleaning thing feels good.

Hey, grab a garbage bag, drop the emotional attachment, take some digital pictures, and clean your closet and empty your drawers. Oops, that last one sounds a little weird. Happy simplifying.

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Success Comes From Not Quitting When You Fail

Euphoria, excitement, achievement, joy, and accomplishment are just some of the words that we strive to have said to us or that we personally feel when we do something above our normal expectations. We want that feeling and do what we can to achieve it whenever possible. There is only one problem. Striving for something that causes our comfort zone to stretch can also lead to failure. That word can erase any momentum and push us further down the negative rabbit hole. The same words at the beginning are found in smaller ways, detrimental ways, and in activities that, in the long run, cause more harm than good. Failure; the word that makes us feel terrible but really just means you didn’t meet the desired objective. Yes, that sucks, but really, that is all it means. Negative connotations can cause us to do anything necessary to avoid the word failure. We forget that the failure could just be a step towards the overall accomplishment.

When I started over writing this blog, it was because my mind will not shut down. I had just left a career that I had sacrificed so much for, was beginning a journey in my new career, and wanted to tell the stories that bounce around in my cranium daily. Yes, I could easily put them in a word document, save them on my One Drive, and go back and look at them from time to time. Actually, I do write them on a word document, I do not save them on my computer, but I have chosen to just throw them out on a dated platform and allow anybody that might be interested to check them out at their leisure. The exercise of doing this has been cathartic to me and has allowed me to remove many things out of my mind every three days. Some days it just flows out and then there are other days I fight with myself to put the words out properly so as to not be too aggressive, angry, or as my wife says, a smug smartass. Failure, the word that I used to hate but now I try to find it daily, is now something I can visually see every time I put something out for others to judge. Yes, I was a coach for twelve years and was judged on how well my team performed each time they walked through the gate to play. It was easy to see how I did. Whose scorecard got the higher number. It was concrete, quick, and had reward or consequence at the end of each spring.

Since I have left that career I have been further in the shadows than at any other point in my life. As the head coach, my name was associated with the success or failure of the team each time. The problem with that was I never agreed. When the players did great, whether as a team or as an individual, I got credit. I always felt this was stupid. Yes, I recruited the player, but that player used his talent, skill, and desire to succeed to reach those goals. If they failed or the team failed, that is where I came in the picture. What did I do wrong? Could I have suggested a different strategy? Should I have not put the player in that position? Is there a different player that could have done better? These are the moments where I felt I deserved the credit. Yes, I said credit. As a coach, I failed the player at that moment and assisted with causing stress and feeling of failure. I know, I didn’t play for the player when he won, nor did I play for the player when he lost. However, I am the captain of the ship, and when a player fails, the team fails, or goals aren’t achieved, I have failed the team. Maybe the goals were set too high. It could be as simple as I didn’t recruit the right players, or maybe the opponent figured out a weakness that I missed during the coaching sessions. When I coached the success and failure pendulum was not equal.

As I coached longer, the failures weighed heavier and the successes were what was anticipated. Ego is a real son of a bitch, and deep down, I felt that my players could accomplish anything if the belief was strong enough. Since I have left coaching I have found a very good understanding deep within my own psyche. It has taken almost a year, but I have realized that my ego, lack of focus on my own well-being, and the fact that I talked but didn’t show was one of my largest obstacles during that part of my life. Seven weeks ago, I realized I have failed myself, my wife, and my daughter. This failure didn’t happen overnight but took a while. It probably has been happening for multiple years, but for the past ten, I was focused on the revolving roster that was my team while I was a head coach. Since leaving coaching and really needing to focus on myself, I have had the epiphany that I talked a lot, but my action was just at a lower standard. I demanded excellence and showed average. I got fat, stopped competing, and accepted that failure was a stopping point and not a reset. Since that thought thunderbolt many weeks back, the focus on success has been like a laser beam. Not that I will go into too many details at this point, but I am less fat than I was, dreams are reignited, and failure is a test and I pass a lot right now.

I started tonight with words of greatness and positive affirmation. Failure could also be one of those words. The only way we succeed is by pushing the limits, finding them, and then pushing right through that point. It is hard. Actually, it is really hard. Change is uncomfortable and takes us to places we are not sure of. What is funny, many of us don’t want to succeed because if we do, people, friends, and associates will see that and then expect us to be able to do it again. Succeeding repetitively is not easy. Many of us can do it once and afterwards the comfort of achievement takes away the edge and then we decide that once was enough. Goals, achievement steps, and things that stretch our imagination and belief will help conquer that. I am currently working on this goal and I will not lie; there have been a lot of failures so far and I am still less than halfway there. The cool thing is though, I already have the next goal laid out once this first one is achieved. Heck, I may get to go after the next one before this one is completed. Yes, you can go after more than one.

I hope you enjoyed your Sunday. Go fail at something. NASCAR had 39 failures today and the Masters only awarded one green jacket. On two different television channels today, there were a multitude of failures who have all also had a great deal of success. The next week may be their time to write the storybook ending. Who knows? All we can do is put in the effort every day.

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Graduation: Completing One Book and Starting a New One

Some things are engrained deep in our brains. Events, timeframes, and situations that occur around the same time each year. For over 12 years this time of year meant the end of another school year was coming into focus. Conference matches were going hot and heavy, trying to nudge rankings up a bit more, and preparations for the conference tournament were in full effect. There was also the anticipation of regional qualification, finals, graduation, and working on the next class of players that would come in and work towards this time of year. Tonight, is really simple; it is a thought or two for the graduates of the team I left.

Every year I coached I had to evaluate what was needed to move the team forward. The inevitability of players graduating was as automatic as the sun rising and setting on a daily basis. There were times they would graduate early, finish early and stay for the final year while doing an MBA, or stay for the standard four. Of course, the JUCO transfers were only here for two years but there were fewer of them over the decade-plus. Sometimes, there was one graduate, maybe even none, but there were times where there were five or six. Those times were strenuous. As much fun as it was to continually get fresh players to come in and start their own process, it was also sad. When a player comes in and stays for the full time they are allotted the relationship that is built over that time is very important. My guys and their success while on campus was the highest honor I could have as a coach.

Watching your players walk across the stage, receive their diplomas from Dr. Kerr, and then relish the moments with friends and family afterwards was a great treat. Sadness, although selfish, was also a part of that few hours. Realizing that you no longer had their service on the squad and that you would have to find another player to come in and start that process all over again was an emotion that, for that day, had to be pushed off so the joy of the day could be completely taken in. Over the twelve years of coaching, I graduated just over forty-five players. Some are still finding their way in the world, some are continuing the educational process, and some have already completed their terminal degrees. There are business execs, hedge fund managers, tennis pros, a preacher, a few attorneys, an aspiring doctor, accountants, world traveling digital animation creator, bankers, and teachers. The amount of countries and states where they have ended up is also amazing. Some have found success far from home, while others have planted roots near the home where they have grown up. All of them are doing what they love or if not, working towards finding that which will satisfy the needs they have.

These guys, and women I coached, mean so much to me. When I decided to leave this past year, I knew I was leaving that cycle of jubilation and sadness behind. However, I was also leaving players that I had watched flourish, struggle, fight for their spot, and attempt to become the man they wanted. This season, some of those guys are now getting the opportunity they wanted so badly. They have earned the right to be integral parts of the playing team. This honor is something that is never taken lightly. It is definitely earned and is easily snatched away. Learning that success is earned and not given is something that I preached relentlessly while I was at the helm. I am so impressed with the perseverance they have shown, and their willingness to stick it out, even when things weren’t going the way they wanted or expected.

In less than a month, there will be five guys who will have swung a racket at the Wynee Warden Tennis Center for the last time as a MOC. They will walk across the stage and become alumni. The dream of college athletics will have its completion and the next dream will take hold. For some, it will be more schooling, for a couple it will be a master’s or Doctorate, and maybe others will immediately find the first job to cut their teeth in the corporate world. One thing is for sure, I have heard this from every player that I have ever talked to after they have left for a bit, they will miss the team. Each has their own reason. Some hated the structure, but loved the camaraderie, others miss the competition, while others simply miss the mandatory health benefits of being on a highly competitive athletic team. Miguel Alvarez, Derek Bell, Matt Matsuyama, Blaine Miller, and Lance Francisco will be heading into the next step of their lives here shortly. I know that I will be in the RP Funding Center to watch them receive that piece of paper that signifies years of sweat, hours of studying, some really good times, and the hope for their future. There will come a time that I don’t know any of the players on the squad and then that portion of my life will completely be closed, like the last book I finished reading. However, as far as I can tell I have three graduations still to attend. For many of the guys, I don’t think they truly understand how important they were to me and that I treasure them for what they came to me as and what they trained themselves to be when they left Florida Southern College.

I am happy for all of you. Heck, I am proud of all of you and cannot wait to see you all succeed like each of you think you will. That is why I enjoyed all of you. Your belief in yourselves made the motivation easier. Finish strong, study hard, and enjoy the remaining time. You will miss it.

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Van Halen and Aerosmith Sang About Them

First Happy Easter!! Wait, if you don’t celebrate Easter, Happy Sunday. Also, for all you pranksters, you had your day today. What a momentous day for so many groups. This is what they mean when they talk about inclusion for all groups. Michelle and I were out early this morning at the barn and passed a couple of sunrise services. After that, we had some real estate work to handle and saw some cute little Easter outfits, people grabbing some great family time at McDonald’s, really, oh well that is your prerogative, and others were running to and fro like it was a normal day. Everyone was living their dream for the day. Or, were they living it for someone else?

Oh, the dreams of man and how they drive us crazy. In a quote attributed to Sigmund Freud, he stated, “Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.” There are times that this must have been most of the people I have known throughout my years. You may have been one of those people, or heck, you may have made fun of the person who had the crazy dream. It has been a quandary of mine for many years; why do we belittle, make fun of, or cheer against those that have these outlandish dreams? Is it really that important that the person with the dream stay grounded to equal where we are? Dreams may be big, small, personal, group-oriented, outlandish, or even mundane. The cool thing about each dream and person they are attached to is that they are that individual’s dream. No one else’s. If you have never had a dream, I feel bad for you. It can be as simple as dreaming about a simple day off, enjoying a sunrise or sunset at your favorite beach with your favorite person, having a day where you can do whatever it is that tickles your fancy, or being able to go to a show that has been something you wanted to see. For others, the dreams are bigger, crazier, more outlandish, and even a bit larger than life. You know, like shooting your Tesla into space, creating a watch that answers phone calls, building businesses that are leaders in their industry, or achieving something that is so personal and far out that even friends and family think you may need professional help. These latter dreams and those like it are the ones that I battle within my own mind. There are so many things that excite me. Pictures dance through my head, how it looks are concrete in my mind, but the dream is just that, a dream. There is no plan, follow through, or idea of the first step so the dream remains a dream and never becomes a goal.

I love seeing people chase the dreams. I am a sucker for the motivational story of the person who has achieved what they set their mind to and the story they tell. I know the possibility is there. They are attainable. I understand that chasing the dream causes pain, that you may lose friends, you may have to separate yourself from family that you love, you may have to leave behind things you think you like, and you may have to start it alone. All of that is understandable; I get it and feel it inside. Then, I put it on the back burner because the truth of the current status overwhelms the dream and it falls into the crevices. It simmers, steams, and occasionally visits from time to time. Maya Mendoza stated, “No amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre life chained to a routine that has killed your dreams.” My life is awesome, but I get the gist of the quote. I have chased many of the dreams that I have had. Many failed because of a lack of talent, some were accomplished, and others, once the journey started, were realized that it really wasn’t a dream I wanted to “burn the boats over.” Maybe, that is part of the problem. I have been so fortunate through my 45 years. I have gotten to do so many things, seen so many cool places, competed at an elevated level in a couple of arenas, and watched others that I am close to chase dreams they have desired. That problem is; I know that if you put the work in, the time, and the dedication you can go after it and see where it takes you. Dreams can come true and they can knock you flat on your face. Damn, it is a great ride though.

Currently, my dreams are a bit more simplistic. For the past many years, we have allowed our daughter to shape her dream(s) and let her see where they may take her. The personal itch of the persistent dream is beginning to rear its head again deep inside my emotions. For someone with dreams that have been put on the bench, they don’t go away. We can work around them, push them off, and even tell ourselves that they weren’t that important. Here’s the issue: if they keep popping up in your thoughts they must mean something, and they will haunt you until it is achieved or at least tried and failed. Yes, my dreams are now getting to that point. Today is the first day of the second quarter of the year. The first quarter was awesome, opened some eyes, and showed what was possible. As Cole Trickle said in Days of Thunder, “Harry, I’m dropping the hammer.” Harry told him no and he did it anyway. Sometimes you must go with your gut and hope that the tires can handle your pressure.

Enjoy your week, re-introduce yourself to your dreams, and let’s go. The best that happens is you reach it and the worst that happens is you try again.

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I Just Can't Hide It

Angst, excitement, frustration, euphoria, pleasure, and complete abhorrence are some of the emotions we have as an emotional species. Heck, many of you probably had those today, and even some that I missed. Excitement is what I am pondering this beautiful evening. Getting excited, staying excited, and of course, when the excitement fails you. Let’s start with the sadness that excitement, when it wanes, can cause.

Today, I was pumped all day. It is a feeling that I had since Monday. The day had been planned down to the last detail and was going along perfectly. The morning had gone as planned, lunch and dog walking for my mom happened at the perfect time, and the afternoon workflow was perfect. I was getting excited about the hours ticking away as the time neared for the final part of the great evening. You see, Michelle and I were going to watch a little baseball this evening. Not major league opening day baseball, but the kind where the dream starts for the kids and maybe, even some of the parents. Little league baseball was the destination. There is nothing like four fields going at the same time. Foul balls flying around, hamburgers, hotdogs, French fries, sodas, bubble gum in all the bleachers, and parents cheering on their little rug rats. It is a fantastic way to spend the evening, catch up with friends, and support the team that is wearing your name. Except, I didn’t read the schedule correctly and there wasn’t a game tonight due to spring break. Oops! I found this out about 3:30pm when Michelle called to give me the sad/bad news.

Excitement is something I don’t show well. Michelle has prepared some great meals over our almost two decades together. I mean, they are delicious, and I have enjoyed each one but for the first few years, she didn’t think I liked them because of my lack of, wait for it……. excitement. As I stated, I loved them, but she would ask, and I would tell her that they were great. It wasn’t what I said, it was the inflection that threw her off. After a few years she realized that I didn’t get excited to that level very often. This is still the case. My excitement stays internalized for most things. There are things that really get me going, I mean really get me going, but it is rare that I show it, say it, or let my emotions give away the internalized feelings. Kids chasing their dreams does get me excited. They play because they love the game, have a chance to be a hero, and if they win, (thanks Flo), they get ice cream with sprinkles. What can be more exciting than that. The crack of the metal bat, some pip squeak chasing butterflies in the outfield, and miscues that lead to an amazing number of runs makes the games a fun distraction from the everyday life.

There are other things that get me excited. Some of them are personal, others are familial, and others are from afar. I love racing. Really love racing. I will get up at anytime of the morning to go watch a race. Actually, this is beginning to suck a bit because I hate just being a spectator. There was a time, many, many, years ago, that I was a fairly good BMX racer. When I hit my thirties, I decided to buy a dirt bike and go off-road racing. Not good would be a strong statement but possibly an accurate depiction of my skills on a motorcycle. Starting in the beginners was where it was at for the first year. I then moved to the “C” level on a YZ125. I never won a race but did finish second once. That second was awesome, but I wasn’t even close to first. After finishing third in the series I bumped myself up to the “B” class and purchased a YZ250. New bike, faster kids, and even worse butt kicking’s but I looked forward to every weekend of racing with my wife and daughter. It was our time and doing my best every time was what drove me. After a couple of years of trying to compete with the kids, I decided to join the ranks of the old men but when you are slow you still finish where you are going to finish. I think I finished fifth once, but it didn’t matter. Those weekends gave me something to look forward to thirteen times a year. The anticipation of each race, the excitement of race weeks, and the soreness after each race were the catalyst that made me want more. Going to the races now, as a spectator, is fantastic but it only fuels the excitement of doing it again myself.

Having joy in your life is such a strong pulling power. This feeling helps push through hard tasks, eases the burden of crappy work, and even give you something to look forward to after a wonderful week in the trenches. Building excitement around something that pushes you forward is a terrific way to reach for those goals you may have been putting off because you just couldn’t find the reason to strive for it. Excitement can cause let down, if the dream is deadened for a bit, but if the goal is big enough the down times will be lessened and if the potential excitement is strong enough the doldrums will wane, and your positive emotions will again swell that feeling inside that can only be quenched when the event reaches fruition.

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Fifty Years Comes and Goes: Make Your Mark

Time appears to pass inexplicably quickly. It just seems like yesterday I was coaching the midpoint of the season at FSC, preparing for the conference tournament with one last shot at regional glory. The only problem with that flashback is that it is nearly a year since I announced to the administration and the guys that I was exiting coaching stage left. Those moments are engrained in my conscience but the time marches on as the people involved chase the new dreams and the next goals put forth. This one example is just a personal note on something that happens to all of us at some point during our daily existence.

50 years seems like such a long time. Many milestones occur at this numeral because it is just amazing that things, groups, couples, businesses, or events last that long. For goodness sake, one of my first crushes turned 50 this year. It was simply a boy enamored with an older lady, and it was a long time ago. Heck, my mother is eagerly anticipating her 50th high school reunion. That is amazing. I’ve been out 28 years and it still seems like a long time to get to that mark. The golden years are approaching much quicker than like years past. Turning 50 was such a long way off, but now I am only a few years away and can almost taste that McDonald’s senior coffee, silver checking, and my AARP membership. Oh geez, I guess that means I will be taking my young wife to the early bird specials.

A couple of weeks ago, I accompanied my dad to his 51st Sebring 12 Hours. They have only had 66 of them, so for a nearly 70-year-old, he hasn’t missed too many of them. Things happen at such a fast pace now, how many things will last 50 years as we move forward. Companies come and go, traditions continued to be lessened, and with the advent of the 24 news, life, and trend cycle, we are fortunate if things last five years. Some of my most favorite music is 30 to 40 years old. How many songs in the past 10 years are even memorable. Shoot, only 12 percent, or around 60 of the fortune 500 companies that made the list in 1955 are still around. Times change, but truly good things do last. I hope that we continue to hang on to some of them.

As I approach closer to that magical number, I’m still a few years off, I realize how much I have seen and how much has happened. Go back to your Google, Bing, or whatever search engine tickles your fancy and see what has happened in the past 50 years. Too many to recount in this cheesy piece of reflection. There was a time, in my late teens, early twenties, and maybe even when I first started coaching in my late thirties, that I thought 50 was old. You must get fat, grey, wrinkly, and completely give up on chasing dreams. There is only one problem. I’m damn near that milestone and the dreams are bigger than ever. The weight is coming off slowly, the hair isn’t grey but bald may be my new beautiful, and wrinkly may be caused by the years of sun damage. I don’t feel older. Well, I don’t feel older until I try to do what I used to do at the levels I used to do it. The mind is clear, the thoughts pure, but the realization that the body doesn’t want to do it has become a bit more apparent.

Think back to the last thing you were a part of that was around for 50 years. It could be the house you live in, your parents, the business you work for, or some other thing that has survived through the ages. All of those are set in their ways. Stubborn, proud, and marching on through the modern transitions that happen quicker and quicker. People become set in their ways. Why do they need a smartphone? They don’t trust technology always and don’t grasp all that is happening around them. Events and businesses, at times, act the same way. However, there are those moments where lights go off in the corporate brain and a corporate tummy tuck, facelift, or mid-life crisis occurs and the way they move forward changes. Even with the stodginess and prestige they have earned, they realize that time marches on and the virtual doors will only stay open if they embrace the necessary changes.

Fifty years comes and goes every day for people, businesses, and events. We should honor the achievement. Yes, humans want more and hope to enjoy many more years of productivity. I am curious as time continues to pick up speed how many businesses and events will stand the test of time and reach that monumental milestone. It is my hope that many will grow, adapt, and achieve that success but if recent history is any indicator we may get to the point that a ten-year celebration is a big deal. Who knows? I will be pumped for anything I am involved in to hit that marker. And yes, celebrate I will.

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Sometimes the Product isn't Good; Tonight's One of Those Nights.

Not everyday that I write do I have great thoughts cruising through my brain or out my fingers. Tonight is one of those nights. Don't worry about reading it. There will be a better one next time. It doesn't even warrant pictures.

Hurray, it is Friday. I sit here alone at the computer on a Friday night to put out my latest thought stream. People get so pumped for the weekend. For over a decade and half I have no idea what that means. The same people also curse Monday. Heck, doesn’t that mean that you are moving towards another weekend that you are so looking forward to again? I truly don’t get it because of the life I chose many years ago and the life I have recently attached as my future livelihood. I get it, when I was in school, sales, teaching, and the corporate world the weekend was manna from heaven. Two nights and two days of no responsibilities and fun for 48 hours. Sunday night would roll around and the toys got put away and the begrudging thoughts of another week crept into our psyche. The only problem for me is that I don’t remember what that is like. Weekends were just another work day.

Don’t get me wrong; it is fun to hang out with your peers on a “normal” schedule but that just wasn’t how it was or how it will be for me. There are advantages though. The lake isn’t nearly as crowded on a random weekday. Neither is the golf course. Walmart though, it is crowded all the time. Also, it is great that you can get out on the lake or golf course, but it is hard to ski by yourself. Bass fishing is okay, but that is about it. Golfing is much faster by yourself, but it is never good to drink alone. By the way, the cabernet sauvignon this evening is very nice. It really sounds as if I am complaining but it is far from it. I have never minded the odd schedule. When I worked in the college world, summers were very slow, so the week was perfect for frivolous activities, or used for making some side cash. The weekends, even in the summer were used for going to tournaments looking for the next talented player. In the new career of real estate, people want to see houses at the damnedest of times. After 5pm on weekdays and at any daylight hour on the weekend. It is like we open the doors at 4:30 every afternoon and keep them open all weekend.

I’ve pondered frequently what it would be like to have the normal Monday through Friday schedule. It sounds, at times, appealing. However, it is really cool to get up from my desk at noon on any given day and leave the office. Freedom to move about the area at any time. Oh wait, you can leave but you cannot hide. With the advent of this innovative technology we are available anywhere. This was the same in coaching. Players from around the world would call at all hours of the day or night. Somehow, they would misjudge the time difference and really need to get that call into you at 12:30am or maybe 5:30 the same morning. I cannot remember if any of those calls earned scholarships or not. The same thing happens in real estate. Random phone calls on listings at 11:30pm. Really, do you head off to the car lot or maybe your dentist at 11:30 at night. Look, don’t touch. I’m just kidding. We love those calls and if we don’t take them some other hungry agent will scoop them up, change out of their pajamas and go show them the damn property. Fantastic job guys. Keep up the hustle so we cannot rest at all.

If you’ve read this far it sounds a little bit like a gripe session. It is not. I love it, find it humorous, and enjoy the challenges that are presented. The freedoms we have gained from all this technology is mind boggling. It has really allowed us ease of everything. Surely, in the next few years it will also make us all smarter, more caring, and less abrasive to our fellow man. I firmly believe, that in the next few years we will also realize what fools we have been and want to reconnect with humans instead of just screens. Don’t get me wrong, the technology is awesome and will only get better but for a vast majority of people the ability to communicate, share, and survive with another human next to them has been lost. At some point, sanity will prevail, and we will use the technology for improvement and convenience. All this stuff has stopped us from having the free time we used to enjoy. My favorite phrase I hear at least everyday is this: “I am so busy!” Really, doing what? What are you so busy doing now that five years ago you weren’t doing? Stop being so accessible to beeps, dings, and the screen that barely fits in your pocket. Sit down, relax, I mean really relax, and speak to someone eye to eye. It is a lost art.
Well shoot, I’ve just rambled on for the past 844 words and don’t know what I accomplished. Okay, I like my non-Monday through Friday schedule. It is my norm. I appreciate that others like their schedule. I love what I currently do but think having parameters for engagement is not out of line and I think technology is great but has become an excuse for “busyness” and not actually helped with productivity. You’ll have a great weekend on the lake, links, or “honey do list”. I’m going to go shovel some poop, sell some houses, and answer random calls all weekend. Don’t feel sorry, not that you do, next Wednesday is looking sweet for a quick escape. Enjoy your family and create your adventure, whenever and wherever you can.