Category Archives: Life Lessons

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January’s Top Posts

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In case you missed them, here are the top posts from January.  Key to note – January marks the first month I’ve expanded the topics of my blog – from Commercial Real Estate best practices to Next Practices in Life, Business, and Commercial Real Estate.  Thus, please enjoy the post below on marriage as well as other business and CRE topics.  Thanks for reading!

I also want to invite you to sign up just to the right to receive my new posts straight to your email inbox.  Don’t worry about remembering to check my site.  I will do the work and make sure that you never miss a post.  I will also never share your information.

 January’s Top Posts

iStockPhoto via Erikona

iStockPhoto via Erikona

Why You Should Use a Simple CRM – ClientLook – CRE Tech & App Review – On the front-end, I must confess to being a CRM-hopper.  I started my career in 2004 with a legal pad – literally.  Then I moved on to Outlook.  Please pay attention when I say this.  Outlook is not a CRM system – sorry Dad.  It is simply email with contacts and a calendar.  Read More…

 

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12th Anniversary Trip

What 12 Years has Taught Me About Having an Awesome Marriage – I’ve had a crush on my wife – still do – since the day I laid eyes on her.  I was 10 years old in youth church choir.  She sings like an angel, and I liked being around girls that could sing like an angel.  It took me 8 years to ask her out.  Two reasons caused the delay.  I was sort of a dork, and she was intimidatingly beautiful – still is!  After 5 years of me proving that she is the most forgiving person on the planet, we got married.  (This is by far the most condensed version of ‘our story’ that I’ve ever pulled off).  Read More…

 

iStockPhoto from cosmity

iStockPhoto from cosmity

The 3 Benefits of a Well Done Prospecting Letter – You have to assume that at least 50% of recipients are not going to read your letter.  They just won’t.  And that is fine.  All I’m trying to do is warm up my initial cold call.  When I call those who actually read it, my ratio for getting a meeting goes up.  Read More…

 

 

iStockPhoto by hidesy

iStockPhoto by hidesy

The One Secret to Winning the Business Every Time – When I started in the Commercial Real Estate Business, I knew that the listing presentation was important.  Very important. I wrote and rewrote.  I practiced and then practiced some more.  I would record myself and play it back while I was driving.  It was canned…  Read More…

 

iStock_000010779625Small

iStockPhoto

5 Reasons to Develop Decisiveness Using the 70% Rule – You will experience failures in your personal and professional lives.  It should not be the failed goal that defines the experience but the way that we respond to the failure.  Consider reflecting on these questions…  Read More…

 

 

January’s Stats

I’ve read on some other sites where they post their stats.  I have always appreciated this – as much as a benchmark as anything else.  It is difficult to know how well you are doing sometimes.

  • 2,371 Unique Visitors
  • 6,761 Page Views
  • 65% Percent New Visitors
  • 61 Countries
  • 30% from a mobile device
  • 81% of those from an iPhone or iPad
  • 119 Subscribers to my email list

I wish you all a fabulous February.  I turn 36 this month!  If you have any comments on the posts above or would like to make a suggestion on what you would like to read, leave a comment below!

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5 Podcasts that Will Make You Smarter

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Recently, I was able to connect with one of my closest friends while driving home from a trip to Chicago.  This guy is the kind of friend that everyone needs.  He was in my wedding.  I was in his.  We were fraternity brothers at Murray State University.  He was the quarterback.  I was the receiver.  We even dated the same beautiful Southern girl (not at the same time) who I now get to call my wife.

iStockPhoto via jodijacobson

iStockPhoto via jodijacobson

He is the kind of friend when you haven’t spoken for a year, it is like it was yesterday.  Everyone needs at least one friend like this.  I am blessed to have a couple.

My friend was sharing with me an opportunity he has to leave the corporate world and start a business.  He has created something special that could be incredibly valuable to his customers and himself.  However, he told me that he doesn’t think he’ll do anything because he doesn’t have a clue about starting or running a business.

Fifteen minutes later I had brain-dumped all this information on him.  Now, I have started a business (that failed), and I have owned a business that I sold.  But the stuff that I was telling him surprised me.  How did I know this stuff?

Then it occurred to me that I was repeating a lot of great information that I had learned through listening to some incredible podcasts from businesses leaders across the United States (actually, most of them are in Nashville).

If you are not familiar with a Podcast, it is literally someone recording themselves speaking about some subject.  It is much like a radio show.  However, you can download these podcasts on your iPod, iPhone, or other smart-phone or mp3 player.  You simply subscribe through iTunes – for free – and they automatically download whenever a new episode is published.

Before I share with you which ones I love and recommend, let me share with you how I consume this information:

  • While working out – I can kill two birds with one stone when I engage my mind and my body at the same time.
  • While driving – great content is so much more effective than coffee at keeping me alert.  Not only that, but I can transform my car into a classroom and make the most of every moment.
  • On a plane – I’m actually on a plane as I write this somewhere between Nashville and Atlanta.  Were I not writing, I guarantee that I would be listening to one of the following podcasts.

My Top 5 Recommended Podcasts

  1. This is Your Life, A Podcast by Michael Hyatt – If you aren’t familiar with Michael Hyatt, you should be.  He has a top 100 (in the world!) blog on intentional leadership.  He has recently written a New York Times Bestseller called Platform:  Get Noticed in a Noisy World.  His is by far my favorite blog and his content is amazing.  His podcast is awesome too.  He is authentic.  You end up just liking him.  I get to meet him next month at our company’s National Conference where he is giving the keynote address.  I am also going to his Platform Conference the following week in Nashville.  Can’t wait!
  2. 48Days Online Radio Show by Dan Miller – Dan Miller rocks.  A mentor of mine suggested that I connect with him last year.  I ended up hiring him as a career coach.  He is also a bestselling author of 48 Days to the Work You Love and other books.  His podcast centers around careers, business plans, business models, and other career related info.  You can’t listen to him and not get fired up about what is possible.
  3. Ray Edwards Podcast – Ray probably has my favorite podcast.  He is very transparent and genuine, and he basically let’s you in on his life.  He is a productivity freak (I mean that in a good way).  His podcast is broken up into segments which I love.  He has a main message of each podcast, but also has a tech tip of the week, a spiritual foundations segment, and a segment with Stu McLaren who is great.  Ray is also a marketing genius.
  4. Entreleadership Podcast – I can’t believe that this is 4th on my list, but the others are just that good.  This is the podcast from Dave Ramsey and his main man Chris LoCurto.  Every show has a short message from Dave that sets the theme, but then they move to a guest interview.  The guests are amazing and are a who’s who when it comes to business.  You can’t get this kind of access to this kind of wisdom and experience anywhere else I’m aware.
  5. Podcast Answer Man with Cliff Ravenscraft – This podcast is obviously a little more technical.  I include it because at least the first three podcasts listed above are a result of Cliff’s expertise.  He is the expert when it comes to podcasting.  I hope to introduce my own podcast this year so I have been studying up.  Cliff is also a Kentucky boy like myself!

In one sentence, these podcasts are like being able to sit at the feet of these guys and learn from their wisdom.  And it’s free!

So who do you listen to that I don’t?  Who would crack your top 5?  Let us know in the comment section below!

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8 Great Ideas to Be a Better Parent – Part 1

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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post on what I’d learned from my 12 years of marriage.  At that point, it was my most read post.  That was a pleasant surprise.  However, when my kids saw the picture of their mom on my blog, they asked me to write a post where I could use their pictures.  So this post is for them.

IMG_6715 copy

I remember when my wife told me that we were pregnant for the first time.  I was so excited.  I was also terrified.  I instantly realized that my child needed me to be a better man than I was at that moment.  This was an absolute defining moment for me.  It changed me.  I became dedicated to becoming that kind of dad.  I became serious about my faith.  Everything changed.

I’m certainly no expert in parenting, but I have learned some things.  Here are the first 4 keys to being a rock star parent.

Love Your Wife

I don’t think there is anything greater you can do for your kids then to give them the security of knowing their parents have a strong marriage.  Enough said on this one.

Become a Student of Your Children

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” ~ Prov 22:6

IMG_6746 copyI’ve heard this verse quoted by many parents with wayward children trusting that this verse means they will come back to the faith.  I’m not sure that is what this verse is talking about.  I don’t think the bible teaches that parents have the ability to parent in such a way that guarantees the salvation of their children.

I think this means that parents have the responsibility to help their children reach their potential.  This means that parents must be students of their children.  What are their natural abilities?  What are their passions?  It is like a great puzzle.  I ask my boys all the time what they love doing.

If your kid is creative, champion that in them.  My oldest is very competitive, so I play sports with him all the time.  Do whatever you can to help your kids grow towards their potential.  This does not mean making them into what you are passionate about.  This is not about you.

Pursue the Hearts of Your Children

This idea is nebulous, but you want access to your children’s hearts.  Are you a safe place for them to really share what is going on with them at a heart level?  I want to suggest that you only get a few chances when your kids will open up the windows of their hearts and give you access.  If you are a safe place for them, they will give you the key to their hearts forever.

IMG_6855 bwcopyTwo things can revoke this access quicker than anything:  anger and teasing.  If your child shares a heart-level secret with you and you get angry – access revoked.  If your son shares with you his feelings for a young lady, and you tease him, he’ll never share it with you again.

Pursue their hearts.  Gain and treasure that access.  Protect it!  Be that safe place.

Develop Your Family Culture

Developing a family culture gives your kids an identity.  Here are some things that we do together as family:

  • We eat together almost every night.
  • We pray together every night – rotating between the 3 kids’ rooms.
  • We share and reinforce the same values – honesty, a strong work ethic, risk-taking, caring for each other.
  • We play together – sports, coloring, building Lego’s, hanging out together on the couch watching The Biggest Loser, etc…

Later this week or maybe next, I’ll share with you the next four ideas.  In the meantime, share with us a great idea from your experience as a child or a parent.  What is your favorite memory with your parents?  What would you add to this list?  Comment below!

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Ask Me Your Questions

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Take a look at the right column of this site.  I encourage you to sign up for the email list of this blog.  Not only will you receive every new post directly to your email inbox, but you will be the first to know of any new announcements.  There are some exciting ones coming up.  And I will never give your info to anyone…ever.

iStockPhoto from myrrha

iStockPhoto from myrrha

2013 is a year of new beginnings for me.  This blog has a new look and an expanded scope.  I have a new job.  I have a new vision for the future and new goals.  I couldn’t be more excited.

Another shift that starts now is I am purposing to focus more upon the highest interests of my readers.  Practically, that means I am trying to write for my readers.  Until this point, I’ve been writing whatever I hoped would be interesting or useful for someone.

In one of last week’s posts, The One Secret to Winning the Business Every Time, I make the case that the most important thing that you can do with your clients and prospects is understand their needs.  You do that by asking questions.

So today, I’m asking for your questions.  Here is how this will work.  You can ask me anything.  As this blog is focused on Next Practices in Life, Business, and Commercial Real Estate, your questions simply need to fall into one of those categories.  Feel free to ask about my experiences, background, job, or my thoughts on any subject.  I’m certainly no expert in most subjects, but I have thoughts on most.  I will respond in one of 3 ways:

  1. Your question will turn into a post – Some of you already been firing questions at me – and they are great questions. Those that warrant a full post will get it.
  2. I will respond that I don’t have a clue – This may happen more than I’d like.  However, if I don’t know, then I will tell you.
  3. I will find out – I expect some questions will pique my curiosity and will send me searching.  In that case, I will report back what I find.

To give you a feel for what I am working on, here are some post titles coming up in the future.

Life

  • A Review of the App ‘Book on Her’
  • How to Pursue the Hearts of Your Children
  • How to Create a Healthy Family Culture

Business

  • The 7 Steps to Cast a Vision that People will Follow
  • The Art of Delegation Results vs Tasks
  • Book Reviews

Commercial Real Estate

  • CRE App Reviews
  • Why You Should Consider Syndications as Part of Your Business
  • More Posts Unpacking the Steps in a Prospecting System
  • An Introductory Post on Creating Presence

Those are my plans, but I want to hear from you.  Here is how you ask a question:

  1. Use the comments section below
  2. Include your name and website – I will link to them if I use your question as a post.
  3. Ask your question!

So ask away!  I look forward to increasing the interaction with you on my blog and ensuring that I am listening to my readers.  Use the comments below.

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What 12 Years Has Taught Me About Having an Awesome Marriage

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This post is a bit of an expansion of the theme of this blog.  In my first couple months of blogging at the end of 2012, the theme of my blog was ‘Next Practices in Commercial Real Estate.”  With the start of a new year, I have expanded that theme to ‘Next Practices in Life, Business, and Commercial Real Estate.”  I’ve moved the blog to a new self-hosted platform (thanks Michael Hyatt).  I’ve got a new look.  And now I’m expanding the content.  I hope you like it!

2012-12-21 22.10.25

Good Behavior

 

 

I’ve had a crush on my wife – still do – since the day I laid eyes on her.  I was 10 years old in youth church choir.  She sings like an angel, and I liked being around girls that could sing like an angel.  It took me 8 years to ask her out.  Two reasons caused the delay.  I was sort of a dork, and she was intimidatingly beautiful – still is!  After 5 years of me proving that she is the most forgiving person on the planet, we got married.  (This is by far the most condensed version of ‘our story’ that I’ve ever pulled off).

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated our 12th Anniversary.  I can hear you gasping that I can’t be old enough to be married that long!  No?  Well, thanks anyway.

We spent the weekend away in Nashville and left the kids at home.  We had one purpose – enjoy each other’s company.  No agenda other than one reservation at the Melting Pot for our anniversary dinner.  After 12 years of marriage, I think we have found our sweet spot.  Here are 9 key that can help you find yours.  And forgive me if I come at this from the perspective of the husband.

  1. Never commit the sin of 50/50 give take – If I had to make a list of one, this would be it.  I submit to you that love is selfless – completely.  The entire premise of 50/50 give-take is you are being selfish 50% of the time.  There is a better way and that is 100/100 give-give.  Imagine what your marriage would look like if 100% of the time you made decisions for what your spouse gets out it.  And she did the same in return?  100% of the time you would be satisfied – blown away, really – while being totally selfless.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  Pipe-dream?  Maybe, but that is what we shoot for, and it is sweet when it works.  All of our conflict is born from one of us (normally me) going selfish on the other.
  2. Become a student of your wife – I would say guys aren’t good at this naturally.  However, we need to know our wives.  What does she like to do on a date?  Where does she like to eat?  What is her favorite song?  What is her favorite sort of gift?  How often does she need to get away from the kids and recharge?  Does a back rub communicate love to her?  What about flowers?  If your relationship is a bank account, are you in the red?  There is a great new app to help guys with this called Book On Her.  I highly recommend it.
  3. Always speak positively of your wife – I hear guys all the time speak poorly of their wives in front of other people.  You should slap yourself for this.  Always speak positively of your wife.  It is a great opportunity to build her up and strengthen your relationship.  You can knee-cap her or make her feel like a million bucks.

    2012-12-21 22.10.31

    Normal Behavior

  4. Learn her love language – then use it! – Millions of people have read Gary Chapmanss book The 5 Love Languages.  My wife’s primary love languages are gift-giving and quality time.  Mine are not.  If I want to love on her, I need to communicate that love in her languages by giving gifts and spending time with her.  Too many of us try to love on our spouses in our love language verses theirs.  This goes back to key number 1 and key number 2 above.
  5. Set up adultery guard rails – Too many great men have fallen because they were stupid.  I’m not that great or that smart.  If it can happen to others it can happen to me.  So, set boundaries that can protect your marriage from adultery.  I won’t have lunch with a woman other than my wife.  I won’t ride alone in a car with a woman who isn’t my wife, mother, or other family member.  These may sound overly strict, but the down side is too great.  It’s just not worth it.  You should spend time putting up guard rails for your marriage.  They don’t have to be the one’s I use.
  6. Don’t flirt with other women – I almost didn’t include this, but I see it happen too often.  My goal is for my wife to never question my love to her and my commitment to our marriage and family.  Flirting simply undermines this.  And the best way to shut down someone who is flirting with you is to talk about how awesome your wife is.
  7. Get her away – Nothing does more to bless and recharge my wife then getting her away from those that ask her a million questions a day.  I don’t do this enough.
  8. Love on your kids – I don’t think I’ve ever communicated this to my wife, but I love how she looks at me when I’m playing with our kids.  I feel like the look says, “My husband rocks!”  Maybe that looks says, “he’s nuts,” but I don’t think so.
  9. Make the bed – Do the dishes.  Help fold the laundry.  These are all ways to make relational deposits into your marriage that keep your account in the black.  One night my wife had dinner with some of her friends.  I put the kids to bed and then cleaned the bathrooms.  I need to do that one again – that was good night!

So I ask you – what do you do that enriches your marriage?  How intentional are you about pouring into the most important earthly relationship that you have?  What would you add to this list?

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Not Your Standard Goal-Setting Post

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I learned to set goals from my dad.  He’s set annual goals every year that I can remember.  As a result, I’ve been a goal setter most of my life, and I believe that it has benefited me.

2013

However, I was on a coaching call with one of my clients last month that caused me to rethink goals.  This guy has absolutely crushed his goals for the year – killed it.  Do you know how he feels about it?  He feels like he has stolen from next year’s income.  His goals actually have prevented him from enjoying his success.

What he should feel is something short of elation.  His growth this year has been incredible, and I had a front row seat to it.  This guy started his own firm and became a first-time dad.  He had realistic goals.  They were measurable.  They were stretching yet attainable.  In some way, hitting his goals left him wanting.

This is the time of year when top producers and high achievers set goals for the upcoming year.  It is the perfect time to pause (nearly impossible in December) and reflect on the year.  And while my thinking is changing on the best way to set goals, I will set them nonetheless.

None of the following is rocket science or original thought.  It is simply how I’ve learned to do this.  As you work through your goals for next year, remember the word ‘balance.‘  You really gain nothing if you work 80 hours a week and lose your family.  What benefit is ten million dollars if you  don’t have your health.

I do have a thought and a challenge at the end of this post so be sure to read until the end.

Steps For Setting Life-Changing Goals

  1. Set goals for your entire life.  You may have just said, “Duh!”, but many people don’t.  My areas are spiritual, family, work/career, personal health, personal development, and social.
  2. Write them down – Again, “Duh!”  But this is so important.  I think Dave Ramsey said something like “goals that aren’t written down are just dreams.”  Something happens when you write something down.  More specifically, I encourage you to hand write them.  I gain so much clarity when I write by hand versus typing.
  3. Use the 3 P’s – I’ve read numbers of blogs that espouse this method, but I think that Brian Tracy is the guy who codified it.  If Tracy didn’t come up with this, he wrote about it in one of his books.
      1. Present – don’t write down that you want to lose 20 lbs.  Write that you are the weight that you want to be.  For example:  “I weigh 170 lbs by the end of 2013.”  It is in the present tense.
      2. Positive – you are much more apt to accomplish the goal if you think of it in the positive.  The best example is the quitting smoking goal.  Instead of saying that you are going to quit smoking this year, write “I am a non-smoker.”  See the difference?
      3. Personal – this simply means that you start each goal with “I” and an action verb.  “I sell 10 Single Tenant Net Lease properties by September 2013.”  “I am a student of my wife and seek to understand and know her.”  “I take my daughter on a date once a month so that she doesn’t have to date biker-guy to get my attention.”  You get the point.
  4. Write your goals daily – I’m not good at this one.  This is the idea that writing your goals and placing that sheet of paper in a drawer for a year is not optimal.  I’ve heard of studies that say that even this annual fire and forget method is way better than not setting goals.  However, there is some real power in re-writing them daily.  I did this for a couple-week stretch earlier this year.  Those were some of the most productive and focused days of my life.

I keep thinking of my goal-shattering client, though.  This process failed him in some way.  What he needed was a growth plan.  Goals can be a part of it.  I’m reading John Maxwell’s new book the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth.  He said that happiness has more to do with growth than anything.  And growth is a life-long process.

I want to grow as a writer which will involve writing a book.  I want to grow as a speaker.  I want to grow as a husband and father.  I want to grow as a leader.  My goal is not to arrive, though.  My goal is to try to approach my potential.

How would you quantify that kind of thinking in a goal that is measurable, challenging, and attainable?  I need goals that I never actually hit.  Goals that are always beyond my grasp – causing me to stretch and grow.

Help me out here.  How do you think you can set goals that are just barely unattainable and then be satisfied with the growth?

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How to Turn Failure into Motivation

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This is a guest post written by Major Mike Arnett.  Not only is Mike a world-class Army doctor, he was also my college roommate and easily one of the best friends I’ve ever had.

A few weeks ago, I had dinner with my old friend, Bo Barron.  Bo was on the way to the airport in Nashville.   He was flying to Connecticut where he would be speaking on the use of technology in the commercial real estate industry.  Bo is my only friend from college who has served in the military, and there is a bond between those who have worn the uniform of our country – even between Jarheads and G.I.s.  It was an ideal way to spend Veteran’s Day evening: eating great deep-dish pizza, drinking a great beer, and telling war stories with a great friend.

Major Mike Arnett and Bo Barron. Taken by Mike’s 6-year-old son.

In reference to his upcoming speaking engagement, Bo told me of his passion for speaking to groups.  He then asked me if I remembered a Beta Club speech competition in 1993.  I honestly have no recollection of that district round.  Quite conversely, Bo has an extremely vivid memory of the event.  He clearly remembers me beating him in the districts to deprive him of a trip to Louisville.  This was two years before we would become friends and roommates at Murray State University.

Bo responded to this defeat by committing to his public speaking skills, seeking out opportunities for speaking engagements, and building his confidence in front of a group.  Now, he travels from his corner of Western Kentucky to New England (among others) for corporate speaking engagements.

I have a very similar experience with an 8th grade football teammate, David Campbell*.  David was scrawny even by middle school standards.  Considered that I topped out at 5’7″, it takes a diminutive form for me to use the label “short.” During the football banquet that year, I was surprised to hear that the academic award for highest GPA went to David.  It turns out that my good grades were still short of his 4.0 GPA.  I knew that I would never be the offensive star, but I figured that I could study harder than David and get that award in 9th grade.

That is exactly what I did.  With a 10×14 wooden plaque supporting a plastic football player as my only motivation for academic excellence, I made a 4.0 and received that academic award.  Holding that award was extremely gratifying, and I took much pride in achieving my goal. Spring semester of my freshman year, I continued taking the same classes and it was not particularly difficult to maintain the same study habits so I kept making As.

During my sophomore season, David did not try out for the team but there were some smart upper class-men, and I really wanted another award.  So, I committed myself to winning the academic award again.  I studied on the J.V. bus during away games.  I used the time in between school and practice to complete small sections of homework.  It went as planned.  I received another 4.0 for the fall semester and another plastic football player.

At the end of our sophomore year, the school released the class standings.  I was surprised to see that I was tied for class valedictorian.  The potential of a much greater accolade motivated me for the next two years.  The study habits and decision-making patterns that I developed out of pursuit of an award with a plastic football player resulted in a full academic scholarship to college.

You will experience failures in your personal and professional lives.  It should not be the failed goal that defines the experience but the way that we respond to the failure.  Consider reflecting on these questions:

  1. Why did I not achieve my goal?
  2. What do I need to change or improve?
  3. What do I need to give up in order to spend my time more productively and succeed?
  4. How can I get better?  Be as specific as possible.

To this day, I consider my disappointing 8th grade football banquet as one of the pivotal moments of my life and David Campbell has my eternal gratitude for his unintentional influence on my academic career.  Likewise, I am glad that Bo Barron holds no grudges.

So what failures in your life have led to pivotal moments?  What failures have you wasted?  We would love to hear from you!

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My Salute to Our Fighting Men and Women this Veteran’s Day

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I was the student that you hated in high school.  I can take no credit for it, but God gave me a mind that learns quickly and remembers.  I would do my homework the period before it was due.  I would pay attention in class, review my notes the night before a test – and make A’s.

I’m giving my little brother his first salute during his commissioning ceremony.

Then I got to college.  Because of my cognitive advantages, I never developed study habits.  I was lazy.  I relied on my natural ability and did not work to develop those strengths.  In 4 years at Murray State University, I dropped 14 classes, had a 2.3 GPA, and lacked a full year to graduate.  I had no clue of what I wanted to do or be.  My parents were disappointed in me.  I was actually a disappointment to myself in every aspect of my life.

I remember waking up one morning having fallen asleep on my couch.  The TV was on.  I started to reflect on who I had become.  I had no direction.  The only thing that I had clarity about was that I was a shell of who I knew that I should be.  Then an Army Reserve commercial came on TV.  I began thinking of all of the men in my life that I held the utmost respect for.

I thought about my dad.  My dad is a man on impeccable integrity.  He has rock-solid character oozing out of his pores.  He lives his life based on principles.  He is a business owner.  I provider for his family.  I lover of his wife.  An A+ father for his six children.  He was in the Army for 7 years.  I could see the discipline in his life and began to make a connection.

My dad, brothers, and I giving the “eyebrow.”

I thought of my grandfathers.  Both served in the Army in World War II.  My Granddad Barron was one of the first people to work in the Pentagon when it was just a Line (only one wing had been built.)  My other grandfather was responsible for diverting many of the German forces away from the D-Day invasion.  He then rushed on Omaha Beach.  These are men of courage, character, discipline, and integrity.

My grandfather

As I thought through all these men who I wished I was like, their military background was a common theme.  I need a kick in the rear end. I went to visit the recruiters looking for the biggest boot.

Note:  My story takes a serious USMC turn here.  My apologies for my ingrained biases.

In my town, all the recruiting offices were in the same strip mall.  I started with the Air Force.  After speaking with the recruiter for 30 minutes, it was clear that they were not what I was looking for.  I skipped the Navy because I was not going to wear those uniforms.  When I got to the Army office, they shared with me all the benefits of being a soldier:  become a man, learn discipline, serve your country.  They promised me a sizable signing bonus, to repay college loans (that I didn’t have), etc.  I was impressed and interested.

Lastly, I walked into the Marine office.  I recapped for Sgt. Tate my previous 3 hours.  I shared with him how I was not interested in the Air Force.  I relayed to him all the things the Army would give me.  I asked him, “What does the Marine Corps have to offer me?”  He then said the words that would change my life.  He answered, “I don’t have anything for you, son.  I wonder if you have the metal to be in my Marine Corps.”  I had found my boot, and I have never been the same.

Today is Veteran’s Day.  Today is the day that we remember and honor all the men and women who sacrificed.  They sacrificed years. Some sacrifices limbs.  Many sacrificed their lives – for you and me.  We understand freedoms not known by most throughout history.  My brother, who is a Marine Aviator, is this day protecting the freedoms of Americans to burn the flag or hate our country.  That is sacrifice.

Capt. “Little Bro”

So on this Veterans’s Day, I honor all the men and women who made my life possible.  I have the privilege of loving my wife and family in freedom.  I have the right to worship my God.  I have the liberty to work hard and find success.  On this day, I honor my dad, grandfathers, and my little brother.

Sleep well America.  Your best men and women are keeping you safe!

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