You can pick your cars but you can’t pick your kids.  Good or bad, happy or sad, mad or glad, your kids will always be your kids.   Out of all those who complain about some of the members of their family, I’m not one of them.  I actually feel that I’ve been dealt a pretty good hand.  This little rag-tag team is full of personality and no two are alike, but they do have at least one thing in common,  they’re all dreamers. 

My assistant coach, Karen, is award-winning when it comes to keeping this team on task, including me.  After 18 years of being together, she still has not lost her fire and drive for making herself better in every way.  I’m pleased to say that I’m still her biggest fan.  Apart from each other we would struggle, but together we can’t be beat.  We have a habit of enjoying the moment because tomorrow is never promised and as adversity rears its’ ugly head, we prepare to dig in to overcome and become even stronger on the other side. 

Yes our team is indeed a force to be reckoned with and we continue to steamroll ahead as we fight to maintain our battered and scarred but still undefeated record.  Together we can not and will not lose.  Come what may for the day we are committed to remain a team and each player knows their roll and are getting better and better at living it out.  A well oiled machine we are with an occasional hiccup that resolves quickly like most great teams do.  We are committed to continue to bring our best to the table because it’s then and only then that the scoreboard becomes obsolete.

I challenge you today to make sure that your team is not just on the same page but also reading from the same book.  Formulate a game plan in advance so that steps for overcoming challenges and adversity will be already in place.  Also regular team meetings conducted at the dinner table to vent frustrations and concerns appear to prevent a lot of undue heartache, stress and strife.  Picking the right battles and not sweating the small stuff can make a BIG difference too.  And, always remember to never ever forget that we only get one time through this “life” thing and we don’t wont to experience “death by rules”.  Too many rules can squeeze the life out of life, so LIVE OUT LOUD!

Finally, don’t forget to have some pure, unscheduled, random, spontaneous, senseless, unadulterated, legal and ethical FUN!  We can all be more intentional about making this good life, GREAT, so let’s whip that team into shape and  Make it GREAT!

Over the years I’ve noticed a very interesting pattern among the general public when it comes to our nation’s presidents.  It appears that every president, without exception, has their flaws and are imperfect and most people are poised to pounce on their problems if given the opportunity

Many have criticized the current president, complained about the previous president and will no doubt continue to condemn the next president after this one.  The honest truth is that the presidents may change but flaws and imperfections will remain.  So don’t be surprised at what happens in the future with the next one.

I’ve conducted a very thorough investigation into the history of the presidency and I’ve officially confirmed that every president we’ve had thus far lacks a 100% approval rating and are frequently the target of retribution, reprisals and ridicule.  It is for this reason I have personally come to admire every one of them that have ever taken an oath of office.  I truly believe that the courage it takes to take such an action trumps the struggles, stress and strain that many of us have in our own lives.

So our choices are still the same today.  We can choose to beat’em up, build’em up or just shut up and work on that which we can control.  I choose the latter.  My good word to you today is, “he who has it all figured out with no flaws, let him criticize, complain and condemn as he casts the first stone.”

Let’s all choose wisely as we attempt to make it GREAT!

H ave you ever heard of a “Compliment Accepting Etiquette“?  Well me neither, so in light of seeing that there is a widespread need of an etiquette for accepting compliments, I thought that I would take the liberty to create one.  

When receiving a compliment from someone, we must not be so quick to deflect the compliment by giving a compliment back or responding with a witty deflect comment.  Furthermore, we must not make the classic mistake in always thinking that a compliment from the opposite sex means the person is trying to pick-up on us.  A compliment given or received does not automatically constitute an invitation for further relations.

I’ve found that the easiest way to show our appreciation for the compliment given to us is by simply saying “Thank You”.  I myself have been guilty of this action on both sides of the fence, but I’m getting better everyday.   So, we all should keep this little tip in mind as we go through this life, and be sure to make it GREAT!   GREAT WEEK !!!

I invested many Saturday afternoons and nights under the bright lights and screaming fans in this stadium playing the sport I loved so dearly.  I managed to leverage the sport of football to get me a Bachelors Degree in the field of Mass Communications at the Great University of Utah.  Nestled in the beautiful Wasatch Mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah, I became the textbook version of a true student-athlete in every sense of the word, student first, athlete second.  I must say that I indeed learned much in the classroom and on the football field and have also seen many parallels in business and life.

Ironically, my assigned job on the field then was to prevent the other man from scoring and winning the game.  It’s been several years since my last game on this field and in this stadium and much has changed about the stadium and about me too.  My job now is no longer “assigned” it’s “assumed” and the irony is that I no longer am tasked with preventing the other man from scoring and winning, I have now assumed the task of helping my fellowman to score and to WIN BIG!  The process of making the mental shift didn’t happen easily or on accident and it definitely didn’t happen over night, but it happened.  The process was intentional and on purpose for a purpose that’s greater than me.

I recall that the best players in my position on the football field were masterful at anticipating where the ball or the runner was heading and made the appropriate adjustments to be there when the ball or the runner arrived so that they could make an impact.  I’ve found this same characteristic and skill-set to also be true in business and life.  We must see clearly the trends of the market place and life and where we want to go and who we want to become in this life.  Then we must be willing to make the appropriate adjustments to be there to take advantage of the opportunities and become that which we seek to become in the days ahead.

Yes my friends, our actions or inactions today will directly affect our tomorrow for the better or not-so-better.  I’ve had some good times on the field of football preventing others from winning and now I’m having some GREAT times on the field of life helping others to WIN BIG!

I invite you today to cast your vision and your goals and dreams out in front of you once more and then take the appropriate actions to make them become reality.  It’s the fourth quarter and we’re down by two, so what are you prepared to do?  It’s not too late to make it GREAT so let’s choose to make it GREAT!   GO UTE’S !!!

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