Why You Should Write

stories values vision Nov 28, 2021

I will never forget the day.  My freshmen year of college, one of my required classes was English Literature.  Honestly, I was less than thrilled.  English Lit was not on my bucket list.

It was a cold afternoon in Ohio and I hustled from my dorm to beat the train going through the campus.  I arrived early enough to find a good seat at the "back" of the room.  (Yes, that's right, in those days I was a back seater student. The last thing I wanted was to get stuck in the front :-) 

The professor walked in a few minutes late, cooly strolling in wearing a tweed jacket  looking a lot like Jack Black would today. 

In a passionate voice he introduced himself glancing at his new students in the room.  "Welcome everyone! I am your Professor, Dr. Davis. But rather than thinking of me as yet another teacher, think of me as a GUIDE on your journey." 

I looked around the room to see...

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Squid Game - 3 Core Life Lessons

attitude stories winning Oct 30, 2021

My wife and I recently binge watched all 9 episodes of Squid Games over the period of a week. We were introduced to it by our son and daughter-in-law, when we were visiting them in Boston.

The Squid Games offers three choices that I want to share with you that can shape your life and those around you. These are Take Aways that I encourage you to look out for and to use in life and leadership. These are some of redeeming elements from watching the series – to help you and me live with greater focus and passion – and greater success. I’ll do my best to not share any spoilers, but if I do – I will try to warn you first.

Here are the lessons:

#1 Practice Empathy

This Squid Games showed me the side of what life looks like when someone is down and out. It’s a biopic of our world in the midst of covid, and unrest. Each of the Green track suited characters in Squid Games (the players), including maybe even the Pink suited PlayStation / StormTrooper like workers...

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View from Above

stories Oct 21, 2021

If a picture tells a thousand words, what about a drone shot video? 

I wanted to share with you my office view this week using a drone just above my family's modest mountain home in Colorado.  While the internet keeps me connected on critical work items, I've taken a few breaks every now and then to connect with my mom who has been with me, or breath in the mountain air.   One of those, was capturing some drone footage to start the day. 

Here's the video I created, featuring a song  by indie artist Ben Porter with his piece called "Quiet". I hope this encourages you in some small way today. 

Be Well,

 

 
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Remembering Steve Jobs

It's been 10 years since we lost a great one.   Someone who has impact the lives of almost everyone of us -- and this is true whether you are an apple fan or not. 

 
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How a Tragedy Gave Us Clarity

perseverance stories Sep 10, 2021

I’ll never forget the day. I was in Orlando leading a Simulation forum with just over fifty people in the room. The conference chair unexpectedly poked her head in the middle of my session, quietly made her way to me with a clear look of concern.  

“Paul. So sorry to interrupt, but the news is horrible. The World Trade Center  was just hit by a plane, and so was the Pentagon.." She swallowed  hard for air, and continued.  "They believe it was terrorist attack. And they think there are terrorists still in the air.”  

 I couldn’t believe my ears. “Terrorist attack - still in the air.” I pondered. 

Then she added, “We fear that there might still registered attendees flying to this workshop - on their way who may be on some of those planes.” 

When...

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Home of the Brave

perseverance stories values Jul 04, 2021

According to my math, our country is only 8 generations old.  We're still pretty young. As such, we should never forget the importance of the 4th. It was a significant moment, a bold step of our past that will continually shape our future.  We are still the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

But July 4th isn't just a day of independence -- it is also a day of declared dependence too.   

  • We need each other.
  • We need family. 
  • We need connections.
  • We need a sense of belonging.
  • We need God and country.

Let today be a day of declared dependence.  Let's come together connected by our common values: 

  • Diversity
  • Duty
  • Encouragement
  • Honesty
  • Life / Liberty
  • Pursuit of Happiness
  • Trust

These values  bring us together. They unite us and shape our vision. 

Diversity

It's often a misunderstood word today. But "diversity" is something that has always been us. It's why the USA is called...

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I Love It When My Kids Call Me Dad

Today is father’s day. But my kids never call me father. They call me Dad. I love that word. Being a dad is one of the greatest joys of my life. It’s also one of the toughest roles of leadership I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Becoming a Dad

I remember the birth of my first son. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life. I cried with joy, as my wife and I gazed at our child for the very first time. But let’s give credit where credit is due. I couldn’t be a dad without my wife (and God's blessings). What she endured for 9 months, and then 8+ hours of labor is unfathomable. I couldn’t do it. I remember her experiencing contractions, and me writing down the times and duration. Helping her breath. She was the bravest thing in the world… and still is!

When we knew it was time for the birth, we jumped in the car in the middle of the night in the pouring rain and headed to the hospital. I had packed a video camera to...

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Your History is NOT Your Future!

perseverance stories values Apr 12, 2021
On this day in history in 1861 -- 160 years ago today as I write this -- a battle broke out that would forever change our world and leave ancestral scars and scabs that still affect us today. But scars and stabs can also be a reminder of hope and healing -- not just hurts.
 
Back in those days, the United States Army held a base in Charleston SC called Fort Sumter. It was designed to protect us from foreign enemies. Few would have ever guessed that it would one day be attacked and overtaken by civilians from our own homeland. It's the first scar of many that would take place over the next 4 years.
 
You see a number of civilians in southern states were upset with the results of the election and the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. They were not happy that an anti-slavery party had taken up residency in the White House. They felt threatened.
 
SC had been the first to declare secession from the United States - a few other states then followed suite. They called...
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The Reluctant Leader

I need to make a confession. I am a recovering reluctant leader, and I'm doing everything I can to avoid a relapse. 

The problem started way back when. Probably when I was just old enough to notice classmates (maybe even my older brother and sister) discrediting my unique ideas or thoughts. You know, an idea that disrupted the norm. Like,  "What if we built a maze fort out of these cardboard boxes?” Or, “Want to help me build a wall of Legos to blockade mom and dad's room while they're sleeping?”

"No!"  My brother and sister didn’t like either one of those ideas from their little brother. Sometimes I struggled with my voice being heard. Being the youngest, you often feel overlooked and ignored. It's frustrating. I remember when I was six knowing exactly what to do to put the family door knocker on the door, but no one wanted to hear my suggestion.  I felt unheard and insignificant.

Eventually many of my imaginative...

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The End of Outhouses

innovation stories Dec 20, 2020

It wasn't that long ago when outhouses where the norm. For thousands of years, some variant of the outhouse was the status quo. No one in their right mind dared to build their living space with indoor plumbing, even though the toilet was invented hundreds of years earlier in 1596. To use the latrine indoors would be crazy. Imagine the stink.

No, if you had to “go,” then you were required to exit the building, go down the path, watch out for snakes, spiders or alligators, and use the plank wooden shack in the backyard. This was the way it was for hundreds of years.

Finally, smart people like Thomas Jefferson -- yes, one of our founding fathers -- got tired of going outside and broke the mold by choosing to not settle for average. They didn’t care what other people thought about their disruptive indoor plumbing idea. They just figured out a way to make it work. Because of that, eventually indoor plumbing became the norm, despite the initial resistance and...

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If you have a passion  for personal growth or leadership, then let's stay connected.  Occasionally, but not too often. I'll share helpful information and useful resources to encourage those on the breaking average journey.