Man, I look forward to writing this each year. As I concluded by 38th year on this planet I wanted to share any thoughts, musings, wisdom or proof of idiocy that have dominated my thoughts over the past 365 days.
New rule from last year for myself. . . each musing is limited to at most a general topic and no more than three sentences or three bullet points to support my thought. Also, added some favorite pics this year.
Some musing will be repeated from year to year – just because I continue to believe in them that much.
Let’s go . . .
Time is a finite resource. Spend it as such.
Some of my best friends really dislike each other. That is okay. I can still be better for
having them both in my life.
Life is too short to work a job that does not fulfill you. Chances are low that you are truly maximizing what you could potentially earn. So, if you are not happy Monday through Friday – find a job that will make you so.
People tend to use data to support their prior opinions, but do not trust data enough to allow it to force them into new ways of thinking.
Peloton bikes are amazing. First time in my life (outside of playing sports) that I look forward to doing cardio.
Be careful when convincing yourself that you are doing something for someone else when you are doing it for yourself. The two things are not binary and something you do for yourself may be amazing for someone else. But be careful in identifying your intent.
I had an amazing year in a lot of ways but it reminds me of the adage that people that think other people caught a lucky break did not see the grind they were going through for years before the ‘break’ came along. Keep grinding.
I really believe people know when you give them inflated or inauthentic feedback. By doing so, you do not build them up. You just damage your own credibility.
I hung two TVs this year. Neither has fallen. I deserve recognition.
I can still touch the rim – this may be the last year I can write this.
Humbled: having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.
o Thus, saying you are humbled when recognized or win an award just does not
make sense.
o Winning an award does not make you feel less worthy – it has become
customary, but it does not make it right.
o I did not realize this until I used it when accepting an honor and Jacquie told me I
was an idiot – of course, in much nicer terms
The art of leadership is largely a calculated guess as to how a group of humans will respond to a stimulus that you intentionally deploy. The point being that it is an inexact science. We should quit treating it as a simple checklist of characteristics or actions.
I have a favorite beard balm. Add that to the things I never thought I would say (type)
The best recognitions cost nothing. And most often it is not about the recognition it is about seeing someone – you know, really seeing them. It is simply catching them in their excellence.
Parenting an athlete becomes so much better when you completely detach your ego from their performance. I would have always told you that I had done this – but it was a lie. When you do – it really changes everything.
My wife destroys me in swimming races. I have grown to accept this fact.
Jimmy Buffett is still my all-time favorite musical artist – Happily Ever After Once and a
While my favorite song
I love school – my life is dedicated to it. Grades are overwhelmingly meaningless and this is a tough fact for me to handle. But we can do better.
A buddy used cameo . com to have Mike Ditka talk smack to me. Definitely a highlight of the year.
Any tweet that starts with social experiment instantly makes me angry. Quit filling up my timeline looking for engagement boosts.
Irregardless = not a word
I think reconnecting with old friends is often way better than making new ones. Old friends are sometimes our best link to our past selves. Without that link being alive, a part of us seems to just fade away.
I have an updated beer hierarchy for this year – fancy beers are still bad
o Any Mexican beer
o High Life
o Bud Light or Coors Light
Coaching youth sports is incredibly hard and if you wonder why the same 7 parents are the only ones to do it is most likely because of the stress and worry of disappointing the parents. This is the case even if the parents are actually very supportive.
I started losing my hair this year. This is a sad part of the story.
I enjoy shopping for hard liquor more than I actually enjoy drinking at this stage of my
life.
True Detective Season One (I know I am late) may have been my favorite season of TV I have watched in a long, long time
I had my first daddy-daughter dance this year and it was pretty damn spectacular. I mean I spun around in a circle 974 times, but it was as good as it gets. Also, she is too young to know I cannot dance.
I would rather give a speech in front of 1,000 adults than read to Kindergarteners. Intense anxiety for me. Which is weird.
When my sons walk in front of the car – I honk. It makes me giggle every time. Also, they hate when I play old 90s rap loud when dropping them off and few other things make me happier.
My oldest called me to tell me he touched the backboard like it was the biggest accomplishment of his life. And I immediately remembered where I was when I did it.
Animals are cool and all, but I do not get why dog and cat social media is such a strong fraction of the internet.
I really think at this time in our collective history that is almost a function of being a human to create digital content. I always think of how cool it would be if I got to see what my grandpa’s were up to and thinking about when they were my age. I think it is a part of our generation’s legacy and I think we may be the last generation to not view it that way.
When people ask for recommendations or help online and end it with ‘GO’ it makes me intensely angry. I know it is not that big of a deal, but it is like nails on a chalkboard.
30 Rock > The Office
What the hell is a VSCO girl?
Top eight all time movies – not that they are the best movies – just my favorites. And
maybe not even my favorites now, but favorites at a specific time of my life.
o Good Will Hunting
o American Beauty
o The Hangover
o Big Lebowski
o Rocky IV
o Animal House o Iron Eagle
o A Bronx Tale
My only kid old enough to be allowed to be on social media gave me a birthday shoutout that included one star, one heart, and three goat emojis. Pretty amazing birthday gift.
It is amazing the power of a strong, vocal minority on any issue even if their perspective is not reflective of the majority of people impacted. I did not realize this until living in small towns – although I assume this is probably pretty universal.
Teachers that have a million things going on in their own world and still find the energy and enthusiasm to sing, dance, and get dressed in costumes (among a million other things) to get kids excited about learning. Imagine caring that much to put yourself so far out of your comfort zone. Pretty amazing profession.
Best pizzas in the world: Aurelios – Beggars – everyone else.
Schools listen to kids way too infrequently. No other industry systematically dismisses the input of their primary customers like schools. We have to do better.
That is it . . . 1300 plus words on my random, meandering thoughts.
Thank you all for the birthday wishes . . . they are really and sincerely appreciated. Make it a great year.