What I'm Up To At The Moment
Dateline: Dallas/ Ft. Worth & Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, October 2025
First, Who I Am & What I Do
Professional executive, leadership, and business coaching - I began doing this work voluntarily in 1997 while working full-time. Mostly, friends or acquaintances would contact me to help with specific situations. From marketing to commission structures for sales teams to succession planning, the work was primarily consulting for free. About 15 years ago, I transitioned into full-time executive and leadership coaching. Today, I'm mainly focused on coaching individuals in city government leadership.
Currently, I'm concentrating on both group coaching and private 1-on-1 coaching. You can learn more by visiting my work website (and podcast), GrowGreat.com. I currently facilitate three cohorts of executives employed by various Texas cities or people who serve city governments.
Now, Here's What I'm Working On
One of my podcasts likely brought you here - GrowGreat.com, LeaningTowardWisdom.com, or HotSpringsVillageInsideOut.com.
My podcast topics of passion include leadership, personal development/improvement, and wisdom. And, of course, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas - my favorite place.
I'm attempting to elevate my video skills for the Hot Springs Village Inside Out show. With 26,000 acres of awesomeness, Hot Springs Village has boundless beauty to capture (and share) on video. I also want to grow our YouTube channel for that show: https://www.youtube.com/@hotspringsvillageinsideout
Favorite Quotes
Everything is hard until it's easy.
I wrote that down decades ago in a notebook without any attribution. I've researched it, but I still have no idea where I heard it or who may have first said/written it. It was instantly my all-time favorite because it's true, though. I added to it some years ago: "And everything is slow until it's fast." There are exceptions, such as NFL quarterbacks who initially find the professional game challenging because it's much faster. Over time, with experience, they notice the game slows down, allowing them to perform at a higher level.
Sir Winston Churchill remarked, "All I want is compliance with my wishes after a reasonable discussion."
Napoleon Bonaparte is attributed with this one: "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
Eb Dawson of Green Acres fame once said, "It's not a crime to lose all your money. It's just stupid."
Leslie Knope of the Parks & Recreation TV series brilliantly said, "We've got a big problem with the library. The library is the worst group of people ever assembled in history. They're mean, conniving, rude, and extremely well-read, which makes them very dangerous."
"Don't corner something that you know is meaner than you." -an old farmer
"Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important." -T.S. Eliot
"Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you." -Anonymous
Elmore Leonard, the novelist and author of Freaky Deaky, crafted this line in the novel: "It doesn't have to make sense; it just has to sound like it does."
"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure." -Mark Twain
"If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around." -an old farmer
Michael Weston, the main character in the TV series Burn Notice, said, "You just need a believable story and a lot of confidence."
“Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm; but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.”
―
I think Mr. Eliot got it wrong. It's far more than half.
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." - Maya Angelou
Sherlock Holmes has this bit of wisdom. "It is easy to be wise after the event."
Not wanting something is as good as not having it.
Long ago, I concluded that my definition of wisdom is getting it right in real-time. Leaning Toward Wisdom seeks to do this largely by providing observations and insights that hopefully help us do this in our lives. Along the way, there's a fair amount of snark and chuckling.
Eliminating Energy Vampires
There's a fine line between not caring enough and caring too much. Reputation, a good name, a good example, and influence are all important and require caring.
Everybody cares about something. I care about figuring it out, getting it right, improving, and making a difference. I also care about serving God, my wife, family, and friends, including those I strive to serve in my business endeavors. Reputations aren't built on carelessness. They're built with conscious effort, deliberate behavior, and a commitment to consistency. That's why my business philosophy, first crafted when I was 27, remains in place in my life.
True confession: I've never cared much about what people think of me except when I know I messed up. And then it wasn't (and isn't) too difficult because I decided as a teenager to always make it right. It's easy for me to apologize and accept responsibility. I'm happy to accept responsibility for everything because it's preferable to the alternative. I'm never a victim. Ever.
Opinions. I mention this because I'm not compelled to ensure that others know my opinion. I don't care what they might think; I don't find it that important. I don't need others to share or validate my views.
But opinions differ from standing for something or believing in something. I happily share those. That's why I have a YouTube playlist of sermons, InThyPaths.com. I have detailed my worldview on my work site, GrowGreat.com. I stand for some things, which means I stand against other things. I believe in some things, so I don't believe in others. They're not all created equal. Some are weightier than others.
Caring less about what people think results from a willingness to endure the judgment of others. I'm responsible for my life. I'll answer to God for my life, so I must care what He thinks about, above all others. In line with that, I must also consider the example I set for others. I'm not too concerned about people's judgment or approval. Mostly, I've found there's little I could do about it anyway...and in the end, it doesn't matter!
I'm willing to be hated by some to be loved or respected by others. Life has taught me that others' harshly critical judgment is their responsibility, not mine. Besides, the people who likely hate me would never be the people I'd most want to surround myself with. So, it's self-selecting in my favor.
Recently, I added a component to this, focusing more on my behavior than on the behavior of others.
Others. Some add value.
Others subtract it. Energy vampires. Sucking the life force out of us.
It's the distinction we make between people. It's not a judgment of how good or bad people are; it's based on how they affect us.
I've typically been decent - not great, but passable - at managing the people who suck the life out of me. I'm trying to become world-class at it.
Not everybody is meant for our inner circle. We're not meant for everybody's inner circle. It's fine. I've never felt like I had to be all things to all people, but I've sometimes struggled with keeping incongruent people at bay. Incongruent with my personality and communication style (mostly). Again, it doesn't make them bad people. It's a subjective, discernment thing. All based on how certain people affect me. Systemically negative-impacting people are no longer allowed in. At all.
Hi-Fi & Health
They are only related because I'm putting them together. And I'm putting them together because I enjoy their connection.
My love of hi-fi gear goes back to junior high. First came a love of music, specifically, records. I'm not sure what sparked my fascination with great stereo systems, but if you've never heard a hi-fi system that made your mouth drop open because it was so realistic, then you haven't experienced great hi-fi. I've heard some spectacular systems through the years, but nothing has quite captivated me like some speakers made by a long-distance buddy in South Carolina, The Horns.
About 20 years ago, I bought a pair and invested way too much money because the hi-fi bug had bitten me hard. The speakers were among the least expensive components in the system (less than $ 1,000). I added multiple amps to drive them, each providing a slightly different sound. A modified, tube-output stage, SACD player provided extraordinary vinyl-like sound. It was jaw-droppingly good.
Then, because I didn't have a suitable room to set it up, I sold it all.
Until the lifelong bug returned, prompting me to crave another set of The Horns. Sadly, the architect of The Horns, whose father made the cabinets, had ceased production because of his father's passing. Armed with some details provided by the architect, I managed to have another buddy (this time one more local) build me a pair. I just received them a few days ago while riding in the cab of an old pickup truck. That's them pictured to the right.
They haven't seen any power yet because I haven't assembled the electronics to drive them. However, I expect to have some much-needed high-end equipment back in my life soon. I'm sure I'll update you with more details as time moves along (for those who may be interested). My teenage years spent selling stereo gear have never left me. Hours spent in listening rooms playing records for shoppers trying to decide whether or what to purchase were some of the most fun a kid (or old man) could have.
About ten years ago, I first encountered a carnivorous way of eating. Long before the keto movement was quite a thing. No-carb or low-carb diets have proven successful for many people battling obesity and other ailments, including diabetes. I suppose many of us have done some version of "keto."
Some months ago, following having both knees scoped (torn meniscus due to age, wear and tear), I struggled. Just not feeling very well. The pandemic ruined my gym habit, leading the gym chain I belonged to for years to file for bankruptcy. Not sick, but hardly feeling my best.
As with most significant changes, we often reach a crossroads where we're sick and tired of something - that's when we make up our mind. We'll either fight or surrender. I made up my mind to fight. I decided to go "carnivore" in my eating for 90 days. Labor Day ended the 90-day trial. News Flash: After 2 weeks on that "diet," my knee pain went away completely. It was remarkable. I'm now going to figure out how to approach my future with a greater sense of permanence.
Like my renewed pursuit of good hi-fidelity, I'm driven to pursue improved health, which includes feeling better more consistently. Stay tuned.
When I Die
Death is important. But first, there's life.
About 15 years ago, I created a shared Dropbox folder with my wife called "When I Die." I have a working document in that folder outlining what I want to happen when I die. The details aren't important here, but are important for my wife and family. While I'm alive, they matter to me, but I realize that when the realities of that document come to pass, I won't know or care. I'll be somewhere else, far away.
The death of my mother in early April 2024 prompted an update to the document. Every death that impacts me seems to prompt more edits to the document.
Death is too important to ignore. Specifically, our death is important. I know my death will be a reflection of my life, though, so my daily choices matter. How I treat others, behave myself (or fail to), influence others, and serve others - these are the things that matter. How I glorify God will matter because He's who I'll face when this life is over. So, admittedly, I think about my death. It'd be foolish not to.
Check out some of my sermons at In Thy Paths. Better yet, check out some sermons by a much more talented preacher, Kevin Presley (a gospel preacher currently based in LaGrange, GA), at Let The Bible Speak TV. However, first, permit me to introduce you to a lifelong mentor who passed away on February 20, 2019. He was a gospel preacher whom I had known all my life. He served me during some of my most challenging and rewarding moments. His name was Barney Owens. He preached this sermon on April 4, 2010: "And he died."
That about sums it up. What about you? What are you up to? I'd like to know. Contact me here.
