Blog
Read Blog Posts by Category:
Passion: Articles that deal with the inner drive that we all need to want to MOVE from where we currently are to where we dream to be.
Preparation: These posts reference articles, books, documentaries, speakers, quotes, and other inspirational and formative ideas that I have found that helped me and the people around me.
Practice: Articles in this category have a heavy sports and performance training lean.
Performance: These articles focus on how you go about your work. From networking to communications to finding a better way to do what you do.
Perseverance: Articles in this category speak to the mechanics that we go through both mentally and physically to stay on track and not get STUCK.
More Is Not Always Better!
One of the most common battles I witnessed during my coaching career had nothing to do with talent, strength, speed, intelligence, or preparation. It was an athlete's tendency to create problems in their minds long before those problems ever arose.
I saw it with athletes all the time. A player would spend an entire week worrying about whether he was going to make the travel squad. Another would convince himself that one bad practice meant he was losing his starting position. A senior preparing for the NFL Combine would become consumed with the possibility of running a poor forty-yard dash before he had even stepped onto the track. The event had not happened. Nothing had changed. But their confidence, focus, and energy were already being affected by a future outcome that existed only in their mind.
The same situations show up in business. Owners worry about losing customers who have never hinted at leaving. Leaders spend weeks rehearsing conversations that have not happened. Employees convince themselves that one mistake will ruin a career. Parents imagine outcomes for their children that may never occur. In many cases, the emotional burden becomes heavier than the challenge itself.
The Strength of Timing
Matt Leinart calling his own number at the goal line against Notre Dame. Troy Polamalu launching himself over the offensive line just as the ball was snapped. Jackie Robinson stealing home in the World Series. Michael Jordan rising for the game-winning shot over Matt Ehlo as the clock expired.
What do they all have in common?
Timing.
Each moment required talent. Each required preparation. Each required courage. But none of those things alone would have produced the result. If Leinart checks too early, Notre Dame adjusts. If Polamalu leaves a split second too soon, the snap count changes. If Robinson hesitates, he is out. If Jordan shoots too early, the opponent has an opportunity to win the game.
The difference between success and failure was measured in moments.
Get Moving or Stay Stuck
Most people believe life is going to give them a “break” eventually.
A “break” where everything they want just falls into their laps. Where their energy is high, their confidence is steady, and their path is finally clear. They wait for that feeling because it's easier than the alternative. It removes risk, effort, spent energy, and bad decisions. It gives them permission to just keep moving at their current pace.
That “break” does not exist.
What exists is the undeniable fact that you are losing time. It is literally slipping away with each tick of the clock, whether you act or not. What exists is that your opportunities are narrowing while you hesitate. What exists is a reality where the longer you wait, the harder it becomes to separate yourself from the life you are STUCK in.
This is where most people lose control of their direction. Not in failure. Not in their lack of talent. But in dragging their feet. Hesitating. Making excuses.
Because delay feels justified. It sounds responsible. It hides behind phrases like “I’m not ready yet” or “I just need a little more time.” But underneath all of it is the same truth. You are waiting to feel something that only comes when you have pushed the envelope and are ready to step into that next chapter of your life.
Life does not respond to how you feel. It responds to what you do.
And if you are not actively building something of your own, you are contributing to building someone else’s dreams. That is not just “my opinion”. That is how the systems of success actually work. Every organization, every business, every structure requires energy. If you are not directing yours toward your own vision, it will be directed toward your employer's vision.
That is where the frustration comes from, years later. Not from working hard, but from realizing that your effort was spent advancing something that never truly belonged to you.
This is not about rejecting work. It is about owning your life and working for you.
Once that is clear, the question shifts. Not “How do I feel?” but “What am I building?”
And if the answer is unclear, then movement becomes the only way to find it.
From Sport to Business Part I: The Standard of Excellence
Part I is the foundation of this four-part series. Before we talk about mindset, resilience, perseverance, or leadership under pressure, we have to build the base that makes all of those possible. Sport teaches this early: without a foundation, you do not rise. You wobble. You survive on bursts. You rely on emotion. And eventually, you get exposed.
The business world works the same way. The difference is timing. In sport, the scoreboard tells the truth immediately. In business, the truth can take months to arrive. Poor preparation can hide behind a strong team for a while. Weak execution can be masked by a hot market. A lack of discipline can be camouflaged by charisma, titles, or a good quarter.
But the bill always comes due.
This article is about the standard that prevents that bill from becoming a crisis. Work Ethic. Commitment. Preparation. Performance. These are not motivational ideas. They are the structural habits that determine whether success becomes durable or disappears the moment pressure increases.