Touch and Go at My Day Job Today

My life in the last few months has changed dramatically.  Today is more like a touch and go than a permanent landing at my day job in Iowa.  I really have no clue how different my life will be now that my job duties have expanded.  My wife and I are headed to an early morning church service before I return to work for a six-hour shift today.  After today, I will have a couple more days off in a row to fully contemplate all the changes in my life.

My wife is definitely the strongest influence in my life.  Every morning when she wakes up she follows her morning rituals.  A cup of coffee.  Morning prayers.  Daily reading.  She immerses herself in several books while in her quiet zone.  Over the years I have adopted her ways and made them my own morning routine.  I don't drink coffee but I now have a stack of books on my nightstand and I dive in before I do anything else.  Every now and then, my love will share a thought from one of her books.  Oddly, the thought is sometimes similar to what I'm reading at the same moment in time.  I suppose we're becoming more alike because we're each finding ways to increase our happiness.  This happens when you're doing the things you love.

I would like to share one more thought with you before I sign off.  It has to do with failing.  Don't worry about it.  If you can double your failure rate in life, you may find increased happiness.  Failure doesn't have to be a wall you're afraid to climb.  There was a time in my life when I preferred to be grounded.  The touch and go was never an option.  Maybe it's because I was too afraid I would fail in the unknown territory.  Not anymore.  I'm flying to new heights.  Give failure a try today.  The more you fail, the more you will grow.  Have a great day.

Early Morning Tennis Drills Ahead

I'm super excited to be on the tennis courts today with one of our top players.  Many of my teammates are out of town for the Holiday weekend so today is drill day.  The sun is shining and the heat is on.  The conditions are perfect to prepare me for the scorching temps in Oklahoma City next month when we face off against the best tennis players in the Midwest.  Have a great day.

Recovery Mode Today

"You look like Charlton Heston when he came down from the mountain," my wife said when she glanced at my picture from the Monster ride captured on our free fall yesterday on the 4th of July at Adventureland.  Maybe it was my wind-blown white hair.  Pehaps it was that glazed look on my face.  All I can say is... well, I can't say anything at the moment.  I'm speechless.  Literally.  My voice departed during my final days in Indiana on assignment at my day job.  I need quiet time to get back to normal.

The casual observer may think that roller coaster ride is my last hurah now that my latest adventure is over.  Those boring things I do on a daily basis don't reveal much is going on.  I beg to differ.  I believe those in-between days where everything looks mundane are the days that make a difference.  Just as Moses brought a set of commandments down from the mountain, I have my own list of things I must follow in order to have a fulfilled life.  Here are the top 10:

1. Be happy.  Every day and in every circumstance.
2. Read 10 pages a day.  Motivational stuff.
3. Sleep 8 hours.
4. Get up on the first wake-up alarm.
5. See the good in every human.
6. Pray.
7. Exercise 5 minutes a day or more.  Stomach crunches.  Pushups.  Leg raises.  Tennis at least once per week.
8. Tell my loved ones I love them and show them in their own love language.
9. Forgive.
10. Be thankful.

I would like to thank my friends and family from as far away as Kino Bay for remembering my birthday yesterday.  Have a great day.

Adventureland Today

I have all the adventure I need in my daily life but today is extra special.  The family is going to Adventureland.  This is Iowa's version of Disneyland.  We're celebrating two birthdays today.  Our youngest son had a birthday last week while I was away and I'm a 4th of July Yankee Doodle Dandy.

I'm eagerly awaiting my voice to return.  Our grand opening in Evansville, Indiana was so huge that I  talked nonstop for five straight days, straining my vocal cords.  The plane ride home was an ideal time to rest.  I did get a little surprise at the end of the flight when the flight attendant told us, "we only have one shot at our landing so please buckle up."  There was a giant cell directly over the airport and the pilot thought we would be diverted to another airport in order to refuel and wait it out when the storm clouds finally edged away from our landing strip.  The view from my window seat was spectacular although a bit bumpy.  It was a great preview of today's roller coaster rides.  I would like to thank my wife for my birthday present – "The Happiness Project" and "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior."  She's helping me keep my promise to read ten pages a day.  I'm still shocked I woke up as a 59 year-old this morning but it's only a number.  All I can say is life is an adventure.  Have a great day.

I'm Coming Home

What an adventure this has been in Evansville, Indiana.  Great people.  Great fun.  Great experiences.  The only thing missing since late April was family.  The daily phone calls/text messages were helpful but they are no substitute for the real deal... good old-fashioned family time.  My heart is doing the pitter-patter thing this morning as I write today's message.  I'm coming home.


I would like to thank the amazing people who were with my on this journey.  You helped make me a better person.  I'm returning to my life in Iowa as a new person filled with so much gratitude for all the lessons I learned along the way.  My time here as a support person tasked with helping others can be summarized in two words... mission accomplished.  Evansville is in good hands.  Every goal we set has been accomplished.  I will never forget the experiences we shared.  Have a great day.  Wheels up, Wilson.  Let's go home.

The Slight Edge is Working

Today is my last full day working with my teammates in Evansville, Indiana.  Tomorrow is a travel day.  This has been an amazing experience.  My voice is barely working this morning as I've been talking non-stop.  It all started in late April when we reached out to our first new family members who joined without knowing much about our company.  I got the opportunity to read a book, "The Slight Edge," about starting with a "penny" and moving forward daily in order to gain compound interest for your efforts.


I'm applying the slight edge to every area of my life and it's working.  It's all about those small daily choices that appear insignificant.  They aren't.  Small decisions make the difference over time.  I'm excited to share these ideas with my family when I return home tomorrow.  Have a great day.

It's Almost Time to Go Home

My time in Evansville is coming to a conclusion in a couple of days.  This has been one of the most exciting chapters ever in my life at my day job.  I will miss the people who have become family.  My hope is to come back for a visit and bring my wife.  This is America at its finest. 


For those of you following my story, I promise you it doesn't end here.  There are more adventures ahead.  I reached out to the people at Twentieth Century Fox for some follow up regarding my request for permission to place photos of Wilson in a book.  If all goes well, I will publish two books at about the same time.  It's a process.  There are no short cuts.  It's all about perseverance.  I'm coming home soon.  Special thanks to my wife for giving me this opportunity to follow my dreams.  Have a great day.