Over the past couple of days Facebook has done a great job of reminding me that it was almost exactly four years ago that we adopted LuLu.  Two days ago it was a picture of Becky with Sky and LuLu the day we got her.  Yesterday it was a picture of the road trip I took to the south side of La Crosse to buy gloves for dodgeball.  The girls loved the ride and were snuggling in the backseat by the time we got home.  Today’s picture memory was from LuLu’s first ride on the boat.  She was nervous, but still smiling.

A little over four years ago Becky told me about a dog she had heard about on the radio that was looking for a home.  The dog had been found abandoned on a golf course, obviously starving, and recently had a litter of pups.  Becky showed me a picture of her as soon as I got home and when we saw how much they looked alike we knew what we had to do.  Skywalker was crazy energetic and we knew she’d love to have another friend in the house.  Next thing we knew we were in contact with Amber (which, on a side note, led us to a friendship with of our Ragnar buddies, Adam!) and we were set up with a time to introduce Skywalker to LuLu.  They got along great, even though I was a little weirded out by LuLu humping Sky, I’d never seen a female dog do that before!

While Sky and LuLu hit it off right away we definitely had struggles with LuLu early on.  She knew we were her new family and she was (& still is) very protective of us.  We kept working with her and training her to calm down, not be too nervous, and to relax when new people came into our house.  There were times when we were tempted to give up on her, but she was family and we knew we had to work it out with her.  She just needed a lot of love and we were able to give it to her.
We’re not sure what LuLu saw before we got her, but we’re pretty sure she must’ve seen physical abuse.  When the boys and I would wrestle she’d grab my hands with her mouth, put herself in between the boys and I, and cry. If Becky and I were goofing around she did the same.  When I was borrowing a punching bag from a friend and working out with it in the basement she had the same reaction.  It is sad to think about what she experienced, and it melts your heart when you realize that she’s trying to protect her pack.

LuLu still sometimes things she’s the alpha female in the house.  When Becky and I snuggle she tried to wiggle in between us.  If I want to tease LuLu I lift Becky’s shirt up just a little and rub her belly.  LuLu goes crazy!  She also still thinks there is something terribly wrong with my feet and she would lick them for hours if I didn’t tell her to stop.

I will usually grumble like the old man I sometimes am when we talk about our pets, but truth be told, I love that dog to death.  She might not always be the best listener when her nose gets in the way, but she is pretty awesome.  I can count on her to always be there to snuggle with, and she’s always happy to see me.  It doesn’t matter if I’m in a good mood or a bad one, she’s there to snuggle with regardless.  She’s one of our pack, and we wouldn’t be quite the same without her.

Thanks!!!

How often do I take life for granted?  How often am I just being as opposed to living?  How much of my most precious resource is squandered every day, even every hour?  How often do I take my family and friends for granted and just assume that they’ll be around forever?  Sadly, the answers to all of these questions are all the same…  More often than I care to admit.

Yesterday contained several events that brought that realization to the forefront of my brain.  Over the past 24-ish hours I’ve been able to digest some of it and see that I still have a very large gap to bridge.  While this blog has been helping appreciate things more there are still many spots where I’m lacking.

One of yesterday’s events that got my mind rolling was a Facebook post by a very good friend of mine.  His post was this,”Today is a day that I always give thanks to all the people in my life that I love. Take every chance you have to let them know how much you love them!”  As you can imagine, he lost someone he loves several years ago and this lone tree one on a rock in Sylvan Lake has special meaning to him.

Another conversation late in the night informed me that someone I love greatly is about to go through a very serious battle with cancer.  I fought hard to stay as stoic and strong as I could for the person who was telling me, but as soon as I had a moment of quiet to myself I was in tears.  How many times had I meant to call and I hadn’t?  How many times had I meant to write a blog about them and I hadn’t?  How many times have I just wanted to sit down with them and hear more of their incredible life’s story and I hadn’t?  Fortunately there is still time and I’m positive that they’ll kick cancer’s ass something fierce.

While I understand that life is not forever, why is it that I don’t think about that until I’m slapped in the face with that fact?  It seems that there should always be a focus on living life to its fullest and focused on what’s most important to me.

The two events yesterday reminded me of that we have only limited time to be us.  There’s no guarantee that we’ll have another sunset, another sunrise, or another full moon.  While I know that in the back of my head and have come to grips with that fact it is not until I feel the cold hand of the looming specter of death that I pay attention and remember to try to live my life that way.

This blog has helped me to keep my eyes open to more things to be thankful for (my boys are probably totally tired of hearing me say “Look at that beautiful sunset!” by now), but I need to keep an eye out for the more subtle reminders that our lives are not eternal and I need to be sure to live my life accordingly.

As an example, when I see things like this on a hike or while driving I need to soak it in and pause.  Today went to work pretty early and I took a hike over lunch.  While hiking I saw this tree, strong and seemingly healthy, uprooted and gone.  As I walked through the valley there were leaves falling around me like giant snowflakes, their purpose complete and going back to rest on the earth.  When I see these types of things I need to take a quick inventory of my life.  As Steve Jobs very eloquently put it, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”  In those fleeting moments when I just fill my time with nothingness, the stuff that I do because my brain is on cruise control, I need to remember these signs.

Life is too short, too fragile, and often taken for granted.  I am thankful for the reminders all around me that help me appreciate all that I have.  While some of them may be incredibly painful they are all reminders that I need to put energy and focus into living the life that I want to live.  I need to take action and enjoy every single second that I am very fortunate to have.

Thanks!!!

This evening I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at Winona State University to help students learn the art of interviewing.  About a month ago I presented at Winona State to a group of Human Resources managers on how to start a career in HR.  In both cases I had fun and hope I was able to be a positive influence for the students.  I have two hopes from doing this.  One, that I help at least one student walk away with one idea that will help them find their future career.  The other hope is that I help light a spark in them to help others in the same way Tony Worley did for me.

As my college career was wrapping up back in 1999 and I was looking at career opportunities my dad hooked me up with a Sales Rep that he knew from the Twin Cities.  Tony was a pretty good guy and had offered to meet up with me and spend some time helping me learn how to write a resume and interview.  I’m sure part of his willingness to help was to help seal a sales deal with my dad, but based on his passion and enthusiasm I’m positive that there was more to it.

When Tony met with me he brought piles of old resumes, old interview notes, a book on interviewing, and tons of potential interview questions.  We spent the better part of a day discussing what worked and what didn’t in resume writing.  His thoughts were backed up with his experiences, of which he shared both positive and negative.  He was incredibly humble and candid while being very upbeat and optimistic.  There was no question that he was passionate about helping me be successful.  On the short term his help was a success, every interview I had (every single one) led to a job offer.

After we wrapped up we didn’t really speak afterwards.  It was before the days of email and LinkedIn and I was a foolish early twenties guy who didn’t realize the importance of maintaining relationships.  It is sad to admit, but I’m not even sure if I spelled his name correctly.   I’ve spent time looking him up online but to no avail.  Who knows, maybe someone who reads this blog will know someone who knows him and get it in front of him.

As I look back on where I am with my career and the successes I’ve had, I know they wouldn’t be quite the same without Tony’s help.  How crazy is it that one day with one person who I haven’t spoken with since helped to spark my passion for helping others with interviewing?  At the end of our time together I promised him that I would be sure to go out of my way to help someone else the way he helped me.  Little did either of us know that I would make a career out of it and work to inspire as many people as others to do the same.

Tony, wherever you are, thank you for the help and the advice.  Your time spent with me has started a ripple effect that I will continue to try to perpetuate.

Thanks!!!

We’ve been working on solving a challenge for one of our clients for a while now.  The situation is a little tough to explain without getting into confidential information, so let’s keep it at that.

In trying to find a solution we’ve had to look at several things in very different ways and we’ve brainstormed many ways to try to resolve the issue.  While we haven’t yet found the right solution we have had many very interesting and unique conversations as a result.

As we walk through some ideas we’re finding new ways to tackle some of our old challenges.  It’s kind of funny how you can solve something by focusing so hard on something completely different and all of a sudden BAM!!!  You see what you’ve been missing from the first situation.

It’s still frustrating that we haven’t been able to get things squared away on one front, but I’m thankful for going through the thinking processes that have led to many new ideas!

Thanks!!!

Audiobooks are pretty awesome, but talking several of my coaches is even more awesome.

While driving to Rice Lake today I had a great conversation with Norm.  We start off every Monday with a call to walk through the priorities for the week.  This week was focused on a couple of pretty specific things.  He did a great job of mixing up excellent questions, listening, pushing me to think differently, and helped me clarify some ideas and thoughts I had been working on recently.    As I got off the phone I was pretty surprised to see 30+ minutes had flown by in the blink of an eye.

On may from the Rice Lake office to Eau Claire I had a quick question so I dialed up Beth.  Recently back from a sweet vacation the happiness and high energy exuded from her even more than usual (which I didn’t even think was possible!).  We talked for a while about the benefits of unplugging from time to time to get our mindsets right and then jumped into business.  As always, she heard me out, offered up ideas, and supported my action plan.  More pumped and with a feeling of validation and some ways to improve my ideas, I drove  in silence so I could think.

A little while after talking with Beth the coaching calls were flipped and I got a call form Carolyn.  She had a relatively quick and easy question, but as most of you know, a short conversation with me is very much a rarity!  I had so much being able to listen to her team’s  successes with a recent new client – they did so well they have an opportunity to more than double their business with that client.  They’ve been working on this one for a very long time and seeing it come through had us all smiling from the sense of accomplishment.  To be honest, I’d been trying to land that same business ever since we opened her office over six years ago.  I am so happy for them and proud of their accomplishment.

As I was nearing Arcadia I got a phone call.  Normally I wait until I get through one of the dead spots on the other side of Arcadia, but when I saw it was Mark I answered.  He had a couple of ideas and questions and once we covered them we moved on to another topic.  We shared ideas, reminisced, and came up with new possible solutions.  Next thing we knew we were on another topic…  sharing ideas, remembering old war stories, and applying some of those ideas to some of today’s challenges.  Then we got on to another topic…  and so on, and so on.  Next thing I knew I had pulled into my driveway about 45 minutes after the call started.  It was awesome!  There’s just something about talking with Mark that leaves me feeling energized with new ideas, or in actuality, past ideas with a new twist that are very applicable to today’s situation.  Throw in the fact that he’s just flat out an awesome guy and I was smiling as we hung up.

While there have been so many things to be thankful for today, these coaching calls were an awesome surprise.  Having just finished one business audiobook, I had a new one loaded up and ready to go and that was going to be where my brain went for much of my road time today.  I’m very thankful that I was able to have some excellent mobile coaching calls instead!

Thanks!!!

Today was all about soccer.  Sure, it started with church (a sermon about gratitude was a pretty cool surprise!), but after that it was all soccer until I sat down to type up my blog tonight.  There was a time when I would have defined an all soccer day as a part of my personal hell, but now I really appreciate it.

The weather was a perfect fall day, light breeze, sun was out and it was just warm enough.  We had a pretty awesome view of the bluffs and the changing leaves while we were watching the games…  all four of them.  

First we had Gavin’s game at 11:00, which I I had to miss the beginning of because I was driving Dominic back home to grab the jersey he forgot).  Dominic’s game started at 11:45 so Becky walked over and then Gavin and I followed after his game.  Prior to the end of Dominic’s game Becky walked Gavin over to warm up for his second game.  She got back just in time to watch Dominic’s team tie it on a last second goal.  We then went back to Gavin’s game and watched him play some defense and a little goalie while Dominic ate and re-charged.  After that it was time to walk over to Dominic’s last game.  Gavin and I had time to wrestle for a while in the grass before watching Dominic’s team.

While at the field we had a lot of fun talking and joking around with all of the other soccer parents, many of whom were in a similar pattern of bouncing back and forth from field to field for kid to kid.  Not only are they friends of convenience (we see them all the time), but they are just flat out good people that are a lot of fun to spend time with.  I’m very thankful that we got such a great groups of fellow parents on our boys’ teams.

After the games were done we ran home, took care of the dogs and were off to a soccer party at the house of one of Dominic’s team members.  It was AWESOME!!!  Great food and drink, and the kids were entertained and having a blast the entire time.  Even some of us adults got into more by hopping on the rope swing and bouncing on the trampoline!  It was a great end to a great day of soccer with all of our soccer friends.

As it is all said and done I’m smiling remembering some of the plays, the conversations and the events of the party.  It was a great way to start winding down the season and I’m glad we got to spend it with our RUSH / CRUSA soccer friends.

Thanks!!!

Due to a flooded field in Madison Dominic’s soccer game was cancelled.  Turns out there were soccer refs needed in La Crosse so Dominic was able to jump in and help out.  Seeing as he is saving up for an iPod he was more than happy to tag in and make a few bucks.

After working four games of U8 players he was still smiling.  It looked like he was having a lot of fun, running with the players, keeping the whistle ready in his mouth, and even standing at the end of the line after the game to give both teams high fives as they ran by!

My mind is still having a tough time wrapping itself around the fact that we have a kid who is old enough to work.  Today is also the 17th anniversary of the first date Becky and I had, kind of wild to think that we’ve gone from a very nervous first date at Chi-Chi’s to having a kid that has a job (even if it was only for one day!).

It makes me think back to my first pay checks (or cash as it probably was) and the feeling of accomplishment for having earned something.  I’m thankful that he’s been able to get that same feeling.  I also hope that he continues to see that working is a great thing, a way to earn money for dreams and to have a sense of accomplishment.

Thanks!!!

I had two pretty cool experiences that combined in an unusual way to become what I’m thankful for today.  One was looking backwards to see where I’ve come from, the other giving me ideas for the future.

Early in the day I had to run to Target quick and as I was checking out I heard a very familiar voice say “Michael.”  As I spun around the voice rang a bell in my head and my brain connected the dots when I made eye contact.  “Mr. Brewer,” I said as I reached out to shake his hand.  Bob was one of the first clients I used to work with when I first came to Express.  He was the plant manager of our largest client and I learned a ton from my experiences with him.  In working with him I learned the importance of open and direct communication.  He also showed me how important it was to not dwell on service issues but to focus on immediately fixing them.  All in all he is one of the people that had a big impact on my Express career.  

Bob and I hadn’t seen each other in almost a decade.  The first thing out of his mouth was “are you still with Express?”  I went on to tell him about ownership and so on and he smiled and made a joke about buying “the big headaches.”  As we talked about his retirement and recent trip out east I couldn’t  help but smile.  He was in a spot that I am very much looking forward to.  After we left it really hit me just how far I’ve come over the past almost 17 years with Express.  I thought of the 23 year old kid that he had worked with. The one who had dreams of ownership but never knew if it would really happen.  It did!

Later in the day I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who is in his fifties and incredibly succcessful.  One of those people that as you learn more about them you can’t help but admire and try to learn more from.  As we were talking he shared an awesome dream that he’s in the process of making reality.  

To set the stage, when Kid’s Cup comes around every year I’m pretty happy to raise over $1,000.  I have ideas and aspirations for starting a non-profit organization (or several), but I haven’t done anything to kick start those dreams.

As we talked about his dream my mind was completely blown.  He’s going to embark on a solo canoe trip of the Mississippi River from source to ocean.  While on his trip he is raising money for a very noble goal that is incredibly close to his heart.  Did I mention the goal he has?  He is going to raise $2.5 million.  Holy crap!  There is no hesitation or fear in his eyes as he says it.  He will make it happen.  “I figure I just need 50,000 people to donate $50.”  How awesome is that?  As we talked he shared his plan, the marketing needed, working with the media, all the contacts that he was contacting, and so on.  It was very clear that he had thought this out, started planning, and has already started working on it.  Like I said, mind blown.  As I had my little dream kind of flickering in the back of my brain he showed the power of thinking way bigger and stoking that flame to really get it going.

That’s why I am thankful for people who remind me to dream bigger today.  In one case I had the base of reminding me that I am fully capable of accomplishing whatever I set my heart on.  In the other a reminder of how big a dream really can be.  Why settle for small when you can go for large?  Go big or go home, right?  I am also so thankful to have both of them in my life.  We may not talk often or even see each other but once a decade, but they have left and continue to leave impressions on me that make me better.

Thanks!!!

In a week filled with a flurry of activity at work helping people get jobs and helping businesses find people this note was shared with me.

It was an absolutely awesome reminder of why we all work as hard as we do.  At the end of the day the work my teams and I do has to have a very positive impact on many people in our communities.  With the craziness of our jobs it can be easy to lose sight of this at times and get frustrated.  A note like this means the world to us and reminds us why we do it.

Thanks!!!