Author: Dad

  • It’s not what you say, it’s how it’s heard.

    It’s not what you say, it’s how it’s heard.

  • What’s the worst that can happen?

    What’s the worst that can happen?

    This is a great thing to ask yourself when you’re a little nervous to move forward with something.

    Thinking about asking a guy/girl on a date, but scared to ask? What’s the worst that can happen? He/she says no… That’s not too bad.

    Want to start a business but can’t take the leap? What’s the worst that can happen? It doesn’t work out and you have to go back to your job (never burn bridges)….

    You will often find that the answer isn’t that scary when you ask yourself “What’s the worst that can happen?” Think about the downside and you’ll see it probably isn’t that bad.

    Conversely, you can also ask “What’s the best that can happen?” Think about the upside. Usually, you’ll find that the upside dramatically outweighs the downside. Yes, asking that guy/girl out may mean you get shot down. But it might also lead to your first date with your future spouse. Little downside, huge upside. Go for it!

    Hopefully this helps you push forward and do the things that you really want to do in your life.

  • Pop Pop

    Pop Pop

    [vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Pop Pop was my grandfather, and he was one of the biggest influences in my life.

    He was always there for me. He spent a lot of time with me. He always advised me and helped as much as he could. And he always believed in me.

    I have so many stories about him that I’m not sure where to start:

    • Always shook my hand and squeezed HARD! He could aways out-squeeze me until I got to college…
    • He was quite a lucky man. He always seemed to be the guy to win the raffle or catch the foul ball. One time he took me on a road trip to Corpus Cristi for a deep sea fishing trip. I was motion sick for most of the trip, and he caught the biggest fish and won something like $1000 along with it. I still have the foul ball he caught at a Phillies game signed by Chico Ruiz.
    • Laughing was his super power. He was always laughing and telling great jokes. He could literally entertain a party for the better part of 45 minutes with one joke after another. He did this with my new in-laws when Lily and I first got married. He was on fire, entertaining everyone with the best jokes.
    • I was struggling with baseball and he was the first person to realize that my eyes were bad. We went to the optometrist and sure enough – I needed glasses.
    • When I was 8 or 9 playing basketball, he signed me up for a basketball camp. Then he showed me how to get inside and throw elbows at the opposing players!
    • He was always changing things up in his life. He would get a new car every few years. He would grow his hair out, grow his beard out, etc.
    • He went skydiving when he turned 80 years old!
    • Dogs always had an extraordinary amount of affection for him.
    • We had a great COVID road trip back to ABQ from FL.

    Interviews:[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/oZpnQjPYU9o”][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/YvHwgVyFbPs”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • The cutest email ever

    The cutest email ever

    Hi Layla, this was your first email that Mom helped you write and send out to our community:

    Hi – my name is Layla Sand and I’m starting a Pet sitting business. I can watch your pet while you’re on vacation. I can watch any pet except dogs (for now).  Please call my mom if you are interested. My mom‘s phone number is ###-###-####.
    I love pets, and I promise to take good care of them.thanks🦎🐍🐠🐟

    Layla Sand

  • The One Thing They Can’t Take

    The One Thing They Can’t Take

    You can be a professional athlete and get one injury and lose everything.

    You can have millions of dollars and get robbed and lose everything.

    The only thing people can’t take from you with your mind and your experience. That is the true foundation upon which everything is built. If you have a strong foundation and lose everything, you can always rebuild.

  • Say “Yes”

    Say “Yes”

    There’s a funny movie with Jim Carrey where he has to say “Yes” to everything for a month. He did this as an experiment because he was always saying no to everyone and living a generally miserable life. While saying “no” does not mean you will be miserable, it also cuts you off to a lot of excitement in life. I can’t remember a single exciting thing that happened in my life by saying “no” and sitting home on the couch. All of my best memories are from saying “yes.” This can be something as simple as a night out with friends that takes a wild turn or an around-the-world trip. It all starts with “Yes!”

    With that said, you have to be careful what you commit to and it’s way too easy to get overcommitted on a million things and you don’t have time to breathe. This is also critical, and the art and science of saying Yes or No is something we can explore together later…

  • Anything Worth Doing

    Anything Worth Doing

    Anything worth doing is worth doing right. In the same vein, the way you do anything is the way you do everything. You can be a person of excellence. Or you can cut corners here and there trying to do the minimal possible when “it doesn’t matter.” We have all done this–especially me just trying to GSD (“get stuff done”). The challenge here is it can be a slippery slope. It can be very hard to differentiate when you really need to do something right and when you can cut corners. It’s okay, you tell yourself, I just need to get this done. And next thing you know many things that should be done excellently are “just getting done.” If you can, it’s better to pride yourself on excellence. It will build your confidence and everyone around you will see the quality of your work. It will make a difference.

    For a little more encouragement, you should realize that you will pay for things now or pay for them later. You end up paying for them one way or another. And usually when it’s later, you pay a much higher price. You can take the time to oil your bicycle chain once a month. It takes a few minutes and some oil, so you have to pay the small price. But if you don’t pay it now, you’ll end up paying much more later when you have to replace the entire chain (and probably the sprockets that rusted to the chain).

  • Success Takes Time

    Success Takes Time

    A woman approached Picasso in a restaurant and asked him to scribble something on a napkin for her. She said she would be happy to pay whatever he felt it was worth. Picasso quickly sketched a beautiful piece that wowed the people watching.

    Then he said, “That will be $10,000.”

    “But you did that in thirty seconds,” the astonished woman replied. “No,” Picasso said. “It took me forty years to be able to do that.”

  • Observe Your Judgements

    Observe Your Judgements

    As I have thought about my own psychology, I realized how quick I am to judge other people or situations. I have found it’s so easy to judge another if they do something that I wouldn’t do or their level of work is not up to my standards.

    Another realization I have come to is this type of judgment is counter-productive. What good does it do to harbor negative feelings someone else? Realizing that it only creates negative energy within me, I have created a daily reminder in my calendar: Observe and let go of your judgements.

    It’s easy to subconsciously judge others without even realizing it. So I made this a daily reminder in an attempt to become more self aware. The ultimate goal is to immediately release any judgement the moment I catch myself doing it.

  • The Long Arc of Your Life

    The Long Arc of Your Life

    As you make decisions day-to-day, it’s easy to get lost in the details and miss the Forrest for the trees. As big decisions come up, try to put them in the context of the long arc of your life. Looking back on your life at 80, will it all make sense? Will it have a logic and progression to it?