Wet vs. Dry Concrete

You know those people that are so set in their ways and routines that no matter what you say or do, you know what to expect and predict because they've always been that way. Verdict? Hard Concrete.

You know those people that are always learning and growing. They seek to always gain knowledge and experience in order to grow their personal capacity? Verdict? Wet Concrete.

I must confess. The older I get, the more set in my ways and lazy I get. My concrete is getting harder.

Why?

Is it because I'm getting older and that's what you do? Is it because I'm content with how I'm growing right now and stretching myself? Why don't I pick up a book more often? Why do I always read the same websites? Why do I watch so much TV? Why don't I expand my capacity more?

Am I going to be THAT person that is so predictable and stuck, that the rest of my life becomes boring and stuck too?

Thankfully, I work for a company that pushes me in this area and cares about my personal development.

What about you? How wet is your concrete? Are you still moldable or stuck?

TEAM over TALENT - The Underdog Effect

Team

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Talent

Team over Talent; a simple concept that continues to become more and more evident to me. In lieu of the Mavericks victory last night, I was inspired to get back on the blogesphere and share a life principal that's often missed in today's society.

Unless you're a hermit, a sports hater or completely oblivious to the news, you're aware that the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat last night in the NBA finals. It was, once again, another example of how experience, chemistry and leadership trump raw talent. Nobody denies that that the Heat are incredibly talented. As a matter of fact, the Heat was favored in this series and even predicted to sweep by some.

Nobody denies that talent is a fundamental asset for success. It's hard to find and hard to train. But, often it's idolized as the #1 indicator by many in the sport's, business, and educational arenas. Whether it's AAU basketball leagues, Harvard Business school or the NFL combine; talent is valued, idolized and heavily inspected.

I'm seeing a shift in our culture.

Like anything, with enough failed attempts, we start to question our way of thinking. Whether it's Jamarcus Russell, the 2002 U.S.A. Men's Basketball team or Dennis Miller on Monday Night Football, talent doesn't equal results.

I, like others, am seeing a common theme in those who are truly finding results, particularly in the Sports World.

LEADERSHIP, inteGRITy, CHEMISTRY, CULTURE, EXPERIENCE, ETC...

...mixed with talent, turns into results.

Example: 1980 U.S Hockey Team, 03', 04' Patriots, 09' Saints, 04' Red Sox, 06' Boise State or The Mighty Ducks.

We love the underdog because deep down we want to see a team with "less" talent prevail. Deep down, we know there's always someone more talented than us. We equate ourselves to an underdog, knowing that we may not have the "most" talent but can always work on our leadership, integrity, experience, and just then...maybe, just maybe...

...I can achieve what I'm after if I just be patient like Jason Kidd?

...I can achieve what I'm after if I can just put enough time, talent, treasure and innovation into it like Mark Cuban?

...even though I'm one way (7ft tall), maybe I can still be as smooth as Dirk.

...there's a Tyson Chandler out there that's a final piece to my puzzle?

If we see it and acknowledge it, maybe then can we have a shot at the title?

Go Mavs!

* Please disregard all typos and grammatical errors. I made C's in my English classes.

The R-Word (retard)

It is time to “Spread the Word to End the Word” and on 31 March 2009 Special Olympics is calling for a national day of awareness for America to stop and think about their use of the R-word. That R-word is not “recession,” but something more hurtful and painful – “retard.”

In High School and College I chose to spend my volunteer time working with people with disabilities. My bike ride across America this summer benefited Push America, a non-profit organization who raises money and awareness for people with disabilities. During my time spent with people with disabilities, my eyes and heart have been open to their world. It's a world of sadness, hurt and frustration but often a world of courage, perseverance and happiness. When I spent time with these awesome people, my initial reaction was that I was doing them a favor. It was never til the end of my first interactions with people with disabilities, that I realized how much more they gave me. I was the one benefiting from their presence.

In college, my fraternity was the leader of all the chapters when it came to involvement with Push America. We raised a lot of money and did a "Push Week" for all the sororities to raise money and awareness. In order for our words to follow our actions, we made sure that we watched how we used the "R-Word."

I came across this recent campaign by the Special Olympics and think it's awesome. Most people throw around the R-word like it's no bid deal without any regard to who could be offended. I used to say it all the time until my eyes were opened to the word and the people it represents.

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Please stand with me on March, 31st and everyday to spread awareness on the R-word; an often overused, hurtful slur that has great potential of offend due to the people it represents and the context it's used in. If nothing else, think twice before you use the word! Thanks.

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FYI:

Don't use retard, handicapped, or disable person. These are all politically incorrect. Handicap is an older word that refers to beggars with their "cap in hand." And it's not a disable person...it's a person with disabilities. They are people first and this language is called "people first language."

http://www.r-word.org/

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A great article written by CNN talking about the campaign and President Obama's slip up on The Tonight Show.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/03/20/obama.special.olympics/index.html

GRO CD Release!!! (Capitol-Virgin Records)

The Green River Ordinance Debut Album "Out of My Hands" comes out TODAY FEB. 24th!!!

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As many of you know (or maybe you don't), I am really good friends with the lead singer and manager of Green River Ordinance; a band based out of Fort Worth, TX. Starting off as a high school garage band, GRO grew into a major independent band and later signed with the Capitol-Virgin record label. They are an awesome group of guys who are passionate about playing great music.

Check out the new album on I-Tunes!!!! See what you think. http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=303893838&s=143441

or

Listen to 4 full songs on http://www.myspace.com.gro/

And I'm Back In The Game!

After a 6 month absence from blogging...i'm back in the game. I don't feel like I have a lot of profound information or wisdom to share with the cyber world, but, I do have a lot of people or things that I come across and want to share. Who knows...maybe a sense of humor or divine inspiration will come over me and one soul will find it relatively tantilizing.

The real goal of this blog is to connect the people in my life with myself and with each other. For some reason, I know a lot of cool people who do a lot of cool things and I think everyone should know about it.

It truly is a little THIS...a little THAT.

Day 67 August 16th WASHINGTON D.C. ARRIVAL DAY!!!

Day 67 August 16 WASHINGTON D.C. ARRIVAL DAY!!!

I can’t believe it’s finally here!!! There wasn’t a day on this trip that I didn’t think about August 16th and what it would be like to ride into our nation's capital. I can’t ever think of a day where I woke up and was so giddy. The sense of accomplishment reigned over the day. We set off on a 40-mile ride into the city. When we got there, we arrived at George Washington University and met up with the North and South Routes. After chilling for an hour or so…it was our time. We were scheduled to arrive at the Capitol at 11:00 so all 3 teams lined up at 10:45. My good friend, Ryan Dixon and I were voted on by our teammates to lead the team to the Capitol. It just so happened that our team also got to lead all teams, which meant that Ryan and I were the first two riders of all 84. It was such an honor and made the arrival that much better. As we left GWU in a double pace line with a police escort, the cheers and hollers started to ring out. As we got closer and closer to the Capitol, the excitement started to build. We turned the corner and headed down the street in front of the capitol lined with 400 proud friends, families, girlfriends and on lookers all cheering for us. I threw my arm up in the air in triumph and couldn’t bring myself to put it down. I felt like Andy Dufresne in the movie Shawshank Redemption when he’s in the rain and holds his arms up in the air. After 67 days, 13 states, 4,000 miles, the joy I was experiencing was like no other I had experienced. To see the look on the people’s faces as we rode by them was incredible. You could see how happy they were to see us and how proud they were of us. When we got to the end of the street with the smiles and tears still on our faces, we got off of our bikes to gather on the west lawn of the capitol for a short presentation. The CEO of Push America, Chad Coltrane, spoke to the crowd as well as the project managers of each team. After some team pictures, it was off to hug our family and friends. I found my parents immediately and gave them huge hugs. Mom wouldn’t let go as the tears started to roll. My wonderful girlfriend Melissa was also there and I gave her a huge hug after not seeing her for the whole 2 months. Some friends and fraternity brothers of mine who live in the D.C. area also came out to see me. I couldn’t believe it was over and I was finally standing on the Capitol lawn. I made sure to get all the pictures possible, as I didn’t want this memory to ever go away. After hoisting my bike over my head to symbolize my triumphant victory crossing the United States, we snapped some more pictures and made our way to our hotel. I said goodbye to mom & dad who had to catch a flight back to Fort Worth for my cousin Sarah’s wedding that night. Melissa and I went back to the hotel where I took apart my bike and packed it up. We checked into our rooms and headed to lunch with my friend Ryan and his family. We enjoyed a nice sit down meal on an outside patio during a beautiful sunny day in D.C. After the meal we headed back to the hotel for some relaxation before the banquet that night. Around 6:30 we headed to the banquet in our hotel where I found out that I would be giving the invocation for the evening. It came as quite a surprise but I was more than glad to do it. I also noticed that there was an insert in the evening’s program that featured a picture and biography of me for being the top fundraiser. It was a great evening and a perfect cap to a wonderful summer. I was recognized as the top fundraiser with an ending total of $16,210 and received a framed jersey. It was truly an honor and I was humbled by the whole night. The biggest highlight is when my good friend Ryan won the Bruce Rodgers award as the best team member on our team. He is such a good guy and it was well deserved. After the banquet, we had one last team meeting before going out and celebrating with family, friends, and the 2 other teams. What a day and what a summer!!!!
I end this blog with heartfelt thanks to the many supporters who made my trip possible and enjoyable. For those who supported my ride with donations and prayers, who visited along the route and who supplied support in Washington. Thankyou and God Bless!!!

“Success is not a place at which one arrives, but rather the spirit with which one undertakes and continues the journey.” –Alex Noble

Day 63-66 Roanoke, VA - Manassas, VA

Day 63 August 12 Roanoke, VA – Farmville, VA

We woke up at 5:30 and grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel we were staying at: Hotel Roanoke. We got on the bikes and set off on our last century day of the trip. It was a 110-mile day but it was the easiest one so far. I don’t know if we were just so used to riding the bike or the fact that it was a beautiful, mostly flat ride. Whatever it was, we had an awesome day on the bike and arrived at the Hampton Inn in Farmville, VA around 3:30. An organization in Farmville by the name of STEPS put us up in the hotel. After a quick shower and some time on the computer, we headed over to steps to see their operation. After seeing their facilities, we headed to dinner at Country Kitchen, which was also provided by STEPS. It was delicious buffet type meal with good interaction from the nice individuals from STEPS. After dinner it was back to the hotel for sleep.


Day 64 August 13 Farmville, VA – Richmond, VA

We woke up at the Hampton Inn and had the continental breakfast before hitting the road on a 70-mile day to Richmond, VA. It was a tough day because the legs were tired from the 110-mile day before but it was another beautiful day marked with rolling hills and lots of trees. Getting into Richmond was kind of stressful because there was lots of traffic and the roads were narrow. When we finally arrived at our destination; St. Benedictine HS, we took showers in the athletic locker rooms and went to the parking lot where a friend of a former Pi Alpha was cooking us ribs and barbeque. After a delicious lunch, I made a run to some bike stores to pick up some last minute parts. I also grabbed some blue and black handlebar wrap and made a really cool weave with both colors. For dinner, we went to a local restaurant where our meal was provided by a former JOH rider. After dinner, we got back and had a team gift exchange. We each drew another name out of a hat and had to buy a “gag” gift for that person. It was a really good tim
e and really funny to see who got what and why they got it. After the exchange, I met up with an old friend from camp; Bryce Humphrey. I hadn’t seen or talked to Bryce in 3 years so it was good to catch up with him and talk about life. After spending time with Bryce, I met up with the rest of the team for some fellowship.

Day 65 August 14 Richmond, VA – Fredericksburg, VA

We woke up this morning at 6:00 and grabbed a bagel breakfast provided by a former JOH rider. We hit the road for 50-mile day to Fredericksburg, VA. It was another beautiful ride through the country of Virginia. I could just feel the civil war history as we road through some of the plains and could see some of the historical markers along the roadside. We arrived at Fredericksburg Christian HS around 11:30 and showered up for heading to Ruby Tuesdays for lunch. One of my teammates parents bought as whatever we wanted at Ruby Tuesdays. It was a nice treat because, not only did I get a good meal, my long time neighbors, Bob and Diana Ryan came out to see me. It was such a blessing to see them and have lunch with them. Diana, who is going through Cemo and Radiation, was such an inspiration to me. Her sweet spirit and never quit attitude were extremely humbling for me and caused me to put my daily struggles into perspective. After saying goodbye to them, we went back to the HS and I took a nap. After a great nap we headed our friendship visit at the ARC of Rappahannock. It was an incredible friendship visit with tons of participants. It felt like there were people everywhere! There was some music and entertainment as well as a huge potluck dinner. After our last friendship visit, we headed back to the school for some team events and off to bed.

Day 66 August 15 Fredericksburg, VA – Manassas, VA

We were woken up this morning to a live performance from Jamie O’Brians parents who were playing a banjo and a standup bass. It was a bluegrass wakeup! We got to sleep in a little bit this morning and stroll outside the school for some breakfast provided by the O’Brians. After breakfast, the O’Brians performed a song they had written about the Journey of Hope. It really meant a lot considering Mr. O’Brian was not supportive of his son Jamie participating in the event in the beginning. After reading all the journals and looking at all the pictures, Mr. O’Brian had become so much of a supporter that he was writing songs about us. It was really cool! After the awesome performance, we hit the road energized. It was a 45-mile day and it seemed like it flew by. We pulled into Manassas around 2:00 and settled into our lodging at an Aquatic Center. We packed up some of our bags so they couldn’t be taken to our hotel in D.C. We left for a team dinner at Red Robin around 5:00. It was a good last event for us all to be together and enjoy each others company. After that we headed back to our lodging to pack up and have one last team event together before heading to bed. I can’t believe we arrive in D.C. tomorrow!!!