I’m really a pretty simple guy. I live a simple life, and I like it that way.
I’ve been married to the same wonderful woman for 22 years. We’ve had ups and downs. We have had great successes and miserable failures. We have shared laughter and together we have shed many tears.
Together we created a perfect box set of kids – first a son, then a daughter. Then, after thinking we were done (ten years later), we found out we were having another one. We didn’t even know that we were biologically still able to procreate! What a surprise. …But we weren’t done yet. Three years later, we had another surprise. Now, we have four children – 18, 15, 5 and 2. They say that kids will help you stay young. I’m waiting for it to kick in.
I have worked for a global corporation (15 years with Disney). I oversaw marketing promotions, mostly media and alliance corporate promotions. You know, “Win a fantasy vacation for four…!” What a blast. I worked with incredible people and together we did some incredible things. After hopping between the coasts, Florida to California, I found that I was spending more time with mice and ducks than I was with my wife and children. I decided to take a job offer from my father-in-law in Louisiana.
I worked for a small, family-run business. I discovered the various challenges of both “small business” and working with family. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to see firsthand the effects of Hurricane Katrina on our community. Life changed in an day. I’ll post more about that later.
In the aftermath of Katrina, I started three separate companies – a business consulting firm, a digital marketing agency, and now a venture into personal coaching. What I discovered through all of these ventures was that I really enjoyed the personal side of business. While working with business owners to improve their companies’ bottom lines, I found that I achieved the most satisfaction and the most successes when I was able to connect with clients individually and help them not only turn their businesses around, but also to live better lives.
Now, in addition to coaching, I run a nonprofit that helps homeowners living in poverty. We recruit and manage volunteers to help rebuild homes. Every day is a challenge because we are completely reliant upon volunteers and donations. Some days have been unbelievable fulfilling – I knew I was making a difference in the world. Some days I felt like I was pulling pit bulls out of storm drains – I felt unappreciated and completely overwhelmed. It has been one of the biggest challenges of my life. At the same time, I have found that disaster recovery is a very competitive marketplace. The biggest challenge we have these days are the many hurricanes that have missed us. I’m not wishing for a disaster (please, no!), but in the last year we have lost thousands of volunteers to Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Carolinas.
If you have ever wanted to grow as a business leader, you need to try running a volunteer organization. It demands that you continually have to find creative solutions to do more with less. It requires you to think outside and beyond normal solutions and develop an enormous capacity for resourcefulness. From financial analysis to donor relations, from grant writing to project management, I have had the opportunity to wear many hats and learn new capabilities that I never even thought I would need to comprehend.
I find myself surrounded by complexities previously unimaginable. I can’t do the impossible. Nobody can. That’s why they call it impossible. Instead, I have had to learn to change what is possible. I’ve had to find different ways to garner results. I have had to create new solutions for old problems.
Every day, I wake up to a fire storm of problems for which I have no solution …yet. What a blessing.
Maybe my life is not as simple as I thought. As long as I can continue to grow and to learn and to improve, life is good. Maybe not simple, but good.
