About Me

I could write a lengthy page about my philosophy, or my accomplishments, or my interests. But I don’t want to write that page any more than you want to read it.

That being said, I think it’s important to understand a little bit about me - my paradigm and how I see the world, so the rest of this site might make a little more sense.

Here are 10 facts about me, in no particular order…

1.) Sports is the lens through which I view the world.

I’ve watched and played sports my entire life - all of ‘em, and I’ve coached several of them. I see sports-related traits everywhere I look, such as teamwork, collaboration, competitiveness, moving without the ball, “glue” guys, playing to your strengths, etc. And I use sports comparisons to help understand many non-sports situations.

2.) I’m wired for Continuous Improvement (and have been for as long as I can remember.)

This trait was valuable during youth sports, and I was obsessive about taking any hobby or interest to new heights as a teenager. But I didn’t fully understand the concept of Continuous Improvement (or Kaizen) as its own thing until my early adulthood - after reading The Goal (by Goldratt).

3.) I’m a writer, even though I never thought I would be.

I didn’t care for writing in school, and my SATs scored higher in math than verbal. But I’ve grown into being a writer.

I wrote a real estate newsletter in the early 00s which received a lot of positive feedback (and generated a lot of business). In 2006 I turned that concept into one of the earlier high-traffic real estate blogs (butterhomes.com - no longer active.) I have since authored blogs on several different topics as my interests have evolved over the years.

I find that writing helps me think through problems, and explaining things helps me understand them better.

4.) Family First

Everyone has this one on their list, but I couldn’t imagine how far I would be willing to go “do anything” for my kids - even when they’re being buttheads. It’s amazing.

5.) Special Needs

Being a parent to a young adult with autism, special needs has been a big part of our lives for a long time now. We have been part of, plugged into, sometimes leaders and sometimes participants, in the special needs community, and have developed a wide network of friends and supporters. In fact, my wife still works at NMTSA.

Our current project is to help adults with autism who are not independent enough to participate in engaging day-programs or employment, get the support they need to lead more meaningful lives. Visit www.LITEHouseAZ.org to learn more.

6.) Early Adopter

It’s not always about technology, but in life in general.. When I discover a different way of doing something, a way that just seems to make more sense, I lean into it - regardless of what is considered normal or if someone might look at me funny. Technology, Health & Fitness techniques, Nutrition - the best way isn’t always the most common (or most popular) way.

As a young adult I leaned into tech for tech’s sake. Now days I still love cool new things, but they have to prove their value - cool for cool’s sake doesn’t cut it anymore.

7.) Health & Fitness

This is a big part of my life - and always has been. But after diving into functional fitness in my 50’s and fixing some long-term ailments, I’ve dedicated more time and energy to this hobby/endeavor - you can visit Healthy Butter Fitness to see more.

8.) It’s the process (not the results) and the practice (not the game) that counts.

For any given game, project, match, endeavor - luck plays a role. Sometimes the ball bounces the wrong way and there isn’t anything you can do about it.

But over the long term, reaching for improvement with every opportunity and setting up a process to consistently get better will provide the greatest results. Every time. You might lose a few matches here and there, but the long-term outcome will be far superior compared to someone who values winning today’s match without improving over time.

If you can’t “Embrace the grind”, you probably need to find a different passion to grind.

9.) I’m the grown-up in the room. I’m also a kid in an adult’s body.

I tend to be the risk manager and emotional centering in most settings, whether I’m with family, friends, or colleagues.

I’m also the one who impulsively jumps over something, or climbs a tree, or spins the truck into a donut on a deserted dirt road. And “that’s what she said” humor still makes me laugh.

It seems that I’ve grown up to be a really mature, well-respected, 18-year old.

10.) Quick Hits:

I’ll take the beach over the mountains, although I do love to ski.

I’d rather drive than fly anywhere within about an 8-hour drive. Further than that depends on how many days I can take to make the trip.

Comedies over dramas. Suspenseful espionage over horror/slasher. Documentaries over reality shows. Sports on tv is first choice.

Current / Recent Reading List:

Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Nicholas Taleb (recently started)

Range: Why generalists triumph in a specialized world, David Epstein (audiobook, in progress)

Start with Why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action, Simon Sinek (in progress)

My Dream Time, Ash Barty (recently finished)

How Big Things Get Done, Brent Glyvbjerg (audiobook, recently finished)