Back in the day, I had a fella come into my hardware store all flustered. Said his house was about to fall down ’cause he couldn’t find a single person who knew how to fix a leaky faucet without charging him an arm and a leg. He tried the Yellow Pages, he tried asking his […]
Don’t Let Your Talent Tangle You Up: A Catholic’s Guide to Humble Self-Expression
Ever see a man at a fish fry try to tell everyone every single detail about the catfish he caught? He’s not just sharing; he’s performing. His gift of a good day on the water has gotten tangled up in his ego, and pretty soon, you’d rather eat the coleslaw than listen to another story. […]
Tame the Chaos: Lead Any Workplace Change Like a Pro
You heard me talk about my buddy Earl, right? He ran the town’s only hardware store before I did – and he ran it like it was carved in stone. One Monday morning, we all showed up to find every single shelf empty. Earl had decided, on his own, that we’d switch from our reliable […]
Why Moving In Together Before Marriage is a Risky Gamble
I’m trying to explain why you shouldn’t eat the whole chocolate cake by yourself – it seems delicious in the moment, but you’ll regret it later. We’re talking about premarital cohabitation, or as most folks call it these days, “moving in together before marriage.” You know the drill: you’ve been dating for a while, things […]
Stop Cringing at Feedback! How to Turn Criticism into Your Superpower
Think about that time you tried to help your cousin fix his leaky faucet and ended up flooding the bathroom. You meant well, but the result was a mess. Now imagine if he’d just said, “Hey, Bojangles, next time, maybe turn off the main water valve first?” instead of yelling about soaked towels. Feedback can […]
Trade the Cape for a Carrying Cloth: Why Real Leaders Are Servants, Not Superstars
Well now, I was just thinkin’ about our ol’ mayor back in ‘89. He wanted to build a new city hall, and he wasn’t shy about remindin’ everyone who was makin’ it happen. Had his name on the blueprints, for cryin’ out loud! Kept talkin’ about his “legacy.” Ended up bein’ the only one who […]
How to Give Feedback That Doesn’t Make Folks Quit
Tried to tell a grown man his fly is down at a family barbecue? You do it quick, you do it with a wink and a nod, and you pray the Lord’s mercy that he doesn’t notice before you can make your exit. Most of us are scared stiff of giving feedback because we’ve seen […]
Is Your Netflix Binge a Spiritual Marathon or a Moral Maraud?
I remember the time my boy brought home a video game that looked like it was straight from the ninth circle of Dante’s Inferno – I kid you not! The cover art had more gore than a butcher’s freezer and the dialogue would’ve made a sailor blush. His mom – bless her heart, she’s a […]
Stop Quitting Alone: Find Your Pod and Get Things Done
My wife, bless her heart, tried losing weight more times than I’ve had a good cup of coffee. Every New Year’s, she’d buy the fanciest fitness tracker, join the most expensive gym, and be full of fire for about three days. Then, that fire would dwindle down to a flicker, and by February, her new […]