Ever been in that place where you’re just so tired you figure, “What’s the worst that could happen?” You’ve got that throbbing headache from staring at spreadsheets all day, your back feels like it’s made of concrete after mowing the lawn, and the little pill bottle from last year’s doctor’s visit is looking awfully… tempting. […]
Forget the 9-to-5: Your Guide to Freelance Freedom and Financial Independence
Have you ever looked at your alarm clock on a Monday morning and felt like you’re staring into the face of your own personal jailer? I sure have – more times than I care to admit back in my hardware store days. There’s a special kind of misery that comes from knowing you’ve got four […]
Has Careless “Wokeness” Left Your Kids Confused?
The Great Identity Crisis of Our Time Remember that time I tried to explain “cancellation culture” to my grandkid, and he asked if it was like when Mom took away his tablet for backtalk? I laughed so hard I nearly choked on my sweet tea. But honestly? That little guy gets more than most adults […]
How to Correct a Coworker Without Starting a Brawl
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? You’re in the middle of a team meeting, and your coworker, let’s call him Chad – bless his heart – is presenting a project. He confidently states that the client wants the new logo to be “deep purple.” But honey, you know for a fact the client’s brief said […]
Quiet Strength in a Loud World: Thriving as an Introvert in Corporate America
Wanna hear about my old friend, Earl? Earl was the best mechanic this side of the Mason-Dixon Line. A man who could talk to a transmission like it was his own child and coax it back from the brink. But put him in front of a room full of folks at the annual Chamber of […]
Confront Your Flaws: Turning Weaknesses into Strengths
Here’s a little story from my days back at the hardware store – my favorite source of life lessons, of course. A fella came in, Mr. Abernathy I think his name was, looking more flustered than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He had this big ol’ toolbox he’d just bought, and […]
Stop Being Your Partner’s “Human Crutch”: Breaking Free from Codependency
I was in my hardware store one slow Tuesday afternoon, mind you, and a fella walks in looking like he’d just wrestled a greased pig into a thorn bush. Turns out his wife had “borrowed” his good wrench to pry open a jar of pickles, and now it was missing a critical piece. He didn’t […]
Your Mindset is Your Masterpiece
Remember old man Higgins from down the block (not sure why you would…)? Everybody said he had two left feet when it came to dancing – that his stiff personality was a roadblock. But one Saturday night at the town square dance, something shifted. He wasn’t trying to be anybody else; he was just being […]
Are Millennials Leaving the Church?
I was in the hardware store one Tuesday afternoon, trying to explain to a young fella why he needed a level on that bookshelf – he couldn’t just eyeball it. He’d bought this fancy digital level and was staring at the screen like it held all the secrets of the universe. “See?” I said, pointing […]