I came across this quote recently: Ignorance breeds confidence. Mastery breeds humility.

There’s actually a name for this mindset — the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Stated simply:

The less you know, the more you think you know.
The more you know, the more you realize you don’t.

Usually, the loudest voice in the room is the emptiest head.

It’s the person who just watched a YouTube video and now argues with a surgeon. Or the guy who takes a few guitar lessons and believes he could challenge Jimi Hendrix in a duel.

Low skill + high confidence = bad karaoke.

True mastery is balanced by the awareness that there’s always more to learn. You’ve seen the iceberg under the water.

A little knowledge makes you dangerous. A lot makes you teachable. Admitting how much you don’t know is the first step toward genuine wisdom.

Stay curious and humble.

The Queen of Pickleball.

Anna Leigh Waters is only 18 years old, but many already call her the sport's Michael Jordan.

She turned pro at 11 and now holds the #1 ranking in women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Anna hasn’t lost a match since May 2024.

More than a prodigy, she’s a force. A talented wrecking ball disguised as a student on a school trip.

Oh yeah, she’s also pickleball's highest earner.

Success knows no boundaries. Your impact determines your financial and professional achievements, not your birth certificate.

Age is a number, never a limit.

The seat of luxury.

Artist Maurizio Cattelan built his reputation through sculptures that behave more like pranks.

Perhaps his most notorious creation is ‘America,’ a working toilet made from 100 kilograms of solid 18-karat gold.

Think of it as a Rolex for your rear end. Or a tuxedo for your tush.

Sotheby’s will soon auction the luxurious loo, starting the bidding at $10 million.

When it debuted at the Guggenheim Museum, the famous potty didn’t live behind velvet ropes. Instead, curators installed the fixture inside a unisex public restroom.

Visitors waited in long lines for the opportunity to use the golden throne. And the museum’s most exclusive spot quickly became a bathroom stall.

You can make something sacred out of anything if you’re clever enough.

The dinner table transforms with china and candles. A patch of weeds can sprout a garden. The morning shower becomes a chapel of prayer.

For amazing experiences, you don’t need expensive restaurants or exotic locations.

The ordinary can be consecrated with creativity.

Even a toilet.

You have a surprising power.

But most folks breeze through a day without realizing what they carry.

What is it? Influence. And you have more of it than you realize.

A quick hello. A small frown. Maybe a laugh in the hallway. Or the tension in a crowded elevator.

Each moment, positive or negative, sends tiny ripples. You shape a room before a single word comes out.

Walk in tired, and the vibe sags. Enter with excitement, and people lean in closer.

Your energy affects everyone and everything around you. Wherever you go, you control the emotional thermostat.

This is your secret superpower for creating change, so try it with the next person you encounter.

Set the mood before the mood sets you.

My leadership approach in five statements.

After several decades featuring a mix of blunders and wins, I’ve developed a handful of ideas that I lean on when leading a team:

1. Questions over statements

2. Accountability over assumptions

3. Process over reactions

4. Trust over control

5. Character over talent

Maybe one day I’ll print these and hang them on a wall.

Your clutter might be stressing you out.

Science backs this up, according to a UCLA study. Clutter does more than crowd shelves. Messy rooms can sabotage your mind.

Negative space is an essential element, not just a void. The gap between objects gives them meaning, like how the silence between notes makes music.

What could you get rid of that you’ve hauled around for years?

During our last move, I faced my old high school mementos. Certificates, trophies, ribbons.

I had kept them in boxes for decades, piled in the attic, but I never looked at them.

So, I decided it was time. I snapped photos of a few items, then tossed everything to the curb. Since then, not a single regret.

If you struggle letting go, remember the “90/90 Rule.” Look at an object and ask: “Have I used this in the last 90 days? And will I use it in the next 90 days?”

If the answer to both is no, you’re safe to say buh-bye.

Do a house sweep. Discard forgotten gadgets and excess containers. And you don’t need dozens of mystery cords and those piles of paperwork.

Digital chaos can drain your mental energy, too. Unsubscribe from email newsletters you never read. Delete old apps from your phone. Streamline your computer desktop.

It’s all about clearing your mind.

Only a few witnessed Day One.

How many people knew you the day you were born? Just immediate family and maybe a handful of others.

But it’s an even smaller circle of those who stayed involved in your daily life. They’re the keepers of stories you can’t remember yourself. First words, first steps, first embarrassments. The people who knew you before you became you.

My Uncle Ronnie (my dad’s brother) was one of those.

Sunday afternoons included lunch after church at my grandparent’s house, along with him and his wife, Aunt Ann. Every Christmas Eve we celebrated together.

Whenever he saw me or my brother Mark, he used his trademark greeting. A loud, happy “Hey Boog!”

I’m not sure what it means or how it started, but the saying became a staple.

One long ago summer I rode shotgun on his Charles Chips delivery route. He didn’t need my help, but he invited me anyway. As a kid, I “assisted” him in organizing the potato chip bins for his corporate customers and helped myself to some of the inventory.

When I think of him, several things come to mind: a heavy set of keys dangling from his belt; his impressive album collection; an immaculate garage. He organized everything.

In 2018, Uncle Ronnie passed away from cancer. And just like that, another Day One was gone. Time has a way of thinning out the original circle.

But I’ll see him again one day.

And I already know the first two words he’ll say.

A man held his breath for nearly half an hour.

Budimir Šobat of Croatia set the Guinness record at 24 minutes 37 seconds.

How did he go that long? By floating face down and conserving energy.

Prior to the attempt, he inhaled medical-grade oxygen. Imagine filling your car’s gas tank to the brim before a cross-country trip. Šobat began with his reserves completely maxed out.

Without this assist, his personal best is a still-impressive ten minutes.

There’s fascinating science behind all this.

According to experts, the panicky urge to breathe is your brain reacting to carbon dioxide buildup, even though your body is likely over 90% saturated with oxygen.

Think of steam setting off an oversensitive smoke alarm.

This means the #1 secret to an extended breath-hold is training to tolerate elevated CO2.

The battle is won in the mind, not in the lungs. It’s learning to be comfortable with the feeling of being uncomfortable.

Life will throw all kinds of challenges your way, so learn to distinguish between discomfort and the real emergencies.

Most limitations are mental, not physical. The impulse to quit usually arrives long before you actually need to stop.

Your “enough” probably isn’t your actual limit.

A note to McKenzie and Will…

This day will always be special.

One year ago, on November 9, I watched you say, “I do.” This beautiful moment became the first jewel on a string that will grow into a priceless necklace.

It was a magical weekend. From the facilities and guests to the decor and dance floor, the whole event revolved around your vows.

Wow… 365 days. Time flies when you’re in love.

Here's to all the jewels you’ll keep adding.

Today, the Christmas decorations made their debut.

With each passing year, the boxes have come out earlier. And I love it.

Once Halloween is over, I’m ready for the holidays. Life is short, so why not savor more twinkly lights?

Waiting until December is like refusing dessert until you’re full. Seasonal boundaries are human constructs. Keep the tree up all year, if you want.

Who needs permission to enjoy things? If something brings you happiness, embrace it now.

Jess led the charge, hauling endless loads from the attic and transforming our place from an autumn harvest into a winter wonderland. Wreaths, garland, artwork, pillows.

Plus, we have extra motivation. Jake, before returning to college after fall break, said he can’t wait to come home at Thanksgiving and see all the Christmas magic.

Challenge accepted. The starter pistol has fired, and we’re already off the blocks.

Hey, 2025 holidays — it’s on.

PS: As our tradition, we also started Christmas music on October 31st, right after the Trick-or-Treaters had gone home.

I came across this beautiful quote:

Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog. (Sydney Jeanne Seward)

If you’ve ever had the priceless gift of a furry friend, you know.

What if you could reclaim 72 hours of your week?

Specifically, the evenings.

Imagine if the 5-9 wasn’t just the recovery period for the 9-5. If you trade 40 hours for a paycheck, what are you doing with all the others?

The nighttime window can easily get wasted with mindless TV viewing and doomscrolling after dinner.

Minus a plan, free time turns into a leaky bucket; a garden left unplanted.

Author Amanda Goetz talks about making room for the different “characters” in her life. While the workday features her professional self, she wants to develop other parts in the evening.

She actually names her inner characters: the CEO (ambition), the Lover (intimacy), the Friend (belonging), the Artist (creativity), the Caregiver/Doctor (self-care), and the Explorer (curiosity).

Go on Monday dates. Paint on Tuesdays. Circle Wednesdays to hang out with friends. You get the idea.

If only the CEO stars every day, life becomes a one-note song.

So, look at the evenings with fresh eyes. The math of life is unforgiving. Seventy-two weekly hours either can build something amazing or disappear into nothing.

The day pays your bills, but the night builds your life.

The 5-9.

What’s out there for you after dinner?

The most heavily guarded bag on Earth.

I recently read more about the world’s most powerful briefcase: the President’s “football.”

The contents could forever alter the face of the planet. How? It’s the mobile command center for unthinkable decisions, the keychain to the nation’s nuclear arsenal.

Late in Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency, staff created this satchel so a traveling president can control nuclear weapons and emergency actions.

The commander-in-chief carries an authentication card called a “biscuit.” A military aide holds the football, while the card confirms identity before any launch order moves forward.

Inside sits a book that shrinks a complex plan into a compact set of possibilities. This allows the president to choose from pre-built scenarios instead of improvising in a panic.

What’s the lesson? Prepared options help when alarms go off under pressure.

Do your strategic thinking before the crisis. Simplify complexity. Even complicated systems can be distilled into manageable formats.

But yet, this multi-billion dollar system is a success every day it goes unused. The ultimate example of restraint.

Often, your greatest power is knowing when not to do something.

Back to real life.

Luke and I grabbed an Uber for early-morning flights out of the Dallas Fort Worth airport. After a curbside hug, we split off to separate terminals, destined for different parts of the country.

Still, this weekend was an all-timer, one for the highlight reel.

Goodbye, Luke… see ya at Thanksgiving.

I hear the Cowboys might be on TV that day.

A day of stark contrasts.

• Our morning began with a five-minute walk from our hotel to Dealey Plaza, the site of JFK’s assassination. Looking up at the sixth-floor window where Lee Harvey Oswald fired his rifle, then down at the street markers where the President fell, we felt the weight of the moment. The world’s eyes gazed on that spot 62 years ago this month.

• Around the block, we visited a Western store. The smell of leather filled the space as we browsed the collection of boots and denim wear, plus all types of Dallas collectibles. Lots of Lone Star merch between these walls.

• Literally across the road stood a great BBQ restaurant. Yummy. All the Texas staples we’d been craving.

• After lunch, back to our room for chill time.

• About 4:45, we headed to AT&T Stadium for Monday Night Football. The pregame festivities resembled a state fair, with music and vendors. There was also a dance team and a full Mariachi band fueling the celebration.

• We settled into Section 129 (lower section around the 15-yard line). Fantastic view and close enough to the field to throw a football to the players.

• The game itself provided pure entertainment, with 80,000 screaming fans involved in a multimedia event with over 3,500 screens. Whenever the energy sagged even slightly, the jumbotron cut to our mariachi friends perched high in the stadium, and their tunes brought the entire arena back to life.

• Ultimately, the Cowboys lost. But the time spent with Luke, at one of our bucket list sports locations, was totally worth it.

The takeaway… the value of an experience isn’t always determined by the final score.

The Big Show is getting closer.

The day started with walking a few blocks to Starship Bagels, then carrying our breakfast back to the hotel lobby to eat.

But our real destination waited a half-hour away: AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

It’s like the Vatican for sports fanatics, only louder and with better snacks.

We reserved a guided tour at 11:15. This experience included:

• Behind-the-scenes look at suites, the press box, and media area

• The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders locker room

• Seeing up-close the ESPN broadcast set-up

• And of course — the field itself, which stretched before us like a green ocean

This was our favorite part. We pulled out a football we had brought and claimed that ground for forty-five minutes.

Calling out plays and running routes, we celebrated every catch like a Super Bowl-winning touchdown, surrounded by 80,000 seats.

After the tour, we headed across the street to Walmart where I bought a Cowboys t-shirt. Gotta show the pride.

Returning downtown, we found an Irish pub for lunch and watched NFL matchups. We napped at the hotel with more football in the background.

After ordering pizza, we tuned into… you guessed it… the Sunday night game.

That’s what we do on Football Sundays.

And tomorrow, Monday night, we’ll cheer for the best one of all: Cowboys vs Cardinals, back at the stadium.

Football Sunday was just the warm-up.

Months of planning came down to this.

Luke traveled 1,562 miles from Boston. I traveled 1,203 miles from Norfolk.

And we met about 8pm at the AC Hotel in downtown Dallas.

After settling into the hotel, we took a ten-minute walk to a Mexican restaurant where we ate and watched Game 7 of the World Series. As the game entered extra innings, we hurried back to the room to catch the final moments.

But we’re here for a more important reason.

We came all this way, not to invest our time and money on an object, but on a shared lifetime memory.

And it starts at 11:15am tomorrow.

I’ll never forget that walk.

As a teen, a couple of Hollywood special effects pros opened a Haunted Woods near where I grew up.

They promised realistic gore and an over-the-top experience. Beware the faint of heart.

Of course, my friends and I had to go.

The scares exceeded our expectations. This wasn’t some creepy stroll past spooky decorations. No, we’d been dropped straight into Friday the 13th.

Blood splattered everywhere. Dismembered body parts scattered across a winding path inside thick woods. Spooks plunged from trees and hisses came from bushes.

Then we reached the house labyrinth in the middle.

Inside, complete darkness. We felt along the walls to find the exit. At one point, barriers boxed me in from every direction — front, side, above.

As I slid my hands down searching for escape, I found an opening by my feet.

The only way forward required crawling through a tight tunnel in the pitch black. And it seemed to stretch on forever.

I think this is where my claustrophobia formed.

After finally making it out of the maze, chainsaws roared to life behind us and masked men chased our group all the way to the parking lot.

To this day, no other haunted attraction has ever topped that one.

I guess a little terror now and then keeps life interesting.

Happy Halloween!

The best stories are misadventures.

Yeah, you made a mistake. So get up and dust yourself off. 

Consider yourself smarter. Wisdom is often won through bruises and skinned knees. Your scars are proof you’re stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.

Wrong turns are a part of life.

This isn’t a full stop; it’s only a comma in your story. The path to anything meaningful is rarely a straight line.

I recently came across this slogan:
Bad decisions make good stories.

Sometimes we need to rewire our brains to see flubs as fireside tales. These make great chapters for your future memoir. The ones people won’t skip.

Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor.

As long as you live to tell about it, you’re doing just fine.

4th-and-1 from your own 34-yard line. Do you go for it?

Now picture a dad who never played a down of competitive football having the right call.

Michael McRoberts brings something different to the stadium: an engineering brain. His strategy guide, The Game Book, helps college football coaches make split-second decisions under pressure.

And they can’t get enough.

This outsider’s perspective has revolutionized an insider’s game, basically solving the sport like a Rubik’s Cube.

Michael’s company, Championship Analytics, now serves over 100 major college-football programs. His color-coded format turns complex scenarios into something a stressed-out coach can actually use.

Pure engineering genius.

Here’s the thing about expertise: skills mastered in one field can become your unfair advantage in another.

Your economics degree, your communication gift, your graphic design eye. These abilities transfer and cross boundaries. They solve problems in places nobody expects.

You just need to start, with or without permission.

Going for it on 4th-and-1 applies to way more than the gridiron.