The picture is from my closet, of my uniform, from a life I used to live.  Sometimes I forget that it is hanging there, sometimes it stops me in my tracks.  I can’t describe what it means to me, it would be an attempt to describe the sunset to someone born unable to see.  I … Continue reading I solemnly swear…

You will have the opportunity to make millions of decisions throughout the course of your life.  In the end, those millions can be reduced to only two.  The choice of discipline, or the choice of regret.  A simple concept, an extremely difficult reality. As I walked into the Nashville airport this morning, I saw a … Continue reading Discipline or Regret

  When I joined the military, I thought that the leadership principles we were taught were unique.  I assumed they were military specific.  Shortly before I retired I began to interface with large organizations, and I was surprised by what I saw.  Thriving organizations were using the same principles that we used as small teams … Continue reading Leadership 101…

Six months ago I wrote a post about the fable of the sheep, sheepdog, and wolf.  At the time, I was using it to describe how people were responding to violence in society.  I believe it also describes our current political environment, attitude, and actions towards each other.  Our political system seems broken, and I … Continue reading Beware the Sheep

I am embarrassed for America.  There are no other words for it.  I will never make the claim of understanding politics, but our system is broken.  From a practical perspective, if a country of nearly 350 million presents these two individuals as our best candidates, something has gone terribly wrong.  The system is broken, because … Continue reading Land of the Free, Home of the Brave?

I love this country with all of my heart. I consider myself patriotic, and I consider my country deeply flawed. I believe you can be passionate about this nation, while simultaneously being honest about our shortcomings. I believe as a society we are privileged, arrogant, self-centered, self-serving, and self-destructive. I wish we would all take … Continue reading Perspective, Accountability, Compassion