I grew up in Tennessee, in that mix of small-town values and outsized curiosity. It taught me patience and persistence, and it taught me that progress usually looks boring from the outside. That's still how I approach most things.
Not long after, I married my wife, and together we've built a good life with our three kids. They're my favorite project. Also my most humbling one.
They keep me patient, playful, and curious whether I planned on it or not.
The Japanese idea of Kaizen, continuous improvement, has been a quiet compass for years. Lately I've paired it with the Stoics, who keep me steady when things get noisy. Between the two, the instruction is pretty simple: stay level, keep improving, don't make it dramatic. No rush. It's the mindset I bring to work, to family, and to everything in the middle.
Early on I worked with operators who made me read a system before I touched it. That habit has saved me more times than I can count. Later I had a manager who let me break something expensive and then rebuild it, which taught me more than any course could. Since then I've built and led teams of my own, and the part I didn't expect is how much better the work gets when you give people room to make that same kind of mistake.
When I'm not working or with the family, I'm usually deep in an audiobook, chasing 10,000 steps, or watching someone build something on YouTube. No shame in that last one.
I follow the Memphis Grizzlies, drive a Jeep I'm probably too attached to, ride trails when I can, and take the occasional weekend nap in a hammock. Highly recommended.
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