There are certain people that we immortalize because we can’t imagine a world in which they don’t exist. These are the rare few who have blessed our lives with such abundance that they’ve imprinted themselves into our existence. They are part of our story. That’s how I felt about Ida Jean Mayhew. And I know I’m not alone. It was just too hard to imagine the day when her warm smile and charm wouldn’t welcome me when I walked through […]
I remember when I was a kid, laying in bed, unable to close my eyes, my heart thumping and my mind racing in anticipation for what Santa might bring. Although my friends refused to believe, I had faith that it was all real—that Santa wasn’t some made-up, imaginary story that my parents lovingly went along with. But around my eleventh or twelfth Christmas, I began finding receipts and gift bags that caused me to question. Even still, hope is a powerful thing. Deep down, I’d […]
I’m ashamed to admit that I used to shy away from homeless people. But over the past few years, I’ve had quite a few encounters like the one I share below. I’ve come to appreciate them now because God’s either trying to get my attention or giving me an opportunity to learn something about myself that I’m otherwise unwilling to accept. In this case, I think it may have been both. ◊♦◊ I met Cody yesterday. As I walked into a […]
A clever hoax, supposedly validated by Good Morning America, circulated on Facebook recently: Mark Zuckerberg, the thirty-one-year old billionaire founder of the social media giant was giving away a reported $45 billion dollars to users who copied and pasted a status sharing the news. Hundreds of thousands flocked to see if it was true. It wasn’t. But humor me (and yourself) for a minute. Suppose it was true. Suppose you were the beneficiary of a million-dollar windfall. How would your life […]
The word rich is a cornerstone word in American culture. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are in our blood. But somewhere along the way, our pursuits have become tarnished with a narrow view of wealth. We have learned to believe that being rich only has to do with money. Here’s a news flash: big houses, fancy cars, and extravagant tastes don’t make you rich. Some of the poorest people in the world are those whose bank accounts are full, but their hearts are empty. I was […]
Since the age of fifteen I’ve wanted to be a public speaker. But it took me fifteen more years to find the courage to own my story and begin living my dream. And when I began, I was in for a rude awakening. It was incredibly hard to break into the public speaking world. But the same is true of most businesses—anything great is going to be hard, really, really hard. My first year in public speaking was met with only […]
The Story of the Anti-CEO There was once a CEO of a thriving, 100 million-dollar business. What began as a dream in a garage had grown into a national organization with more than a thousand employees. According to every economic, social, and professional metric, the CEO and the company were successful. As the business grew, the CEO found out that one of his employees had a daughter who was battling cancer. Upon learning the devastating news, he insisted that his […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
