No stuffed shirts please!

Margaret knows to keep
Al Walker’s ego in check

Tom Peters advises us to “Lighten up.”
Tom despises stuffed shirts.
Who doesn’t?

Maybe they like themselves.
Maybe they like themselves too much.
There’s nothing wrong with confidence.
Just don’t get carried away.
Tom trusts people who put their feet up.
Laugh at their own screw-ups.
So do the rest of us.
It’s great to be able to laugh at yourself.
Al Walker tells this stuffed short story on himself.
After he won some big award he asked his wife:
“In your wildest dreams did you ever imagine . . .
. . . marrying a man like me?”
“No, Al,” Margaret said, keeping a smile in check.
“I never imagined marrying a man like you.”
Good for Margaret.
She knows how to keep Al’s ego in check.
We need Margarets in our lives to check our egos.
I married one. Her name is MacLeod.
You’ll see her photo with me to the left of this.
And she keeps my ego in check . . . constantly.
I hope you have a Margaret or MacLeod of your own.

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Find the next best option

MacLeod and I were headed home from Paradise.
Then we ran into one of those endless traffic jams.
I-85 south of Atlanta became a parking lot.
Were we going to sit here or try something else?
It took two hours to reach the next exit.
MacLeod checked our map for another route.
We could take back roads to Covington.
There we could pick up I-20 two hours from home.
A 9-hour drive became an 11-hour drive.
This isn’t a rant against Interstate highways.
It’s an observation on business and life.
The I-85 traffic jam is a metaphor.
You will run into traffic jams. Count on it.
You’ll lose valued customers. Even dear friends.
Life and business are like that. Have a plan.
Have an alternate plan. Even a Plan C.
When Plan A doesn’t work, something else will.
There’s always an exit. Take the backroads.
You’ll get where you’re going. Eventually.
Don’t give up. Get creative. Find a way.
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Put balance in your life

My "Do what you love" blog last week struck a nerve.
Blog reader Mark Bostic designs homes.
Mark admits his work is a true passion.
But he warns not to focus your life too narrowly.
"A job you love can be great," he said.
"But great passions must be under control."
Mark makes a great point.
I made that mistake as a young journalist.
I lived and breathed writing and journalism.
After MacLeod and I were married, I didn’t change.
I just kept on working 12 hours a day.
That hurt her as she was raising our first child.
I was unaware that I was neglecting both of them.
It took a confrontation to show me my error.
I convinced her to unpack but it took a lot of persuasion.
Last Sunday we went for a cruise on Lake Murray.
Ken and Laura Colt0n invited us to join them on their boat.
I realized this was the first time I had relaxed all week.
Even now my passion for what I do can consume me.
So I’m still working at it as I know many of you are.
Don’t let passion blind you. Life has many rewards.
Faith, family, country, community, your health and well being.
With balance, we multiply life’s rewards.
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