Commander Willie Brown (USN, retired) recently spoke on The 7 Keys of Leadership at a Wise Counsel meeting.

I was pleased to shoot this video, which has the first four of his inspiring points.

 

Deadliest Yak: The Legend of Moby Danny

This is not a fish story. This is a true account of events that took place in the environs of Vilano Beach on June 12, 2021, verifiable by numerous eyewitnesses including men, women, and one extraterrestrial of impeccable character.

Dozens of adventurous kayakers gathered on the south side of the Guana River Dam, the launch site for the voyage. There was champagne and caviar and dancing. Oh, the dancing! The mood was jovial as the group prepared to embark on a great adventure together, with all of the hopes and dreams that human beings can have.

The sky was clear when we set out, and although the breeze was against us at times, the tide was with us. After paddling for three miles, which seemed more like ten, we all gathered at a small beach to swim and socialize. The storm clouds to the west seemed distant.

Upon putting out to sea for the second time, I started out in the middle of the group. While others were gliding over the water in their fancy touring kayaks, I was plowing through in my fishing kayak. I did my best to keep up, but, after a while, I was trailing the group. I lost sight of any human presence for several hours.

The breeze stiffened and became a howling wind! Before long, the swells got deeper and deeper, well over ten feet at times. They were breaking over the bow, the stern, and both sides, sometimes simultaneously. I was blinded by the sea spray! Somehow, knowing that my life might be at stake, I kept paddling, paddling, paddling, like a mad man.

When my strength was gone, the beastly fish showed himself. I looked into his vacant eyes. In all my days, I have never seen a fish so angry. He bumped the kayak, over, and over, and over. After I was tossed from the yak, I could hear bagpipes! “Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling…”

The ferocious fish bared his teeth as he came toward me. The end seemed to be very near. Then a dolphin bumped the evil thing. When I floated to the surface, all was peaceful. The water was smooth as glass! It seemed as if I had found my way to the eye of the storm.

The kayak was nearby. Aside from a few dents, it was intact. One of the hatches had opened up somehow, and there were two reds in there. I’m telling the truth, officer. I don’t have a fishing license, but the fact is I didn’t catch those fish. They gave themselves up for me. True story!

Right Place, Right Time, and Humility

When I was a boy playing PeeWee hockey, I had one season, where, for a while, I was consistently in the right place at the right time. I scored a goal in every game for about two months. The best skater in the league was on my team, and I was, somehow, outscoring him. I should note that I only remember one goal that was unassisted. All the others were set up by nice passes from teammates. I was chubby, and when I found my spot in front of the opponents' net, it was hard for the defenders to move me out of it.

I sometimes look back at that time as one of the best times of my life. I’ve often wished that the rest of my life could be similar, that I would consistently be in the right place at the right time, scoring goals of one sort or another. However, one of my frequent ruminations has been that I haven’t been in the right place at the right time very often. I’ve even whined about it in my prayer life.

On Easter Weekend, I was inspired to share on Facebook some of the interesting sunrises and sunsets I’ve photographed. My eye was on a period, 2012 through 2014, when I was interested in the interactions between the sun and manmade structures. (I was shooting with  a Nikon D80, a really good camera that I, eventually, wore out.) I posted several pictures that I regard as some of my best.

Whether you’re shooting events, which I did plenty of, or news, which I also did plenty of, you have to be in the right places at the right times to get good shots. I’m not a world-renowned photographer, and I didn’t earn much taking pictures. Still, I’ve taken a few shots that were good enough to get in newspapers, magazines, and elsewhere.

On the Saturday before Easter, I made plans to hike on some nature trails with a new friend. (I got a nice phone shot of a full rainbow near those trails last year.) While I was driving out there, something hit me right between the eyes. Although I can’t remember a time of my life where I was in the right place at the right time for an extended period the way I was in PeeWees, I have actually been in the right place at the right time many times. I’m not referring only to photography. In other areas of life, I have often been in the right place at the right time. Not all the time, but enough. However, more often than not, I've taken those moments for granted.

I concluded my little project on Easter Sunday. The last picture I posted was of the Jacksonville Beach Pier with the sun coming up on the other side from where I was shooting. The sun was beautiful coming through all that lumber! I don’t remember being blown away by the beauty of that moment. I think I was probably just taking a nice picture.

Looking at the picture all these years later, I realized several things. I didn’t make that sun, didn’t make that ocean, didn’t make that beach, didn’t mill any of the lumber, and didn’t even screw in a single one of the bolts holding it together. I didn’t even create my ability to recognize that it was a beautiful scene. I didn’t create that moment, but, by the grace of God, I had the privilege to be in the right place at the right time that morning. For me, it's a very humbling thought.

 

Habitual Optimism - What my dog taught me about positive thinking.

Sparky likes to run!

Whenever I get ready to let my dog, Sparky, out to the backyard, she is ready to move the moment the door opens. She's always optimistic and seems to be thinking, “There could be something out there that’s going to be fun to chase. Maybe a cat! Maybe a squirrel! Something could be out there!” She never seems concerned that the big dog next door might have gotten over the fence again and could be out there waiting for her.

When that door opens, she is gone, almost instantly, to the back fence to take a look. Most of the time there isn’t anything back there. Still, she knows that every time the door opens, there just might be. And, when she comes back in the house, she always checks the front door, just in case someone might have left it open so she could go for an exhilarating run off the leash. She’s a whippet/Jack Russell mix, and would never pass up a chance to run at full throttle.

Is some fantastic opportunity going to present itself to me every time I go out my front door? Probably not. However, if I go through the day thinking something great might be just around the corner, which is the way Sparky thinks, I’m going to be ready when opportunities do arise.

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Who has inspired you with a positive attitude? How can you develop a similar outlook on life? Leave a comment.

Related reading on positive thinking. 

Switching from negative to positive thinking. 

Positive Assumptions. 

Dick Erickson, Founder of Sun Tire, talks about profit-sharing at Wise Counsel 2020 Boot Camp.

Dick Erickson (left) and Skip Alcorn.

Dick Erickson, Founder of Sun Tire, has some interesting insights about profit-sharing. He shared some of them at the 2020 Wise Counsel Boot Camp in Jacksonville, Fl.

Why share profits with all employees?

Some companies share profits with leaders and managers. Other companies provide profit-sharing after an employee has been at the job for a designated period of time or has been promoted to management. Very few have policies to share profits with all employees. A defined profit-sharing plan can set a company apart from its competitors.

How does a company benefit from sharing profits?

The speakers at the 2020 Wise Counsel Boot Camp.

Employees are more engaged and have a better focus on customer service and making customers happy. Happy customers come back, and they also provide referrals and recommendations.

Employees put more effort into their personal appearance and the way they come across to customers. They are also more conscientious about the appearance of the storefront or workplace.

Employees want fellow employees to be productive. If someone is lazy, other employees won’t be happy about that.

Employees take better care of equipment because they know that helps profitability.

Shrinkage is reduced because employees know that if they steal, it comes out of the profit-sharing.

Employee turnover is reduced because employees are getting something they may not be able to find elsewhere.

Employees at every level think more like managers. For that reason, there is a reduced need for oversight and/or middle management. Employees really want to do a good job for the good of the company and because it will improve their bottom lines.

You can get more information about Dick Erickson's approach to profit-sharing from his book, which is available in paperback or on Kindle through Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Rubber-Meets-Road-Entrepreneurs/dp/B08KH2K9L6

Off the Beaten Path in Jacksonville

e of the trails at U.N.F.

One of the keys to success in any business endeavor is making good decisions. Making good decisions requires clear thinking. One of the things that helps me to keep my thinking clear is taking long walks in the woods. Long walks are one of the best things I do for myself. I believe that long peaceful walks are good for anyone who is able to take them.  

When people visit Jacksonville for the 2020 Republican National Convention or other events, some may want to stray off the paved and beaten paths. There are several excellent places for a nice hike that are just a short ride from downtown Jacksonville.

Note: If you go out walking in Jacksonville in August, it will probably be hot, even in the morning and early evening. The heat can cause people to sweat profusely, and it doesn’t take long at all to become dehydrated. Believe me, you don’t want to be a mile from your parking spot when you start to feel overheated. Bring a bottle of water.

Also, there are lots of insects in Florida and many of them bite. That’s especially true at the Timucuan Preserve. For that reason, it’s a good idea to either apply some insect repellant before starting a walk.

Jacksonville Arboretum

The Arboretum is operated by a non-profit 501c3 charitable organization. It’s a nice example of what a group can do when they pool their efforts. It’s only a ten-minute drive from downtown. There’s a paved walkway around a lake and several miles of unpaved trails through the woods. There’s also an award-winning Loblolly Bay Tree.

Nature Trails at University of North Florida. 

The trails go around a lake, through woods, and through a swamp. There’s a lot to see, including gopher tortoises grazing on the vegetation at times. There are also exercise stations for sit-ups, pullups, and walking on a balance beam a few feet off the ground.

Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. 

The Timucuan Preserve is part of the National Park Service. There are two entrances to miles of excellent hiking trails.

Theodore Roosevelt Area, 13165 Mt. Pleasant Road. 

The Theodore Roosevelt Area is one part of the preserve that has several miles of unpaved trails through the woods. One trail leads to an observation tower looking out over a salt marsh. And unlike most other parks in Jacksonville, the Timucuan preserve has one trail that’s a bit steep and moderately challenging. There’s not a lot of parking space, but there is a bathroom near the parking lot.

Fort Caroline Visitor Center, 12713 Fort Caroline Road. 

Another entrance to the same trails is across the street from the Fort Caroline National Memorial. There are more parking spaces than there are at the Theodore Roosevelt Area, but there’s no bathroom. There are facilities at the Fort Caroline National Memorial, but you may need to plan ahead if that isn’t going to be open when you visit.

To reiterate a very important point, bring some water for your hike and some insect repellant.

Right Place, Right Time, 2020

The key to getting a good shot of a rainbow is being in the right place at the right time. Generally, the sun is somewhere behind you and the rainy weather is in front of you. The conditions for rainbows change from moment to moment because the sun is always moving and the weather is usually moving and changing as well. When you are stationary, rainbows may fade in and out while you’re watching but they usually don’t last very long.

My wife and I recently travelled to Titusville to watch a rocket launch. It went off on schedule without a hitch before sunrise on the morning that we were there. That doesn’t always happen. In fact, that launch had already been rescheduled twice. To view a launch from Titusville, you look to the east over the Indian River. It was nice that the launch wasn’t delayed because if it had been, the sun would have come up and we just wouldn’t have seen much. We were in the right place at the right time.

Afterwards, we drove out to Canaveral National Seashore. It was beautiful! However, on my way out of there I got stopped for speeding! The speed limits on that road are tricky if you’re not paying close attention. Anyways, the last time I got stopped for speeding was toward the end of December 1999, twenty years prior, probably to the week and possibly to the day. I quit speeding after that last ticket because I had used up my lifetime supply of driving safety school to keep the points off my record. In Florida you can only go to driving school five times! In any case, I was very polite to the police officer and he let me off the hook. Apparently, there are no active warrants for my arrest.

I was feeling very merry on the ride back to Jacksonville! There was some light rain. When we got onto the East Beltway from I-95, there was a full double rainbow right in front of us over South Jacksonville. As I mentioned above, due to the movement of the sun and the rain, rainbows generally don’t last for long. On this occasion, we were moving in the same direction as the weather and that rainbow was right in front of us for a good ten minutes. I keep an eye out for rainbows, and I’ve seen lots of them and photographed many. They’re always great to look at, but this was an extraordinary experience.

Being in the right place at the right time is the key not only to viewing rainbows, but to seizing opportunities throughout our lives. The good news is that we frequently have the power to put ourselves in the right places at the right times. Here’s to being in the right place at the right time throughout 2020.

Happy New Year!