With all the world’s inventions, changes, and methods of communicating, no one can yet predict what tomorrow holds. God still dispenses life one day at a time.

Every time I think of this topic, I think of a road in the north Georgia mountains that I have always loved. You come over a mountain and around a curve and the road stretches out in front of you for what seems like several miles. The road is straight and has many hills and valleys, and you can see it all when you come over that mountain. Every time I see it, I think of God and how we would love to see our lives all stretched out before us.  In other words, know our future. Unfortunately, in real life we cannot see the road ahead with all its ups and downs and curves. Only God can see that.

I have recently lost some close friends suddenly who had no time to prepare. It just happened. They were there one day with all their plans, hopes and dreams of the life ahead only to never get the chance to experience it. It was their time and only God knew when it would happen.

It’s really a good thing that we cannot know the future because if we knew when our day was, it would affect every decision we make today. If you knew you had 10,20,30,40 years left, you may be tempted to live like the devil for a while. Ha. If you knew your homecoming day was next month, I would guess it would change everything you did this month. It would fill you with unimageable fear and regret the likes of which you have never know.

So, God doesn’t tell us our future and its is a good thing. It allows us to live our life with all our hopes, dreams, plans and expectations without the fear of the future. That said, if you did know your homecoming day, I would imagine you would work with all your might to repair relationships, love more deeply, and show grace and forgiveness whenever possible. Isn’t that how we should live life our life anyway? KT

Over the past century, many companies that we recognize today started as a side hustle for a person who just wanted to make a few extra bucks.

In 1969 Yankee Candle started when a 16-year-old melted some crayons in a jar as a present for his mother. A neighbor asked him to make her one for $2. In 1998 he sold the company for 500 million dollars and today they have over 500 stores worldwide.

In 2005 an artist created Etsy to sell his works of art and buy from other artists. In 2016 Etsy went public for 100 million

In 1995 Craigslist started when a guy sent an email to his 12 friends about things he wanted to sell and events in the San Francisco area. Those 12 friends sent it to their friends and today Craigslist covers 700 cities in over 70 countries.

Under Armour started in the 1990’s when a college athlete got tired of how cotton shirts stuck to his body when he sweated. He developed a shirt that would soak up the sweat and dry quickly. Today Under Armour has billions of revenues each year

Instagram started when a young guy created a mobile website that was picture based and launched it as an app in 2010. They had no revenue and no sales and sold the company to Facebook in 2012 for one billion dollars. Today it has over one billion active users.

Last but not least – Henry ford took left over scrap wood from making Model T’s and developed a method to make charcoal briquettes and created a whole industry as a side hustle. In the 1950’s Ford Motor company sold the Charcoal company to Edward Kingsford and today we have Kingsford Charcoal.

I could write many pages on this topic, but the point is that sometimes an idea comes to the most unlikely people who take that idea and create a whole industry with it. Don’t ever discount an idea that pops into your head because just maybe, it is divine intervention, and you were meant to do it. KT

Jim Elliott said that quote. Two other similar meaning quotes are: “you’ll keep what you release, and you’ll lose what you try to hang onto,” and “what you compromise to keep you will probably lose.”

What do they mean? Whatever it is (money, titles, riches, material things) you hold on to or compromise yourself to keep, more times than not, you will eventually lose. History is full of people from the bible times to current day, who did just that. They would not yield or let go, rather they held on with a tight fist and what they tried to keep, they ended up losing. Take a child who is always told they cannot go there or do that. They will one day go there and do that and all you can do is watch from the sidelines.

I have a deceased family member that was one of the most conservative and unflinching tight money managers who seldom gave anything away and would barely even leave a tip at a restaurant. When he passed away, he did not even have the love of his family. Business history is loaded with examples of people who thought they had cornered a financial market only to find out someone just build a new street.

The point: be careful what you hang onto and possibly compromise yourself to keep, because those are the very things that you will mostly lose in the future. Do not ever think you are a self-made man/woman, because you are not. You are here today solely by the grace of God. Catch yourself before you say things like, “I did that” or “I did it on my own” or “I don’t need any anyone’s help.” There is a bible verse in Matthew 5, “blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” People think of meek as a shy person who is afraid of their own shadow. Not true. It really means a bold, yet humble person who chooses (that is right, chooses) not to think of themselves more highly than they should.

A person who has done great things, yet remains humble, is probably the most approachable and engaging person you could meet. Choose a life path where there is no boasting and you are always mindful of the gift God gave you, just to be here. KT

Father’s Day 2023 was this past weekend. I am always reminded what it means to make or create history for your family and give them what they need to make it in this world.

I love true sports movies like, The Express, 42, Rudy, Invincible, Blind Side, Miracle, Secretariat, to name a few. The list could go on. All the stories are about people that defied all odds to go on to success in their chosen sport. The same could be said about people in business such as Milton Hershey, John Heinz, Henry Ford, Dodge Brothers, Ray Kroc, etc. and of course some of the tech folks of today. They all made history in some form or another.

When I think about the term, “making history” and what it actually means, I have come away with several thoughts on the subject.

To your children, you are the hero, the history maker and the history teacher. They will remember how you loved them and went to the ballet recitals, dance classes, baseball games, volleyball games and football games. As they get older, they will remember the support you gave them growing up. Very few people will ever be a Jackie Robinson or Ernie Davis, but in our world, we are leading our families into history, and we all want that history to be fondly remembered

I was watching the US Open this weekend and I always think of Payne Stewart, who won the US Open on Father’s Day 1999. I have a picture in my office of him just after he made the putt on Pinehurst #2 to win the US open. So full of life. That October, he kissed his wife and kids goodbye and got on a plane that never got to where it was going. Payne Stewart stepped into history when he won the US Open, but he also stepped into history that October. His life was cut short and hopefully he was able to leave his children with enough of himself so they could go on through life.

My point is that you don’t have to do things that change the world. Rather, you just have to change your own world and be the example for your family to follow. Always, always hug and kiss your children, regardless of how old they become because you are making history and memories that will last their lifetime. You may never fully understand what unconditional love will do for a child, but it leaves an impression on their soul that can help them make good decisions as they grow older. It will help them step into history and have that history be full of great memories. Every day you live and breathe, you are making a memory that will stand the test of time. Why not choose to be the best history teacher you can possibly be. KT

I have a close friend who recently retired because he just could not face another economic down cycle. The economy today is on the cusp of something happening. I just don’t know what it is. I used to have some sense of what was coming but with all the noise today, I think my antennas have quit working.

No one saw 911 or the 08-09 recession or the pandemic or double interest rates coming. The greatest minds in the world did not these coming so I am always skeptical when some big talker acts like he has a crystal ball into the future. With all the stuff going on today like social unrest, China, Russia, crime, elections, inflation, and interest rates, it just “feels” like something is going to happen.

Clearly, you and I do not control the outcome of up-cycles and down-cycles, but we can control our attitude and decisions we make. The name of this blog post is, “rolling up your mental sleeves,” and other similar terms are “lacing up your boots,” “squaring your shoulders back,” “cowboy up” and my personal favorite (from the bible) “grid up your loins.” Ha. All these metaphors mean to simply be aware, be wise and prepare yourself.

Every day I go to the office and talk about 10 percent interest rate debt on hotels, I have to roll up my mental sleeves to get ready. As with all up cycles and all down cycles, this too shall pass, but roll up your sleeves and get on with living the life God has planned for you. KT