Not by Accident

Scott Ruskin is a hero of the devastating and tragic central Texas floods of July 2025.  His story is inspiring but somewhat unexpected.  He helped save 165 victims in his first mission as a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer.  He volunteered to get out of the rescue heicopter so there would be more room for the crew to load survivors they would dramaticall rescue in the flood waters.  He found himself...

People like to win and to be associated with winning teams or efforts.  But the truth of life is that we will often fall short individually and as part of a team.  What happens when that team can't seem to come out on top?  What happens when one loss becomes two, then ten then fifty?   This is not uncommone either for the girls under 10 youth soccer team I coached or for the Detroit Lions of the N...

Education is one of the top 5 factors that not only transforms an individual's life (including their spouse, children and generations to come) but also to improve the world and mankind's condition.  As access to learning (education being the formal system to facilitate learning... at least that is the objective) swept across society like a wave with the invention of the printing press and other mo...

What is leadership and being a leader?  While it involves many things -knowledge, judgement, persistence, discipline, motivating others, humiliy- it is fundamentally about serving those you lead and being willing to do the hard work alongside the lowliest follower.  In fact, as a side note, one of the best ways to prepare to be a great leader is to be a great follower.  In so many aspects of life,...

Valentines day, Veteran's day, the 4th of July, Presidents day and Martlin Luther King, Jr. day are all holidays where we celebrate the sacrifice and character of a person or a group of people whose lives illustrations of the things (virtues and actions) we honor in our society.  Unfortunately most of these days have devolved into recreation and leisure.  We don't really comprehend the courage and...

Sports and competition are universal across time, cultures and generations.  Since human's existed they have been playing (and creating) athletic competitions.  Sports teach us amazing lessons in a dynamic manner.  We learn as we do and sometimes we have to learn very quickly.  Discipline, teamwork, cooperation, persistence, humility, the necessity of physical, mental and intellectual prowess, ove...

There are several -many more than we can count actually- character flaws that are common to any "normal" human.  We are judgemental creatures who like to talk about the foibles and shortcomings of others.  We would rather take an easy route than the higher and more difficult path.  It is much easier and enjoyable to watch a movie or scroll mindlessly through social media posts than to engage in so...

Everything we do or want has a price.  This is easy to see with products or physical items like a car, a purse or a trip to Hawaii.  The price for these is some amount of money.  But this truth extends beyond physical items to include things like a talent or non-tangible accomplishment.  To be an Olympian, a rock star or a mom with ten children (don't laugh, this was my mother's dream since she wa...

To take things for granted is human nature (especially from those we know the most).  To begin to expect things from others (becoming entitled) is likewise in our nature.  And both of those are ugly qualities that will harm and eventually kill relationships.  When is the last time you not only expressed gratitude for the person who makes your meals but heaped praise and compliments on them?  Mothe...

What is the process by which we can become people of character?  Each person has the same 24 hours in each day.  In fact life is a series of cyclical events:  sun up to sundown happens every 24 hours.  Every 7 days is another week.  One revolution around the sun is a year... and we start some things over.  But hopefully we are not in the same place, we are not the same person every time the earth...

Is joy in giving or receiving?  Where Christmas is concerned, children will definitely say it is in the receiving.  Adults and maturing teens will likely feel otherwise.  While this is evident at Christmas, it is more true, although more difficult, in our lives every day.  To give of ourselves, our talents and our time, to make another's life easier or to lift someone who is carrying a heavy burde...

Children, teenagers and adults all spend time thinking and working toward "what they want to be when they grow up".  While being a good teacher, a good dentist, a good salesperson or a good business owner is important, it is infinitely more important to grow up and be good.  Society won't fall apart because we don't have a enough good accountants or actors but it will if we gon't have a critical m...

We've got it all wrong.  In a world of "likes", "followers" and fame, we falsely think the more people like or hear us, the more important we are.  We think meaning comes from the number of people who are paying attention to us.  And everything around us--from scientific studies to our own personal experience--says that relationships (the ones that matter) are made with individuals. We feel it and...

Being grateful--feeling and expressing gratitude--is a quality that has an impact on so many other virtues and the general wellbeing of your life.  There does not exist a happy, content and grounded person who is not grateful.  And it is not the amount of stuff, friends or comforts we possess that make a person grateful.  In fact those with much are often some of the most ungrateful people in the...

You are not going to win or succeed every time.  In fact, in life you, me and everyone will encounter more disappointments and failures that successes.  Simply accepting this reality actually makes life easier.  It takes some of the pressure off.  It gives us a better perspective when we don't succeed. We can shrug off the failure as a common feature of life rather than being devastated.  A health...

There is no truly great person who is not fundamentally concerned about the needs of others. While it is important to focus on and work on improving ourselves, particularly developing positive qualities, our intellect, working hard to improve our place in life, so much of happiness, self-esteem and meaning comes from serving others.  In the end, life is not about "me".  It is about lifting, helpin...

In the training of character we sometimes work on single muscles but there are some qualities or virtues that are so profound and sophisticated that they are an entire muscle group.  Integrity is one of these.  Integrity includes responsiblity, honor/honesty and truthfulness.  This podcast explores the critical nature of telling the truth, always!  An otherwise accomplished life, full of hard work...

Conflict and opposition bring out the best (and the worst) in human nature.  War is the ultimate expression of conflict and is, unfortunately, a staple of the human experience.  War provides a line in the sand at which men and women say "this is what I believe and this is worth dying for."  We need people of character, conviction and courage to stand for the right.  We must fight injustice, oppres...

Loyalty and devotion are critical components of character.  These are especially essential do demonstrate with family and friends.  As with any good virtues, these often demand sacrifice and only become meaningful when they are put into practice when there is a steep price to pay.  Many people walk away from responsibilities when that price becomes too high.  We live in a world of "what's in it fo...

Ben Carson's life changed because of his mom and her decisions for her children.  Mr. Carson became a world renown neurosurgeon and was a previous candidate for president of the United States.  He shares the experience when his life turned around, all because his mom required him to do some very hard things (perhaps we will talk about the power of books in a future episode).  Of all the powerful f...

Part of growing up is doing things we don't want to do.  Sometimes its inconvenient, sometimes its scarey, sometimes its uncomfortable.  Pushing beyond our own comfort zone is something most people, myself included, don't want to do and avoid at all costs.  But the truth of the matter is there is A LOT to be learned when we try new and hard things.  We may find something that we love and becomes a...

Yoda, Nike and Spencer Kimball all identified the great key to personal and character development so many of us struggle with, not because there is anything broken with us but because it is human nature.  We all have aspirations and intentions but so often we just need to "do it".  For Nike it is the tagline that has driven millions of dollars in earnings.  For Yoda, it is the key to making a Jedi...

When building character and the corresponding muscle groups--integrity, honor, kindness, patience, persistence, committment to truth, etc.-- you will encounter resistence.  All growth is a product of resistence.  This often happens in unexpected and unwanted ways.  Wilbur Wright is known for changing the world but we share a story of how the world changed him.  In fact, it appeared that the world...

Life will sometimes hand you difficult and undeserved challenges.  How we respond not only impacts our own happiness but can lift, inspire and strengthen others.  Choosing to be happy, which may be as heroic as any achievment even if done in the quiet and unknown walls of our own home, takes courage, sustained effort and a focus on others.  All these are critical elements of character and halmarks...

Character training session: Love. How is it manifest in dailey behaviors and what does it reveal about me?  Content borrowed from The Jesse Kelly show.