Class notes 5

The fulfillment of those pledges hasn’t always been easy. Sometimes I needed to swallow my pride. It felt a little weird to
be asking someone for help. I’m a self-starter, an independent person. My natural inclination is to tear into challenges
blindly and figure out solutions on my own. Years later, now on the other side of the equation and with advice to give,
I’ve learned to respect the independent types. I’ve learned to give people guidance only if they ask for it. Not everybody
wants advice. So if that’s you, then that’s okay. I’m not here to force you to do anything. My invitation to you is to
consider this a guidebook in the pursuit of fulfilling your life’s dreams. I want to pass along some nuggets of insight and
knowledge that are vital for skill-building, some wisdom to help you along your way. Despite my natural independence,
I’ve learned to see the value of having people show me how to do things, and now I want to pass that to you. I won’t tell
you everything you need to know about every specific question you have. But I’ll give you some strong, solid advice
about becoming the person you want to be, to help you on your way in any pursuit you choose.
• I don’t consider myself the smartest person who’s ever lived. Far from
it. But I’m not dumb, either. I’ve learned a lot over the years—not
only about skills you can learn, but about actions you can take to
become confident and successful. I’m interested in you developing
your integrity and character, as well as practical skills such as how to
change a flat tire. I’m middle-aged, and my wife, Annelli, and I have
raised two kids of our own, Kristine and Kyle. Our kids are in their
mid-to-late twenties now, and both are doing well. Several years
back, when Kyle graduated from high school, he wanted to play
baseball at a collegiate level. So I passed on to him what I had
learned. Kyle weighed his options for himself, then did exactly as I
advised. He went to community college first, enjoyed a lot of game
time, and made an important life decision along the way.