The 3gdadnetwork is constantly evolving with guys departing and other guys arriving.
DEPARTURES
Last year, one of the original 3gdadnetwork guys moved to Ohio. You might ask why anyone would move to OH. Well, Travis grew up in Ohio, and is now in the Marines. He had a chance to move back home, and he jumped on it. We got to know Travis while he was stationed in Monterey, CA attending the Naval Postgraduate School.
We miss his humor and candid reflections on his strengths and weaknesses. I think Doug is still recovering from the first meeting we had back in 2013 when the three of us met for breakfast.
Travis will always be a part of the 3gdadnetwok story because it all started when Travis and I had breakfast one morning at the Toro Cafe.
ARRIVALS
Initially, the 3gdadnetwork consisted of Travis, Doug and me. We studied a book together and saw God grow us tremendously. We were so excited about the growth we saw in ourselves and wanted other guys to experience this as well. Soon thereafter, our friend Shane joined us. Shane has been a great addition because of his drive to do things well, and willingness to see things for what they are.
In 2014, we added David and Larry. These guys couldn't be more different, which makes it fun to have them around. David's passion for God is contagious and he looks for ways to add humor to any discussion. Larry is quiet and needs a long pause before he will speak up, but when he does, you know he has been thinking a while about what he says.
Very recently, we added another Mike. Can't have too many of those. We are still getting to know Mike, but it is obvious that he desires to grow and be a part of something bigger than himself.
I rarely make a New Year's resolution because I know that the odds are really high that I will not keep it. This year, I decided to break that trend and do it anyhow.
My 2015 resolution is to read a book a month. I read several books a year but decided to step it up this year and do at least 12. That may not sound like a hard thing to do but when you have a wife, 3 kids and their activities, dog, house that is falling apart, 2 cars each with over 180k miles, commute 70 miles each way to work, church, lead a church small group and host a midweek middle school gathering, it can be a stretch.
As goes most New Year's resolutions, I did really well in January. I read "The Pursuit of WOW!" by Tom Peters. Guess what? It is the 20th of May, and I just started my second book.
My goal is to read a book a month and then journal about what I learned here on the 3gdadnetwork.
Here are 10 things I found interesting in "The Pursuit of WOW!"
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| Tom Peters |
1. "The first 99.9 percent of getting from here to there is the determination to do it and not compromise, no matter what sort of roadblocks those around you (including peers) erect." Page 2
2. "70 percent of lost customers hit the road not because of price or quality issues but because they didn't like the human side of doing business with the prior provider or the product or service." Page 4
3. "Don't forget your thank-you notes! You just read the most important piece of "advice" in this book." Page 28
4. "Appreciation, applause, approval, respect-we all love it! Page 29
5. "I was just in the field-a showstopper of an answer." "This is about logging those miles to increase your stature and credibility as the person who "talked to the real people in the field...yesterday." Page 40
6. "Amaze your peers. Take the rotten little assignment int he boondocks that no one wants. Then do it well. Do it very, very well. Innovate, create, make your mark. Page 50
7. "Take a serious daily break." Page 56
8. "Keeping customers informed may be the premier element of good service." Page 74
9. "Don't waste time making a lot of speeches. Lead by example." Page 257
10. "The three Rs...are not long enough. We must add the three Cs-computing, critical thinking and capacity for change." Page 259
