Brian Traudt

I wanted to take time out with this post and thank God for all of the things he has done for me in my life:

1. Gave me great Christian parents.

2. Allowed me to grow up in the stable, albeit sometimes boring state of Nebraska.

3. Good health for my entire life.

4. An awesome, God-loving, cool, smart, cheerful, beautiful wife.

5. A healthy, intelligent, musical,  athletic son who has  heart for God.

6. A healthy, intelligent, musical, artistic daughter who has a heart for God.

7. Great churches wherever I lived.

8. A love of music.

9. Great jobs(most of the time) and the ability to work.

10. A passion for life and all that it has to offer.

So Jacob just got done with his last baseball game for the season.  His team won both district and sectionals, but lost in the State tourney.  They made a good run but unfortunately just weren’t deep enough to get to the next round.

When I think about sports, one of the most important aspects is obviously coaching.   No team can effectively operate without someone steering the ship.  If you look at some of the most successful teams of the modern era, one thing that you can always point to is a great coach.  From Tom Landry to Phil Jackson to Bobby Knight(although a somewhat controversial coach), all of those men had something in common – they were great coaches who figured out how to wring every last drop of talent from each of their players.  They were also master motivators who understood the value of each one of their players and focused on them individually, rather than collectively.  If there is one thing I’ve learned, unfortunately very recently, its that everyone on our planet is different, yet are all coachable in some way or another.  Some people are motivated by money.  Others are motivated by praise.  Yet others only respond to the positive response to their own performance.  As a coach or mentor you need to understand what everyone on your “team” is motivated by and then focus on them in a way that brings out the best in that person.  Sometimes motivation can manifest itself with a quick kick in the pants.  Sometimes it comes with a soft arm around someone’s shoulder.   The job of the coach is to then effectively use the appropriate method to get the maximum results.   Coaching is teaching, mentoring and parenting  - it just happens to go on during the course of some type of athletic contest.

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve posted last. This blog thing sounds awesome at the time, but then I honestly just run out of things to say. Am I just that boring? Am I just a bad writer? Am I just lazy? Don’t answer that please. Well, its Saturday and I’m getting ready to go to Crockett, TX to watch Jacob play the first game of the Little League sectionals. His team has looked awesome so far, winning the Austin region, so I’m excited about seeing him play. He actually made the news earlier this week. He’s the kid with the mohawk at the end. Yes, that was dad’s handywork. Some other time I’ll post the story about the last time I gave him a mohawk. Not one of my finer moments as a father….    Jacob on KXAN

Even though I missed church last week because I was at Jacob’s game, I was able to catch the video on the internet.   During the message our pastor interviewed a guy who has a website called Acts of Sharing.  Its a cool concept that is based around sharing the things you have.  You can check the site out, but right now it looks like books and movies are the most popular.  From a business perspetive, I’m not completely sold on the idea, but from an idealistic perspective the concept is really cool.  We have so much stuff around our house, office or garage that people we know may be able to use.  Why not share it? 

The second part of the message was about finding your passion.  This has been a controversial subject for me the past few years as I have tried to figure out what God wants to do with me.  One thing that I have learned very recently is that God wants to use us right where we are.  Do you wait tables at a restaurant?  Then serve your customers well.  Mow lawns?  Then mow with passion.  The point is that we all have immediate circles of influence that we can impact every day.  From our kids, spouse, friends, co-workers, etc.  We all don’t have to be missionaries in Africa to change the world.  We can do it right from our own kitchen tables.

I just started reading a book called Linchpin by Seth Godin.  Seth is a guy who I have been hearing a lot about for the past few years, but have never read any of his books.  Seth is a marketing wiz, entrapraneur and generally a pretty solid guy from what I can tell.  Since I just started the book I don’t have a lot to share except for one point.  Seth talks a lot about education and the workplace and how neither one really does a very good job to teach you, in his mind, the two most important aspects of being a “linchpin”: Being a Leader and Influencing Decisions.  And yes, everyone has the capacity to do those things – the one thing they are missing?  Courage.  Courage to stand alone.  Courage to never give up. Courage to be unpopular.  If you think something isn’t working then have the courage to say so.  Could you be wrong?  Maybe.  But chances are you will be right way more than you will be wrong so why not play the law of averages. 

At any rate, Seth has encouraged me to stand up for my convictions, but more importantly try to see them through to the end.  I’ve given up on a lot of really good ideas in the past that might have really turned into something special.  I just didn’t have the courage to fight hard enough for whatever reason.  I’m going to see if I can change that.  (Cue Rocky song).

Today I am very thankful for so many things. I’m thankful that I have God in my life. I’m thankful for my awesome wife and our beautiful kids. But today, I want to express my thanks to all of the men and women who serve in the United States military.   I’m so grateful that there are people who absolutely feel it is their calling to protect and serve. I have always felt that we live in the greatest country on the planet. And I know a lot of that greatness has come at a heavy price.    So Thank You and Happy Memorial Day!!