Safety-fied

Safety-fied

Wear a hair net, 
but learn to cook.

There is a scene in the epic Lonesome Dove where the two main protagonists are lamenting their contributions in taming the West.  As they reflect on civilization coming to the wild, they realize or admit that running out all the danger might not have been a great idea in hindsight.  In today's day and age, we've only hammered on the proverbial safety pedal.  When we prioritize safety over all other things, we lose our ability to build our risk management muscles because we've engineered the real danger out of so many things.  In other words, we do things differently when we have a soft landing or "out" available to us.  At some level, it's great, a wonderful thing, that things like childhood mortality have gone down.  Period.  But, in getting through small risks successfully (or adding a few bumps and learning), we build our ability to be able to navigate large risks.  

Go see the old
school.

In our modern world, things like seat belts, helmets, and lifejackets have obviously been good inventions for our children and ourselves.  That said, when was the last time you saw some kid doing an epic bike jump, riding in the back of a pickup truck, or doing some crazy swimming thing?  I'm not advocating that we lose our safety gear.  I am advocating that we leverage it to do the things that give us scars and stories.  Couple this safety-above-all attitude with the pervasiveness of electronics (particularly gaming), and our young people are in for it.  Growing up, any "armor" for kids was quite literally bubble wrap.  Now, you can get some pretty snazzy-looking pads for every part of your body...to enable you to do cool things.   

Practice dangerous
things.

On the flip side, for better or worse, some safety items make us behave differently, more riskily and sometimes beyond our capabilities. In wildland firefighting, several major countries do not have their firefighters carry fireshelters (the "tinfoil" tent that protects you from a burnover incident).  Their rationale is that you'll do less "dumb" things or overly aggressive things if you think you have a magic blanket on your belt to bail you out of the consequences.  Similarly, a pilot with a parachute is enabled to fly differently than one without.  In some contexts, that overly aggressive enabling is a positive thing; in others it reinforces our "exit ramp" attitude as a first course of action conundrum.  

Work on new 
skills.

Translating this a bit back to our homes, the same principles apply where we put things like bankruptcy and divorce in the "plan A" bucket if something doesn't go well.  This excuses our due diligence, preparation, and commitment because "we've got an out."  When we take our "til death do us part" vows, we're saying the words out loud, but are we internalizing and truly committing to the activities necessary to make the promise?  Are we also committing to putting our spouse's needs, wants, and desires above our own?  Are we committed to being all in?  All the time?  Would we do things differently before and during marriage if the alternative to divorce was truly death?  Cut up the contract and shuffle off the mortal coil?  

Shoes may be 
a good idea.

In the family finance category, is our behavior changed when we count the cost?  If we take away the so-called safety nets of bankruptcy, social security, etc, would we behave differently?  Would we still buy the bigger house, fancier car, and nicer stuff along the way?  Or, would we, like the generations before us, put necessity before niceties?  For our grandparents and beyond that, if you made poor financial decisions...you lived with it.  The consequences were natural and severe.  Instead of a swipe now, pay later, they had to save first, which often required much more scrutiny and consideration before parting with their dollars.  

Go see hail...
bring a helmet. 

Overall, the ability for us to have an "easy out" has contributed to our dumber decisions and softer abilities.  The good news is...you don't have to.  We can have our cake and eat it too when it comes to the best of yesteryear with the safety features available today.  Just because you likely won't get scalped, eaten by a bear, or die of dysentery...doesn't mean you can't still go do amazing outdoor adventures.  Just because you have an AC-filled house with endless entertainment online... doesn't mean you can't go lay out under the stars or have a picnic with your loved ones.  Just because you can delegate your travel to a safe airline...doesn't mean you shouldn't pack up the car and go on a road trip.  And, just because you could tell your boss to take this job and shove it...or your spouse...doesn't mean you should.  

Have a safety 
rope when it is
necessary.

As we wrap up, use the back half of the year to leverage safety...without changing behavior.  Wear the seatbelt without jumping the car.  Put on the bike helmet...but still jump the bike.  Take an informed risk on a new business adventure...but save up ahead of time.  All in all, we're in a great time in life to leverage the lessons that aren't so far gone from our ancestors...if we're willing to listen to them and incorporate them.  All in all, use the best parts that are available from yesterday, today, and tomorrow to live the big, beautiful, best life that you've been called to...and wear a helmet when it makes sense.  

With you in the arena, from ours to yours...Happy Trails!

Call to Action: 

• Pick out a few things that you need to change this week that help you reset your safety equipment...ones that make sense (helmets and seatbelts) and others that don't (divorce).  Double down where it matters.  
• 1 - ___________________ 
• 2 - ___________________
• 3 - ___________________
• Discussion: Consider what you/your family could/would/should (level of commitment) and start/stop/sustain (action) in terms of making the right decisions for the safety, sanity, and sanctity of your family.  

Further Reading, Motivation, and References:

- Safety Third with Mike Rowe

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate

It starts with talking.

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate - those are the things to do in an aircraft emergency.  When it all comes right down to it, having clarity of purpose and focus is critical.  Instead of a hundred or a dozen things to try to pay attention to, the little saying helps center the efforts of the pilot and aircrew.  On a normal day, there are so many things that go into making a flight a success.  Just like in life, we've got dozens of things that our families do in order to be successful - go to work, get kids to activities, attend church, you name it.  When your family goes into crisis mode, much like a pilot, you need to focus on the basics to get through it.  

Then with practice.

For the air crew, the basics of "fly the plane" seem silly to say out loud, but there have been cases where the crew gets so distracted with instruments, checklists, etc that they forget the basics of flying the plane.  Sometimes, maybe oftentimes, we overcomplicate our systems that hold our lives together.  Similarly, when you look at the Wright Flyer and today's modern aircraft...they're obviously more complicated.  In preparing for a crisis that may befall our families, it's important to figure out and be ready for the key basics that are necessary or parallel to aviate/navigate/communicate.  In our family, it may look like "stop, think, pray."  

Reinforce it so it's
second nature.

The idea is to be as proactive as possible instead of reactionary.  If you're faced with a medical emergency, financial setback, or violent encounter...there is a moment of response...for sure.  But, getting to a thoughtful response as quickly as possible is critical.  It's easy to be a pinball machine when you're reacting in reaction to a stimulus that's negative.  It's important to slow down enough to get your priorities back in line and start making decisions that "stop the bleed" and then start providing long-term solutions.  That's obviously easier said than done in the moment.  It's easier done as well when we've been thoughtful leading into whatever emergency you're facing.  

Keep it top of mind.

Similarly, pilots are trained to "fly as far into the crash as possible."  In other words, stay in control.  We can borrow these philosophies for our family emergencies that pop up.  Letting go of the proverbial wheel or going radio silent are not good ways to "survive" or thrive in a disaster.  It's easy when faced with a large trauma to turtle up in our shell or stick our head under the ground like an ostrich.  When we talk about "fly as far into the crash as possible," it means that we sit in the driver's seat and take steps to be a proactive and positive participant in our own rescue/recovery.  

Go over it occasionally
in small moments.

From the pilot perspective, instead of just letting go of the "wheel" and hoping it works out, they're trained to "glide" as best as possible by still doing the things flyers do.  In our family life, let's say a medical emergency hits.  You still need to, as best as possible in the new normal, do the things parents and spouses do - get up, get dressed, get kids fed, do laundry, etc.  These small actions keep the proverbial wheels on the bus...in spite of the chaos around ourselves.  This isn't to say that you shouldn't go to the hospital with a loved one since you need to unload the dishwasher.  It is to say that we can double down and make the most or worst of a bad situation.  A downturn can become a catastrophe...if we let it.  

It can be reassuring...
that you've got this, 
even on the worst days.

As we wrap up here this week, remember that calamity and crisis do strike... every day somewhere to someone...hopefully not you and not today.  No pilot comes to work in the morning with the plan to "auger one into the ground," and no family should wake up in the morning with the plan to sink their family ship.  The point here is...with some proactive, intentional thought ahead of time, we can hopefully avoid the worst of the bad days when they do come to visit.  Just like an aircrew who trains on emergency procedures ahead of time, you should have systems in place to help be a safety net - e.g., insurance.  You should also have some go-to actions thought out to quickly and efficiently make the best of the bad day...your family is counting on you to not clam up.  

With you in the arena, from ours to yours...Happy Trails!

Call to Action: 

• Pick out a few things that are core to your family that will allow you to switch from reaction to action in a crisis. Have a few go-to's that you've thought through and communicated with each other.  
• 1 - ___________________ 
• 2 - ___________________
• 3 - ___________________
• Discussion: Consider what you/your family could/would/should (level of commitment) and start/stop/sustain (action) in terms of a bad day action plan.  

Further Reading, Motivation, and References:

- FAA Rules for Pilots

Aphelion

Aphelion

Go build a fort 
in a tree.

According to the NYT, July 2 at noon, we reached the exact middle of 2026, 182.5 days on either side, or aphelion.  We're halfway through 2026.  Are you halfway to your goals so far?  Are you halfway through your budget?  It's a good time as America turns 250 years old to check in on your goals with your family to see if you're on pace and on track to meet the things you said you'd get accomplished this year.  We're far enough along that you should have most of your systems figured out.  We're far enough along that you've got momentum...for better or worse.  And, great news...we're not so far enough along that your fate is sealed for the year, you've got time to make a course correction.

Do a 5k, with 
a guy in a 
wagon.

The softer skill goals are ones you can always work on, but things like walks with your family, outdoor time, or books read.  Whatever you said you'd get done six months ago, it's time to check in now and then re-evaluate if you have changes you would/could/should make.  Hopefully, you wrote down some goals that lead you toward the person you say you want to be when you grow up, back at the beginning of the year.  Are you closer to or further away from that person?  There's no time like the present to turn things around if you're not liking the "man in the mirror."  Are there things that you can work on in the dimensions of your life that will make it "your best life?"  We'll talk about a few broad categories and some probing questions to get you thinking.  

Go for a walk in the woods
with a bb gun and a box of 
magnets. 

In terms of fitness, go get your annual physical if you haven't.  Same with teeth cleaned and eyes checked.  It's also a good time to get your blood chemistry checked to look at things like cholesterol or blood pressure that may be indicative of problems that will only get worse unchecked.  In the same vein, take a set of measurements and step on a scale.  If you're not tickled at where the pants size is going...use the nice summer weather to add some healthy hobbies to your schedule.  Similarly, open the freezer or pantry and take a peek.  If it's mostly processed stuff from the middle aisles of the grocery store, maybe a time to take advantage of the fresh fruits and veggies down at the Farmer's Market.  

Test your helmet 
in a hail storm.

From a finance perspective, do a bit of an audit.  You've got enough data from the first half of the year that you can determine if you're going to end the end of the year in a good spot.  Look at your goal accounts - savings, checking, investing.  Do you have any markers that you said you'd reach...are you halfway?  More/less?  Again, you can have the runway ahead of you to make some changes that put a few more bucks in the bank that can multiply when wisely invested for a few decades.  Look at your debt - is it getting smaller so far this year in spite of inflation and higher prices?  That'd be good.  Take your first six months of budget data and talk about any outliers (e.g., big purchases done or upcoming), then do some forecasting through the end of the year based on the first half of the year.  Is it promising?  Do you need to tweak some things?  

Go play a little baseball.

In terms of marriage and parenting, take advantage of the more lax summer schedule where you can stay up a little later, and the weather is a little more conducive.  Eat around the table...in the backyard.  Go see some stars.  Have a campfire.  Go on a hike.  Get in the habit of family walks or bike rides.  Check in with your loved ones to see how they think you're doing and where you can change for the better...and vice versa (ps - check the ego at the door for this conversation).  When was the last time you all did a board game?  Played a bit of catch?  Built something?  Just talked with your spouse?  Went on a date night?  Life gets busy, I get it, but when we take time and intention to "calendar our priorities" as opposed to prioritizing our calendar, we make sure the right things are on the books, not just more efficient things.  

Hit the water.

Think about where you're at with your job/career.  These first six months have been a fast-forward button held down in terms of AI adoption.  Are you embracing it?  Learning from it?  Augmenting your current skills and experience to make your job or your performance at your job more efficient?  Effective?  Are there metrics that you're behind on or can get ahead on as we cross into Q3?  Are there any special projects that you want to take on or ones that you've done that you want to be sure your boss knows about and appreciates?  Any opportunities for some extra freelance work coming up that can move your goals?  Any additional learning that will better prepare you for your current role?  Any consideration to other roles that you've had an eye on for a while?  

Be in the front
row for fireworks.

Before we depart, it's worth noting that where you and your family are winning...take time to celebrate.  The first six months have been crazy politically, internationally, and in our pocketbooks in the big economy.  Here's a chance to reflect on what's been going right.  Here's a chance to stop and count your blessings, then thank God for where you're at right now.  Recently, we've been hiring for a new position at work.  The job that is posted will be a good job, but not out of this world.  We've got stellar candidates who are desperate to uproot their lives to come take the job.  That should be a reminder to you to appreciate what you do have.  And a double down to make the "grass greener where you water it."  This applies to your work, home, neighborhood, and everywhere in between.  Stand on your blessings and make the world a little better for those around you than you found it as you go into the next season of life.  

Pump up your tires, 
put on your helmet,  
get ready for a 
great ride ahead!

As we cross through another set of six months, the world may be crazy around us at a macro level.  Hopefully, at your family level, you're heading into a rewarding, restful, and peaceful six months ahead.  But...that sort of depends on your decisions right now.  Count aphelion as "day one" of the rest of the year.  Cast off any baggage that's held you back from that best life so far this year.  That may mean saying yes to some new healthy habits.  It may mean saying no to some of the things that are good things...but just one too many good things.  Here's your chance to really lay down your priorities with this temporal landmark to anchor to in order to make a course correction or change moving forward.  Double whammy benefit that you've got more daylight hours and nice weather days to help you get the motivation to move the needle.  All of that to say, good luck with the back half, whether or not the front half of the year was stellar...here's your chance for a stellar back half and bettering the overall averages across the board for the year.   

With you in the arena, from ours to yours...Happy Trails!

Call to Action: 

• Pick out three small wins that you can pick up quickly this week to start moving the needle.  Do those things this afternoon.  
• 1 - ___________________ 
• 2 - ___________________
• 3 - ___________________
• Discussion: Consider what you/your family could/would/should (level of commitment) and start/stop/sustain (action) in terms of the next six-month steps.  Think about what you can then multiply that progress into for next year's goals to get a jump start on major life improvements a year from now.  

Further Reading, Motivation, and References:

- Fresh Start Landmarks

No Good Answers if No Good Options

No Good Answers if No Good Options

Don't fall off.

There is a fine balance of creating, cultivating, and maintaining options...and all-in commitment.  There are times, places, seasons, and roles where both are necessary and the right answer.  The magic, like most things in life, is to figure out which one is which and which one is the right answer when.  In general, more options are better than fewer.  Also, in general, more options only come from intentional and deliberate actions in the "now," so that you can exercise the options in the "later."  

Build options.  

In a career example, building and maintaining options is key if and when it's time to pivot.  Those pivots become easier when you have worked hard along the way to give yourself options.  For example, identifying and building key skills in your industry (AI, new computer program, etc) can be done through study via "YouTube University," local community college, etc.  Keeping your rolodex, LinkedIn, and networking up to date allows you to phone a friend to extend your net if you need to make a change.  Building an emergency fund that can shore up your "downtime" between jobs allows you the peace of mind to take your time, not the first available new job.    

Put it in the
cards.

In a similar fashion, changing industries is likely easier now than ever before by utilizing internships, apprenticeships, volunteer opportunities, social learning (e.g., YouTube), and again, community college.  I've known several friends who made a professional-adjacent move by tweaking a few skills.  I've known others who have made a 90-degree change.  One did Habitat for Humanity on the weekends to build some skills (and options), then made a full pivot and now, a few years later, has a pretty solid contractor business.  Compared to the old days, when your granddad and dad were ABC...you were probably in the cards to be an ABC.  Now, you can try out a few things or switch partway along the way.  

Hedge your bets if the
pro level doesn't work
out down the road.

In the finance space of life, by living on less than we make, we inherently build options.  By going one step further with investing that money, our options continue to multiply.  When we have those options, they allow us to live our best lives on our terms.  I know that sounds easier said than done, but I've also seen it done.  Our path has largely involved side-gig second jobs.  A friend was flipping single-wide trailers and is now comfortable.  Another friend did his 20-year Army stint.  Another has done realtor-turned-landlord path.  The point is that options come when we hit the gas and steer carefully.  Each of us has found our own niche and used baby steps for one step in front of the next in order to build the path that provides options.  And, like we mentioned, building the margin in finance allows us to make changes much easier.  

Go live your
options.

I listened to an interview recently where the conversation turned to the idea that a billionaire was a slave, albeit a very rich slave, but a slave nonetheless.  That sounds crazy at face value, but the gist was a billionaire, while comfortable, they were pretty stuck and in many ways, had fewer options that they could entertain (super golden handcuffs) than most of us normal folks.  If we live within our means, it in turn means that we can switch jobs, locations, houses, etc., to live a happier and more contented life.  When we build the options, we're able to exercise the options.  It may not happen overnight, but the old quote “Most people overestimate what they can do in a day, and underestimate what they can do in a month. We overestimate what we can do in a year, and underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade," by Matthew Kelly rings true.  A year from now, it can be a whole new you.  

Go visit places to learn
about options.

With any of these options, it's key to help build a roadmap that guides your macro-level decisions along the way.  This doesn't mean scripting every minute of every day, but it does imply laying out a general path and identifying at least what, if not where/when, the exits and on-ramps are to other roads.  The PACE (primary, alternate, contingent, emergency) or Plan A, B, C, D can be helpful in this space.  For example, if I were to get laid off from our job, we'd implement our PACE concept based on the options and pre-reqs that we've put in place.  Utilize our emergency fund to buy some time, increase our side-gigs, have my wife move up from part-time for benefits, consider moving to a lower cost-of-living place, etc.  The details don't matter so much as the intentional conversations our family has had to shape the realm of possibility so that we can move more calmly in a time of inherent chaos...because we've set up options.  The flip side would be "I have to go get a job in retail TODAY, or we starve" sort of thing.  Choose wisely.  

Don't burn them 
while you're still 
in the boat.

On the flip side, there are parts of life that we need to have the "burn the boats" level of commitment, where we're all-in, no going back.  Our roles, like spouse and parent, are all-in moments.  We shouldn't have "options" in these parts of life.  Steer clear of the Siren Song of audibles in this space.  If I get into an argument with my spouse, I'll just go get another one.  This space is a commitment that you don't get to have options around.  If your kid doesn't make the team or doesn't get an A or whatever other marker, are you really going to trade them in for the new model?  It sounds silly when we say it out loud, but every year, millions of people call it quits in the family department.  Don't join their ranks.  

Teach option
cultivation.

Overall, the "triple option offense" (to use a football metaphor) that was run by the Air Force Academy Falcons was effective because it gave good options.  On any given play, the defense had to worry about a run, a lateral, or a pass, sometimes some combination involving several players.  Because the team had a high level of academic ability coupled with solid discipline, it could confuse the other team...making it fairly effective.  In life, we become more resilient when we build out a healthy set of options in key parts of our lives.  If you were the guy making buggy whips at the turn of the century in 1899, you were out of options when Henry Ford came along.  Much the same, if you're not building in exit ramps and places to merge today, you may be behind the power curve as AI becomes increasingly disruptive.  

Choose your 
hard.

As we part ways here this week, it's an important time to remind you that teaching and modeling are key components of this for our children.  In many situations, "you're only as stuck as you want to be," and the John Delony advice of "choose your hard" applies more now than ever.  If we model healthy, well-rounded, and balanced commitment with options, we can set our kids up for generational success.  If our kids see us contented while protecting and providing, they likely will end up "inheriting" many of those same skills for their path.  So, all of this to say, commit where commitment is essential, and in the other places, stretch your comfort zone up, down, and sideways so that if you need a good option down the road, you've got good answers.  

With you in the arena, from ours to yours...Happy Trails!

Call to Action: 

• Pick out a few places in your life where you could/would/should cultivate options and then start building a few steps in that direction to make it a solid option...this week.  
• 1 - ___________________ 
• 2 - ___________________
• 3 - ___________________
• Discussion: Consider what you/your family could/would/should (level of commitment) and start/stop/sustain (action) in terms of building some audibles into the lives of you, your spouse, and your kids.  

Further Reading, Motivation, and References:

- John Delony - Choose Your Hard

- Medium - Happiness through Options