Texas Monthly does a roundup of the top 25 BBQ joints in Texas every four years. If you made the list, you’re in the upper echelons of Texas BBQ, if not worldwide. Yet, there is someone out there who doesn’t like BBQ at all. A repelling thought, indeed. The Dark Knight, a Christoper Nolan masterpiece starring Christian Bale as the Batman and Heath Ledger as the Joker is arguably one of the best movies of the last 25 years. This article even says so. Yet, it only has a 94% c

I’ve been ending each of my lifting sessions with 30 minutes of zone 2 cardio, summer coming and all. I normally opt for an incline walk on the treadmill or the stairmaster. It gives me 30 minutes to listen to an audio book, enjoy some quiet time, and people watch, of course. Have you ever seen this scenario? Someone gets on a treadmill, let’s call her Sally. She cranks the incline to the max level and increases the speed well beyond what someone could normally walk at this

I remember training for the one and only Half Ironman I ever raced in. It’s called the Ironman 70.3 for the cumulative distances of the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run. Each of these alone is quite the workout; put together, I honestly felt like it would take me all day. To tackle this, I began repeating a simple phrase to myself: "It’s just one long day." Said as if, "What’s the big deal?" Out of the numerous days on this earth, this is just one long one. Once

“I expected to feel only empty and heartbroken after Paul died. It never occurred to me that you could love someone the same way after he was gone, that I would continue to feel such love and gratitude alongside the terrible sorrow, the grief so heavy that at times I shiver and moan under the weight of it.” - Lucy Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air. One morning, I walked out of my office to find Brianna snuggled on the couch with Timber and her book, accompanied by a mess of

High school football coaches in Texas are known for their colorful sayings. From the typical "quit playing with your head up your ass," to more creative ones like "you couldn't hit sand if you fell off a camel," or "you couldn't knock foam off of root beer." Those are just the PG versions; they only get more colorful from there. Amidst the berating and head shaking, football coaches strive to make better men out of their young players. It’s an old cliche, football teaching y

Imagine being an orthopedic surgeon. You’re a well-respected member of your community, your work has true lasting impact and meaning, and your skills are in high demand (you make bank). Not to mention it just sounds cool, doesn’t it? When leaving my role as a medical device rep and began to spread that news with the doctors I shared an OR with for the last 4 years, the inevitable question came up, “well what are you doing now?” Most assumed I was transitioning to another com

“Iteration is the repetition of a process in order to generate a (possibly unbounded) sequence of outcomes. Each repetition of the process is a single iteration, and the outcome of each iteration is then the starting point of the next iteration.” - Wikipedia Meet Gina, the creative powerhouse in our family. Need a catchy logo made for your new venture? Call Gina. Thinking of sprucing up your fireplace with some decor? Gina’s got you. And if your new puppy needs handcrafted,

No one wanted to be the “squeaky wheel” growing up. That’s the worst nickname a teenage boy could have. It was along the likes of rat and tattletale. As the squeaky wheel, you were the one complaining and making a fuss. However, the saying does have merit once you realize the complaining kids were the ones getting help and their issues addressed. But that never sat right with me. You shouldn’t be rewarded for your whining. I see now how wrong I was and how this old saying st

When starting a new habit, I’ve discovered that no first step is too small. Every action counts. It begins with an easy first step. To steal from the advice of Tim Ferriss, who is known for his exhaustive books; he sets a modest daily quota when writing: “two crappy pages a day.” Just two pages, out of the eventual hundreds may seem insignificant, but it’s an achievable target. By labeling them as “crappy” removes the pressure to create something mind blowing or write the

Imagine this: Every day at 9:00 in the morning, your grandmother comes down the stairs to water the plants… stark naked. You’ve explained to her countless times that this isn’t appropriate, yet she continues to do it. You’ve pleaded, you’ve begged, you’ve even lost your temper, but nothing changes. It seems she's either too stubborn or too forgetful to adjust her behavior. So, what do you do? I often come back to this metaphor when dealing with difficult or crazy people (and

Years ago, during a walk with my dog, I found myself searching for answers. I had recently relocated to a new city in hopes of growing my startup, but things weren't going so well. I was constantly struggling financially, sinking deeper into debt with each passing day. Leaving behind the circle of friends I had fostered over the years left me feeling down and lonely most days. Uncertainty about the outcome of my business weighed heavily on my mind, fueling my anxiety constan

Two things can be true at once - I firmly believe that two seemingly opposing things can coexist simultaneously. Love and Hate. You can love your dog, but seething with frustration when he snatches food from the table. The love never goes away despite the annoyance. You can experience love and massive frustration simultaneously. Risk and Safety. You can be in the middle of the riskiest adventure of your life while increasing your overall security. Starting a business is risky

Welcome to SLOW BIZ… aka the slow business movement. Not the most thrilling title, I know. There’s a common theme in our culture that bigger, stronger, faster is always better. “Move fast and break things” is a moniker in the world of Silicon Valley startups. I often succumb to the pressure that my business, finances, and life goals aren’t progressing quickly enough. I want it all, and I want it all now. I sound like a whiny baby… Where does this pressure come from? I’d a

They’re probably not thinking about you, and that’s a great thing. Let me tell you why. The other week at the gym, I was stationed on the leg press machine, modestly lifting my 3 to 4 plates on each side. Beside me, however, is a mammoth of a man, loading up every single available 45-pound plate in the building onto his leg press. I couldn’t help but count… 24 plates in total or 1,080 pounds to be exact. Ridiculous right? It looked absurd. However, he seemed like the kind o

During my high school years, my geography teacher had us complete what seemed like an impossible task: memorize the entire map of the world, labeling each country with their respective capital on a blank map. This test marked the culmination of a year-long journey, during which we underwent smaller tests covering each continent. Before each test he would always issue a solemn warning, “pain now or pain later.” Sounds morbid and a little extreme for a 10th grade geography cl

When I’m asked about my work experience, I prime them with something to the effect of “It’s been a little all over the place.” I wasn’t one of those kids who had their career path mapped out from the age of 15. If you had asked me then, I would soon be a professional baseball player. A few surgeries later that was out of the question. At 20, I set my sights on becoming a medical doctor. However, after a couple rounds of the MCAT and a rejected application, I crossed medicin

Last month, my wife and I embarked on a skiing adventure in Utah. It had been a decade since I last felt the rush of skis under my feet, and

Legacy is a weird thing. It’s something we all long for - to leave a dent in this world.

I’m someone who really hated school. I loved everything that came with going to school, but when it comes to the actual school work

The struggles, challenges, and even the moments of doubt contribute to our overall growth and fulfillment.