What I'm Up To - Vol. 65
Here’s what I’ve been up to since Vol. 64…
1. From South Korea to La Cantera
We kicked off November with our 2022 Goal Setting Retreat at the La Cantera Resort in San Antonio. For the first time, Wendy was my co-host. We shared a process for setting goals together we’ve been developing for 20 years.
We had couples, teams, partners, and singles join us. One of the highlights was having two young entrepreneurs travel all the way from South Korea to dive into the process. Our ProduKtive team leveled up this year. Our trainers each led different parts of the process from identifying core values to setting 5- and 1-year goals, to locking everything into a weekly goal tracker (the 411).
Within a week, more folks RSVP’d for the 2023 Goal Setting Retreat at the Fairmont in Scottdale than have ever attended before! Super excited to do it again.
2. Mississippi Bound
We headed home for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was our first holiday without my dad and Uncle Gerald. And our first family gathering since 2018. The definition of bittersweet. Traditionally, my father’s extended family gathers at my cousin’s hunting lodge overlooking the Mississippi river. Floods kept us away in 2019. Then COVID canceled 2020 and 2021. We had over 50 gather for the potluck this year. Everyone wrote what they were thankful for on notecards and I read them aloud for all. Even when we’re grieving we can be grateful. And gratitude is powerful medicine for the soul.
3. Work, College, and the World Cup
My job duties are transitioning again. After several months of leading our KWRI marketing team after the departure of our CMO, I’m stepping back. I’ve worked every weekend but one since June. And with more writing and teaching duties on my plate, we reorganized.
A few things I learned:
- 1. Marketing is incredibly challenging. Everyone’s “one thing” is impacted by marketing. Managing priorities and triaging expectations are daily tasks.
- 2. Agility, strategic intelligence, flexibility, creativity, and communication skills are non-negotiable.
- 3. Great copywriters are worth their weight in gold.
- 4. And no matter how much you know about branding, social media, or design, nothing matters if you don’t understand the business you’re marketing.
Like so many disciplines, asking great questions forms the foundation of serving a client.
Gus completed all his college applications. Hear, hear! I can’t imagine him not being around next year, but I’m super proud of his hard work to prepare for collegiate liftoff.
Finally, I loved rooting for the US team in the World Cup. I started playing soccer when I was four or five. It’s always been my first love when it comes to sports. And there is no greater stage than the World Cup. Strange to think that five out of every eight humans on Earth has tuned in. You could find yourself anywhere on the planet and connect with a stranger chatting up the “Beautiful Game.”
4. What I’m Reading
Twenty-six novels later, I’m still enjoying Jack Reacher. No Plan B by Lee Child was a good addition to the series. I also read Saint Death by Mark Dawson, the second in the John Milton series about a renegade British spy. Both Milton and Reacher are modern-day Lone Rangers. Wherever they show up, trouble is sure to follow. And they have the skills to help whoever is in trouble. Finally, I soaked up Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t by Steven Pressfield. Pressfield shares lessons learned on his journey from ad writer to screenplay writer to novelist and non-fiction author. A must-read for writers.
5. What I’m Watching
After attending our first Formula 1 race last month, Wendy and I binged Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Netflix) Season 1 & Season 2. It’s not just for motorheads! My favorite Star Wars movie after The Empire Strikes Back is Rogue One.Andor (Disney) Season 1 is the prequel, telling how the rebellion got started. Good stuff. More character development and intrigue than anything so far in the Star Wars universe. Just for fun, we watched Enola Holmes 2 (Netflix) with Millie Bobby Brown. Great for all you Sherlock Holmes fans. Finally, the whole family went to see Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery when we were home for Thanksgiving. It’s definitely worth a trip to the theater.
That’s it for this month. Please reply back and let me know what you’re up to!
Be well, do good deeds, and eat tacos!
Jay