Note: This article is originally found in the most recent edition of the Spyglass Magazine.
1. What is your biggest takeaway from high school that has helped you in life?
What you get out of life comes from what you invest in it. Doing my homework, studying for tests, practicing for my sports, being involved in clubs and ASB and having a close knit group of friends that shared the same values all contributed to who I am and what I’ve done.
2. How do you balance home/social/work?
This is one everyone struggles with and everyone finds their own solution to. I’ve sacrificed sleep my whole life so that I could fit everything in. I found I was more productive in the early morning than late at night so starting in high school I moved some of my homework and sports training to the early morning. I still do that to this day. My wife and I traded off riding our bikes to family events like our son’s sporting events to be able to get in our exercise and still be able to be there for them.
3. What do you do when you’re sad?
I guess it matters what kind of sadness it is. I sometimes listen to music but mostly I think things through and to rationalize why things turned out the way they did. When my sister lost her battle with cancer there was not a song or any rationalizing that could help. Watching her kids grow up and seeing my sister’s influence on them continue has made things better.
4.What do you do to decrease stress?
I try to stay ahead of the curve so that I stay away from tight deadlines. I also try to believe that what I’m doing is the right path for me so that I’m not trying to live a life that is not my own.
5.Who/what do you get inspiration from?
In high school, my counselor challenged me to be the best I could be at everything I did. He’d had polio as a teenager and some other challenges in his life but he had persevered and was such an inspiration to me and my friends. John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, also was an influence on me. One of his quotes stays with me and I try to have it influence others, “Success is peace of mind in knowing that you’ve done your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
6. How do I ask my crush out?
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and go for it, otherwise, you could spend a lifetime wondering if she was the one for you.
7. How do I draw a circle?
Stay square to the board, stay relaxed, loosen up your shoulder muscles and be the circle.
