Jonathan
I'm Jonathan and I pride myself on living a principled life. I believe "knuckle sandwich" is the answer to everything, wrestling turns a frown upside down, Sunday back rubs are a great tradition, and education will make a change. My goal is to inspire and help you find your purpose.
Launching a Leadership Revolution
Leadership is the influence of others in a productive, vision-driven direction and is done through the example, conviction, and character of the leader. (pg 7 Launching a Leadership Revolution) I just finished rereading Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward. This is an amazing book written by two gentlemen who definitely have fruit on the tree in the Leadership Development arena. INC Magazine does a survey in which they determine the top 50 leadership and management experts in the world. (This includes leadership giants who have passed away) Orrin was ranked #20, and Chris was #39. I believe this is one of the most comprehensive manuals on leadership and personal development. After reading it, I…
People Who Change the World: The Urban Farming Guys
This is part three of a three-part series. The Urban Farming Guys epitomize Gandhi’s quote to be the change you wish to see in the world. These guys moved to one of the worst neighborhoods in the country. The neighborhood was a place that politicians and charity groups had written off, because of the high rates of drug use, violence, arson, drop-outs, etc. It was a place that was running low on hope. The UFG’s changed that. They brought hope back, and incredibly their efforts have actually reduced violence and restored the lives of addicts and criminals! It would be best to see a brief video they made. They can…
People Who Change the World: William Kamkwamba
This is part two of a three part series. As a young boy I often had persecutory nightmares. Someone would be chasing me or trying to kill me. A few times I got to a point in the dream where I was stretched to my limit of stress and frustration. I was tired of running. A simple, small thought would come to me: This is just a dream and it is YOUR dream. Change it. So I would. I fought back. I took control. I remembered these nightmares as I contemplated William Kamkwamba’s story, because there is some parallel. I don’t think he had the same thoughts as me, but much in…
People Who Change the World: Elon Musk
I LOVE being a dad of boys in Cub Scouts! It’s a lot of fun to watch my boys get excited about achieving goals. The program exposes them to a lot of new ideas and reinforces values we teach in our home. They’re learning new skills and developing character. And it’s fun! Ephram and I had a great time with a requirement that said: Find three stories that tell how people are protecting our world. I shared with him the stories of three “people” that I look up to a lot. I will write about this in four posts – three about the people, and one with some insight about…
Getting to Know Jonathan
Last week, Ashlee wrote a post with fun facts about her and she asked me to answer the same questions. Here is my version of her post. ▪First job: Cleaning up the brickyard at Maverick Masonry. I was 12 or 13 years old, earning money for summer camp. That is where I learned to avoid the spinning side of a weed whacker. ▪Dream job: There’s no such things as a dream job. I’d like to travel the world building or bettering schools and businesses. ▪Favorite pizza: I don’t do favorites, but if it has pineapple on it it is no longer considered a pizza in my book. If people force…
