I live in Little Rock, Arkansas with my wife and 4 children and our dog. All four kids are playing sports, so we do not have much time for anything else right now.

I grew up in Clarksville and had to put myself through college and law school.

My first job was washing dishes at a local restaurant in junior high.

Every day, I finished football practice at 4:30 and went straight to work, washing dishes that had piled up between lunch and the start of the dinner shift.

My first few weeks as a working kid were (understandably) dreaded, but it was at this job where I learned some valuable lessons:

Showing up is half the battle;

Work can be messy but rewarding; and…

Never live in a house without a dishwasher.

My first attempt a solving a complex problem came at the age of 15 with the purchase of a truck that would be my ride when I turned 16.

There was just one problem with the truck: the engine did not run. I didn’t let that deter me:

• I saved up and purchased everything need to rebuild the engine,
• My Dad asked if I was ready to build the engine,
• I replied with a resounding “YES!”,
• He said “Get everything ready” and that we would build it after he got off work,
• I got all the parts together and organized and waited on my Dad to get off work.
• My Dad, being himself, then put a Chilton’s manual on the table with all the newly purchased parts and told me, “I’ll be back to check on you in a little bit.” (yes, he left me to figure it out on my own)

I hope you will find that guidance here.