Browsing Tag

Junkyard

Trust, Church, and Golf Carts

I was ten years old when my Dad brought a golf cart home. It was a junkyard golf cart, with ugly old paint and nearly flat tires. Even then, a half century ago, it was ancient. It had two rear wheels, with one front wheel that was steered rudder style.

To my surprise Dad tossed me the key and said, “Have fun.”

Shocked, and delighted, I stood there dumbfounded for a minute. Then he gave me a brief tutorial – key goes here, forward here, reverse there, turn the rudder the opposite direction you want to turn, now go.

Laughing …

Junkyard Management, Junkyard Wisdom Book, Junkyard Wisdom Rebuilt, So you think you're a writer?,

ChatGPT

Have you used ChatGPT yet? It’s an amazing tool. Here is a quick example.

I asked “What is junkyard wisdom™?”

Now keep in mind the phrase didn’t exist until about 2009. And it’s been exclusively used by me (I hold the trademark) or reviewers of my work. It took me a few years just to figure it out myself.

ChatGPT’s answer came in ten seconds and was shockingly accurate:

Junkyard wisdom refers to insights and practical knowledge gained from experiences in difficult or challenging situations, often those found in everyday life. The term “junkyard” suggests a place of discarded or …

Junkyard Management, Random Thoughts, So you think you're a writer?,

Want to be a Guest Blogger?

Junkyard wisdom comes from a lot of places besides junkyards. You don’t have to go home with grease under your fingernails to attain wisdom (though it helps). Anyone from anywhere can have great insight.

Since my friends are amongst the wisest people in the world (I almost said the wisest people I know, but that’s obvious) then it’s time to share their wisdom.

Are you up for it? If you have an idea, opinion, insight, or fun story, let’s talk about you being a guest blogger. Maybe you have a rant you want to get off your chest. Or an …

Belize, So you think you're a writer?,

The Second Book is Closer!

Last week was a busy one. For three days my focus was completely on the final manuscript of my second book, and now I can say all 30+ chapters are written!

Notice I didn’t say the chapters were “done.” They are written, but now the tough part begins as we edit, cut, shape and form the overall package. We might (oh dear!) even cut a whole chapter.

One old wag — Faulkner? — said “in writing, you must kill all your darlings.” That’s hyperbole I hope, but you get the idea. It’s tough cutting things I’ve written!

Some of the …

Book Reviews, Junkyard Management,

Rework

Just finished “Rework” by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson. What a great book! Truly a small treasure in the midst of so many horrible business books. By the way, the authors contribute to a a great blog that I read often and I’d recommend you check it out.

My business philosophy has always been a bit unorthodox, no doubt influenced by my junkyard upbringing. I prefer bread/butter opportunities, not flashy stuff. I like keeping things small and never gave in to “bigger is better”. I hate meetings, strategic plans, outside investors, and 60-hour work weeks. That stuff may be …

Random Thoughts, Westmont,

A liberal arts life

I recently gave a personal testimony to the Westmont College Board of Trustees. The challenge was to answer the question, “How did you become who you are?” An interesting challenge for anybody! But considering the intellectual power of my audience, and considering their wide range of interests, it was not an easy thing to summarize in 10-minutes. In fact, it was much harder to prepare for this brief presentation than I ever imagined!

In the end, I described myself as having led a liberal arts life. Here are my expanded notes. Not the best writing, but as I said, they …