Introducing Caleb Douglas…

January 9, 2009 By Kyle 5 Comments

This morning at 7:53am, we welcomed Caleb Douglas to the world. He weighed in at 7lbs 15oz and 20 inches long. He came out screaming, which is exactly what every parent wants to hear. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy.

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The boy has some hair!

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To see 32 pictures from day one, jump over to Facebook.

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Filed Under: Personal Tagged With: Caleb

There will never be another tonight

January 9, 2009 By Kyle 5 Comments

I can’t believe it. In five hours, we will rise, head to the hospital and welcome the birth of our son, Caleb Douglas at approximately 8am. We’ve spent the last 39 weeks in disbelief. We weren’t supposed to get pregnant. Now here we are…

Tonight, I relish in the sweet transition from three to four. It’s completely unknown, but eagerly welcomed.

For my sweet Savannah, mommy and daddy can’t wait to introduce you to your new baby brudder. Even though all of this will be a mystery to you, it is to us too. Isn’t God amazing! Your brother proves us all wrong. God can do whatever He wants.

To my amazing wife. Your beauty, your wisdom and most of all, your perseverance leaves me in awe. I can’t thank you enough for sacrificing more than anybody will ever know, to do whatever it took to create our family. I will always be humbled and amazed that you are my wife, the mother of my children and the keeper of my heart and home. I love you with everything that I have and am. You are my hero.

Goodnight friends for tomorrow we party. Caleb Douglas will be born.

Filed Under: Personal Tagged With: Caleb

A Moldy Delivery…

January 5, 2009 By Kyle 4 Comments

Last night, my wife and I ventured out to dinner at a reputable deli near our house. Upon the delivery of my salad, one quick look at the cheese and I knew there was something wrong. The waitress was caught off guard when I looked at her and said, “this cheese is moldy” and asked for a fresh serving. Minutes later she returning declaring, “the cheese is okay” of which I assured her, it wasn’t.

All I was asking for was something fresh.

Today, you and I are both heading, full-force, back into reality. If you’re not careful, you’ll reach for the motivation that you had weeks ago when you left for vacation, rather than looking for something fresh. Your attitude this morning may be the first indicator of your freshness. If it stinks, perhaps you’re relying upon moldy motivations? Is that you? Here are three things you can do to freshen up:

1. Put your head down and smile. Go ahead and try it. It may be awkward, but I guarantee you won’t be to not smile, or at least smirk, when you’re done.

2. Do a favor for a coworker, without being asked. Look around and find a need, then meet it. The satisfaction of helping to meet someone elses need is guaranteed to bring you an internal smile.

3. Go back to day one. On day one, expectations, challenges and the possibilities were fully in focus. It was at this time that nothing could stop you. Go there again. You are unstoppable.

The fresh stuff isn’t that far from you. All you need to do is reach for it.

Filed Under: Leadership

Are you a proactive or reactive social networker?

January 1, 2009 By Kyle 1 Comment

I’ve had plenty of conversations with people over the years about social networking (blogging, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn etc). Based on those conversations, I find that there are many types of social network users, but for now, we’re going to concentrate on two: reactive and proactive.

Reactive social networkers experience life and then post about it. It becomes your next blog post, your next Twitter, a picture posted on Flickr or your next status update on Facebook. Simply stated, life happened and you want to tell people about it. The main benefit to this approach is that it gives you “presence” with your friends, family and colleagues. It asks and answers the question, “What am I doing?”

Proactive social networking is completely different. When you view each social network proactively, you have a baseline understanding that whether you like it or not, every Twitter, blog, picture posted, or comment left, is one step towards building your personal brand and reputation. Like the butterfly effect, each contribution builds upon another to create what people, especially those who only know you online, will know you by. The main benefit to this approach is that YOU determine how people know and judge you. It requires you think beyond “What am I doing?” but also about, “What do I want to be about? What am I interested in? What am I learning? Who am I learning from?” Proactive social networking asks and answers many questions, not just one.

When it comes down to it, your intentions, whether defined or not, is what drives your expectations for social network activity. For me, I choose to utilize these networks as a tool in which I can learn, engage, extend my “network” and inspire people to make their mark on this world. For many, and probably most people, it’s a tool in which you keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. One is not right over another. It’s how you choose to use the tools.

Seth Godin says, “Many of us are taught to do our best and then let the world decide how to judge us. I think it’s better to do your best and decide how you want to be judged. And act that way.”

Do you agree?