You remember him (or her) like it was yesterday. As you struggled with studying, he never had to crack a book in school. As you sat in self-doubt when the teacher asked a question, he always knew the right answer.

He was a winner in the IQ lottery and was blessed with an abundance of intelligence.

Back then, you may have thought this guy was bound to be successful.

As it turns out, intelligence by itself is not an indicator of how successful someone will be. Intelligence, which is pretty much god-gifted, can only take you so far.

The good news is that there are other major factors which can be developed that determine success besides intelligence.

Headway Capital developed an infographic that details the factors that are more important than IQ for success. Along with the infographic are resources that prove their case.

The bottom line is that hard work and social skill development are more important than IQ when it comes to success.

Looking for 4 guys to join me for exercise in the wee hours.

I’ll show you how to ease back into exercise that will make you feel better while drinking coffee and bullsh**ing.

The class focuses on strength, balance, mobility blah, blah blah. It’ll make it a little less painful to get out of bed in the morning.

Class is designed for guys like me – retirement age, like coffee.

5:30-6:30 AM Tuesdays & Thursdays for 6 weeks.

Starts March 20, 2023

$180

So it’s been a while…

Perhaps you’re considering a gym membership because something in your life has changed:

• Maybe you’ve just retired and finally have the time to get serious about exercise.
• Maybe your health provider gave you a ‘look’ when they saw your body weight during your last exam.
• Maybe you’re recovering from a surgery or illness and need some help to get back to your old self.
• Maybe that last kid has left the nest and you can now finally focus on yourself.
• Maybe the bounce back from the holidays is taking a little longer than usual.
• Maybe you’re concerned with why walking up a flight of stairs or playing with the grandkids has been so difficult lately
• Maybe there are a few too many comments about how you are aging or growing around the mid-section.
• Maybe the man or woman in the mirror doesn’t represent the person you had hoped it would be as you got older.

And in case it’s NOT on your list, let me add a big reason to get back to the gym: to stay Young, Longer. You should do it to stay capable and healthy for your ‘Next Third’.

I rarely raised my hand in Engineering School. Never wanted to look stupid among my peers.

It took a few decades before I felt worthy of sharing my opinion in groups of smart people. Then when I got into my 50’s I really didn’t give a shit any more what people thought. If I had a question in a group setting, I asked it. If I had a point to make, I’d make it.

The benefit I quickly realized was how much I would learn by opening my mouth. If someone thought differently and spoke up, I’d get another perspective. Sometimes I would get supportive comments which were reinforcing.

Feelings of inadequacy surface like a Freshman in College when I start talking about Bitcoin, though. Many very smart people I respect support it. They think it’s the future of money and currency.

Among such great minds and with me having so little understanding or mental capacity, I really should keep my thoughts to myself and spare looking like a doofus.

Nah.

What I see as Bitcoin’s advantages over our current ‘fiat’ currency – the dollar:

• Bitcoin cannot be produced “out of thin air” like the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank do with the dollar. It needs to be “mined” electronically which takes energy.
• Bitcoin is open sourced which means no one controls it. It was created and let run loose in the wild. Governments and Central Banks can’t track it nor control it.
• Bitcoin is electronic. Can’t get any easier to store wealth than that. No more stuffing mattresses with cash or hiding gold in the basement.

So why don’t I fawn all over Bitcoin?

My identity is attached primarily to two ‘hats’ I wear: being Christian and being an Engineer.

I’ve spent all of my adult life searching for truth in Christianity and most of my adult life as a student of Engineering. I feel that I was called to do both.

As a teen, I suffered some severe depressed periods where I questioned what life was all about. Answers seemed elusive, but as my relationship with God developed, I was no longer depressed. I’ve always needed to stay close to God to keep me on course and happy.

I literally DREAMED of being an engineer when I was young. My life started in the USAF, where I excelled early on, but when I was about 20, I realized that a career in the military was not for me. I wanted more so I started to take college classes while working on base. One semester, I took a full load of classes – 12 credit hours – while working. It was the most driven time in my life.

In my adult life as a Christian/Engineer, I noticed parallels between my advancement in both areas. My journey as an Engineer has shed light on my progression as a Christian. Being an Engineer for 4 decades demonstrated how a progression in a field of study in the real world works.

My life, hence, is a testimony of how the progressions compare.