For a long time, I have been that guy that friends will call when they need advice about fixing something.
Truthfully I never really minded. It’s always nice to feel needed, right? Increasingly, however, when I got those calls, they were about more personal things. Things related to health and fitness. Things about being more productive and present. I suppose this wasn’t entirely out of left field; I have been actively working to improve aspects of my own life. I just didn’t realize anyone was paying attention.
They were, and some were curious about what I had been doing.
Here is why. You see, I didn’t make a zillion dollars with viral content on YouTube, but I did get myself out of debt, increased my net worth, and am consistently putting money away for the future. I didn’t lose 110 pounds, then start running marathons, but I did lose 29 lbs, gained muscle, and have more energy. I am just a regular guy like everyone else. I’ve got bills, I go to a job, I get frustrated with my kids, and sometimes we eat frozen pizza because I just can’t be bothered to cook something healthy.
So why was anyone asking me for advice?
It's because the man I am today is a measurably better version than the one ten years ago, not perfect, but better. People could see that, and they wanted to understand what I had done to get there.
Finding Tools has become a way to record and share my story and thoughts about the tools and techniques I’ve used to improve— a little at a time.
I have over 20 years of experience in custom fabrication, mainly in the art and design world. I have become skilled in many areas, much of which I learned from others and some I taught myself through sheer trial and error. But most importantly, I learned how to figure out how things work and which tools you need when things need fixing.
Over the years, I have gathered together a tool bag that I take with me on every job. It is simple, organized, accessible, and easy to carry. It contains all the tools I need to accomplish 90% of the tasks I get into. (Not 100%, but we’ll get into that another time.) When I need to tackle a project, this carefully curated assortment of tools is at the ready, and most of the time, I have what I need when and where I need it. Because of all this, when a project around me needs doing, I am usually quick to find a solution and get it done.
I bring all this up because, around 2011, I began to realize that I had a lot of things in my life that needed fixing.
I don’t mean the faucet this time. I mean myself. Suddenly, the guy with the skills and tools to fix just about any problem couldn’t conjure up lasting solutions to fix himself. I was floundering in unfamiliar territory, and it was uncomfortable. It became clear that I needed a plan and probably some new tools to help me solve these problems.
I didn’t realize at the time that the first problem to solve was that I saw myself through too rigid a frame.
I wasn’t even open to change because I thought things like, “That’s just my personality,” or “I’m just hardwired that way,” or even worse, “I’m too old to change now.” But it's not the case. That's like looking at a steel bar and saying, “It's in its nature to be flat,” which may sometimes be accurate, but with knowledge, persistence, and a modest application of effort, it can take on a lot of amazing and beautiful shapes. The real Aha moment came when I began to view myself not as the rigid end product of a 40-plus-year process but rather as a new, unique, and interesting raw material that, with knowledge, persistence, and a modest application of effort, could become something new.
With this new perspective in place, I now had a project to work on.
A project with a lot of overlapping, messy, and moving parts, to be sure, but something manageable. This was something I could work with. Project management is in my wheelhouse. Like most projects we find ourselves in, there is always some head scratching and scraped knuckles. Progress— followed immediately by the realization that you used the wrong hardware seventeen steps ago, and you have to undo half a day's work to make it right. It's a project I am still working on to this day, and I don’t expect it to be finished…well… maybe ever.
That was when I understood the second hurdle to overcome.
I was starting to get a sense of the blueprint of the man I hoped to be, but I didn’t have the tools I needed to move forward. As a firm believer in using the right tool for the job, I realized I needed specific tools to help me become mentally and physically healthier. Tools for getting my finances in order. Tools for shoring up my current relationships and forging new ones as well. I needed tools to help me do better.
It was time to start a new tool bag.
That brings us here to Finding Tools. This newsletter is a look into the personal tool bag I have been collecting for the past 10+ Years. It contains all the ideas, insights, actions, processes, tricks, hacks, and even a few actual tools. Each of these tools I have used to varying degrees of effect. The ones that work, I keep. The ones that don’t, I set aside. I am constantly exploring new tools that give me knowledge for living a healthier, more purposeful life, strategies for being more productive and effective, and blueprints for navigating relationships with my family, friends, money, and even myself. So, of course, if you're anything like me, whenever I get a new tool, especially one that ups your game, I can’t help but share it.
So let’s start sharing.
First, this is a work in progress; believe me, there is a lot to download. Not everything I’m doing will be relevant to you, but some of it might be. My goal is to recount my story faithfully and share what I have found to be genuinely helpful (or unhelpful) and why. For now, the plan is to drop a note in your inbox every other Tuesday morning. Don’t be shy about reaching out, I certainly didn’t get to where I am alone, and I always welcome feedback. When you are done reading this post, take a moment and ask yourself, “Did I take a step toward making my life better today?” If the answer is unclear, then maybe you just didn’t have the right tools you needed. I hope this newsletter can be a good resource for finding tools that work for you.
I am a better man today than I was ten years ago.
It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been worth it. I have a few good tools in my new bag now, and I am always on the lookout for more and ready to share what I find.
Welcome to Finding Tools ladies and gentlemen. I’m glad you’re here because this is definitely not a one-man job.
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