SLO LIFE Magazine Apr/May 2019

on little weekend trips to visit friends I haven’t seen in a while. I like
volunteering. I feel strongly about giving back to the community that’s
given so much to me. So, I’m at lots of different events on the weekend,
either volunteering or there as a guest. I help an auctioneer occasionally
do bid spotting. That’s really fun. So, you know, causes specifically 4-H,
FFA, youth and agricultural, but then we have so many great causes in
our community. I also help in my brother’s business when I can. He has a
construction company and some rock quarries locally.
Sounds like you really are a people person. So yeah, you’re right, in my
free time it really is about connecting with people. My life’s moving pretty
quickly, but I don’t want it to go so quickly that I miss things. So, I try
and stay grounded and be very selective about who I spend my time with,
because I have some really special people in my life that I don’t get to see
as much as I’d like to. So, I would say that I’m very calculated about who
I’m with and giving them time and not having my phone in front of me.
I think people have forgotten about how rich it is to have a one-on-one
conversation with someone. That’s really been lacking, and I’ll tell my own
friends if I see them on their phone, I’ll say, “Hey, if there’s someone more
important that you want to talk to, we can meet again another time.” So,
they know that with me now. They know that I’m giving my undivided
attention. We don’t need social media or any of that when we’re talking
face-to-face.
Please, continue the thought… I think I’m a really self-aware person, but
that has taken a lot of years of being cognizant of that and making myself
aware. And I don’t hit it out of the park every day, that’s for sure, but I
really try and work on that, because I think that’s the way I can show up
being the best version of myself and helping others be the best version of
themselves. I want to get to the place in my journey as a leader of really
building people to their potential, and I think it would be pretty cocky,
as my grandfather would say, for me to say right now that’s where I’m at,
because I’m not. I’m new in my leadership journey. Life’s too short not
to do what you’re passionate about. That’s why I feel so lucky in my role,
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46 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | APR/MAY 2019