Finish Empty®

The strongest teams have a shared drive rooted in a purpose bigger than themselves. They believe in what they’re building, and each person takes responsibility for their part in it.

One of the reasons we love college football is that every Saturday, somebody wins a game they weren't supposed to win. On paper, the outcome should have been predictable. One team had better recruiting classes, more talented players, better facilities, and more resources. Almost every measurable advantage pointed in the same direction. But then they played the game, and the team that wasn't supposed to win found a way. That's because some of the most important things in life are the hardest to measure. We can measure speed, strength, size, and statistics. But how do you measure a team's belief in one another? Their willingness to sacrifice? Their ability to stay composed under pressure? Their determination when everything seems to be going against them? Those things don't always show up in the data, but they certainly show up when it matters most. I think there's an important lesson here for all of us. We live in a world that places tremendous value on what can be measured. We compare salaries, accomplishments, titles, followers, and results. And while those things can tell us something, they don't tell us everything. Think about your own life. How do you measure the difference your encouragement makes in someone's day? The impact of keeping your word? The value of showing up when someone needs you? The strength it takes to do the right thing when doing the wrong thing would be easier? You may never know the full impact of your consistency, your character, your kindness, or your willingness to keep going when life gets difficult. But just because something is difficult to measure doesn't mean it isn't making a difference. As you go through this Saturday, remember that some of the most valuable things you bring to your family, your workplace, your friendships, and your community will never show up on a scoreboard. Don't become so focused on what you can measure that you neglect what matters most.

It’s Sunday night. Before you call it a day, I want you to try something. Grab your calendar, look at the week ahead, and work through these five steps with me. Let’s make this week a masterpiece. Establish the priority. What deserves your best this week? Give it a place on your calendar before everything else fills the space. Set the routine. When are you at your best? Protect those hours for what matters most. Decide when you’ll go to bed and how you’ll start your morning. Remember, the battle for excellence is fought in your schedule. Remove what works against you. Get rid of the bad food. Silence unnecessary notifications. Identify what keeps pulling you off track and do something about it. Make excellent choices easier. Lay out your workout clothes. Get your Bible and devotional out. Prepare tonight for the choices you want to make tomorrow. Implement accountability. Tell someone what you’re committing to. Ask them to follow up. Give them permission to challenge your excuses. I’m in your corner, pulling for you and praying for you. Make this week a masterpiece!

Discipline is doing what’s right, best, and wise. Diligence is doing those things with all your heart. Excellence requires both.

I spent today in Nashville speaking to mortgage professionals from across the South at an event hosted by a Mortgage Boutique. There’s no question that the mortgage industry has been navigating a challenging season. And when you’re accustomed to winning, difficult seasons can test more than your business. They can test your confidence, your attitude, and your commitment. But I believe some of the most important growth in our lives happens when things aren’t going the way we planned. You can’t always control the conditions you’re working in, but you can control the standards you’re willing to live by. Keep showing up. Keep building relationships. Keep serving people. Keep getting better at what you do. The market will change. Circumstances will change. But the discipline, character, and habits you develop along the way will stay with you. Grateful for the opportunity to spend time with these professionals today and thankful to Retta Gardner and a Mortgage Boutique for the invitation and hospitality.

I spent the day at The Houstonian with the McGriff sales team. McGriff is an established company with a team of experienced professionals. These are men and women who have been winning for a long time. They know their business, understand their customers, and have built successful careers. But one of the things we talked about today is how experience can be both an advantage and a blind spot. Experience is an advantage when it gives you wisdom, confidence, and perspective. You’ve learned what works, navigated challenges, and developed instincts that only come with time. But experience becomes a blind spot when you assume that what got you here will automatically get you where you want to go. Success can make us comfortable. Familiarity can make us less curious. And the longer we’ve been doing something, the easier it becomes to stop questioning how we’re doing it. The greatest threat to continued success isn’t always failure. Sometimes it’s past success. The best don’t stop learning because they’ve been winning. They keep growing, adapting, asking questions, and challenging themselves to get better. Experience should give you an edge, not an excuse. Grateful for the opportunity to spend the day with the McGriff team. Keep growing. Keep getting better. #FinishEmpty

I spent the morning with the coaching staff at Mississippi Christian! We focused on what I call the six most common leadership traps for coaches. I loved being with them. When I was playing baseball at MC, I never imagined they would one day invite me back to challenge, lead, and encourage the coaching staff. I’m pretty sure there were times my coaches wouldn’t have seen that coming either! So here’s the takeaway for those in leadership: Don’t give up on the next generation. Keep teaching, challenging, encouraging, and setting the example. You may not see the full impact of your investment today, but you never know what the person you’re leading will be equipped to do tomorrow.

“You got it. A truck brought it.” I saw those words on the side of a truck when I arrived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to speak at the Iowa Motor Truck Association, and they stuck with me. Because behind almost everything we depend on is someone who showed up, did the work, and delivered. Dependability may not always get the attention, but it earns something far more valuable: trust. Grateful for the opportunity to speak today and spend time with an industry built around delivering when people are counting on you. FinishEmpty.com

What a great afternoon with the team at Perfect Vision. I love working with organizations that refuse to settle and are committed to getting better. Today, we focused on a question every leader and organization needs to ask: What do you need to quit in order to maximize your capacity? Growth isn’t always about adding more. Sometimes the next level requires letting something go.

Don’t confuse movement with progress. Direction matters more than pace. It’s possible to spend your days moving and your years standing still. Busy doesn’t mean becoming. Full doesn’t mean fulfilled. Fast doesn’t mean forward. Every once in a while, stop asking how much you’re getting done and ask a harder question: Where is all of this taking me?

What a great morning with the coaching staff at Briarcrest Christian in Memphis! Excited for this group as they begin Finish Empty® together, and I’m looking forward to being on campus with all of their athletes and coaches this December! All You Got. Every Day.®

What a great night with the Little Rock Trojan athletes and coaches! Thankful for Frank Cuervo for the invitation and, even more, for the way he continues to invest in student-athletes. Every athlete and coach walked away with a copy of Finish Empty® and a challenge to maximize the opportunity in front of them. Great players pursue excellence for themselves. Great leaders make everyone around them want to pursue it too.

What a great morning with the Association of Arkansas Counties! I’m so thankful for these men and women and the work they do every day to serve their communities. Their leadership, commitment, and heart for people are a big part of what makes Arkansas such a special place to call home. Grateful for the opportunity to spend some time with them this morning!

17 schools. Two weeks. Thousands of educators. One thing has stood out to me over the last two weeks: new seasons create motivation, but motivation alone won’t carry us through the season. Right now there’s energy everywhere. New goals. Fresh vision. New opportunities. A renewed commitment to do things better. But eventually, the excitement wears off. The calendar fills up. Problems appear. People get tired. And what felt important at the beginning can slowly get pushed aside by whatever feels urgent today. That’s why great leadership can’t depend on motivation alone. What matters most needs a system that protects it from what feels urgent. If communication matters, build a rhythm for it. If developing people matters, make time for it. If encouragement matters, make it part of how you lead. Systems aren’t exciting, but they create consistency. They turn good intentions into consistent action. Maybe you don’t need more motivation. Maybe you need a better system. Motivation can create a moment. What you build determines what lasts. —The past two weeks have been an absolute blast! The first school is already booked for August 2027. I can’t wait for what’s ahead! FinishEmpty.com

What a joy to spend time with the staff at Mena and DeWitt! Every school has its own colors, traditions, and personality, but the best ones have something in common: people who genuinely care about the students who walk through their doors. That was easy to see in both of these communities. A new school year is about to begin, and thousands of students are about to walk into classrooms needing more than information. They need adults who believe in them, challenge them, encourage them, and remind them what they’re capable of. Grateful I got to spend some time with two groups of people who get to do exactly that.

Every community is different. Different people. Different stories. Different challenges. But one thing I’ve learned after speaking across the country is this: leadership principles travel. This morning I had the privilege of spending time with the incredible faculty and staff in Liberal, Kansas. It was my first visit, but from the moment I arrived, I was welcomed with incredible kindness. One thing that especially stood out was their commitment to growth. They didn’t just bring me in to speak. They put a copy of Finish Empty into the hands of every employee in the district because they believe learning shouldn’t end when the session is over. That says a lot about a culture. Thank you, Liberal, for your hospitality, your investment in your people, and for allowing me to be part of your day. Keep growing. Keep leading. Keep finishing empty.

What a joy to spend the day with the faculty and staff from Highland, Mammoth Spring, Viola, and Salem. These schools came together from different districts with one purpose: to learn, grow, and get better. There is something impactful about people who are willing to learn from one another and sharpen each other. Now it’s your turn. Excellence is rarely built alone. Who is making you better? And whose life is better because you’re investing in them? *Best part of my day… Renley, Therapy Dog!