The Blind Side.

If you have seen this movie then you know it's ideal for the holidays. It's got a great message, is good for the family, and above all...it's true!

For many of us, growing up was completely different than what Michael Oher experienced; we likely did not grow up in the projects, our mother was not hooked on drugs, we had a roof over are head and slept in a bed.

Today's blog is not a review of the movie but focusing on someone who took the time to help someone they believed had the capabilities when few others did. For me, there were 3 people who made this happen.

The first was Frank Kelley; he was my first real boss and mentor. Frank saw something in me---he let me know this by providing me with the guidance he had had with over 40 years in the business world. He let me know it was okay to step outside the norm, proceed with confidence in a direction I might not be comfortable with, and to push my creative spirit. We also had something in common; Frank I were slobs. I mean real slobs. But in the end he let me know this was okay. When Frank passed away, part of my life went with him. He was that important to me.

The next influencer was one I would have never suspected. It was another partner at the firm I worked at with Frank, this man was Dick Opfer. If Frank possessed one way of doing things, Dick did the opposite. He was much more focused on the end result and what it took to get there. When he became my boss I was not sure we could work together; he and I had little in common as far as our styles, but he believed in me and I believed in him. Throughout time I knew what I was learning from Dick was the ideal complement of what I learned from Frank. In other words, Dick rounded out my very rough spots. After 26 years of working together, one of the toughest days took place when I told him I was leaving. He was not pleased with my decision, but in the end I think there was a level of pride on his part that I was leaving the nest and moving on to take what I had learned and played it forward. One of the hardest moments was to let Dick know I was laid off from my former company---I felt like I let him down.

The most important influencer in my life has been my Dad. Unlike any man I know, he is the one who molded, guided and instilled in me what being a man, Dad, and businessman are all about. Without my Dad's integrity I would be nothing. Like every child graduating college and getting into the business and real world, I knew what he gave me was invaluable---and learned that he was, in fact, right. (Wow.) But it was the years before graduating that set me on my path---for that, all I can say is "thanks Dad."

The Blind Side is a very good movie and proves once again that there is a lot of good out in the world; the photo above is a perfect example. My Dad is in this photo as are 3 of my 5 daughters. Without my Dad (and my Mom) and their acceptance that all was going to be okay during a very rough time personally for me---my divorce a number of years ago--- 4 very wonderful individuals would not be in my life at this time. I also have to thank my two other children who I hope understand that life does happen, and in the case of my life, my blind side now has 20/20 vision. I have a wonderful life.

Thanks for stopping by.