4d • Sunday Reflections
Sunday Reflections: Sep 21st 2025
"What will they say?"
This reflection comes from a sermon I heard at church this morning. "What will they say about you when you leave this earth?" I often think about this and how I approach the human experience, from both spectrums. I've hurt people on my journey and still think about the times I shoulda, coulda, woulda done better. What I think about most is how do I counteract some of my early mistakes with good? What would my wife, children, close associates say on the inevitable day when I am no longer there to defend my actions?
In my wiser years this is my guiding compass. I can't change the past, but I can learn from it. Not only can I do better, I can coach those who I see are facing similar circumstances by offering them a choice. The choice to make the same mistakes or take the wisdom and do better than I did.
This week, a teenage student athlete pulled me aside during class to share his struggles with following his own path versus doing what his father wants. In that moment, I got to offer him my perspective while respecting his father at the same time.
It isn't just philosophical, it's practical. With each high five, each time I listen without distraction, each time I message someone close just to let them know I am thinking of them, builds what I hope fills churches one day.
"Coach Vern, Vernon, My husband, My daddy, My mentor, My friend was patient, always striving to do better than yesterday. He was a man who wanted to heal hearts and grow minds. He was a man who was relentless in the pursuit of community. His convictions revolved around kindness through the help of others, sometimes to his own detriment. He is and always will be a light and an example of, no matter the circumstances you can become undeniable."
Accomplished this week
- STORM team met over the weekend
- 10 members in our SKOOL Community! Thank You!
- Published a LinkedIn article about how parental entitlement impacts our kids. Click here!
- Reviewed 6 chapters of the Powerful Parenting Playbook
- Trained over at Neutral Ground HQ with some awesome teammates
- Represented Utopia Martial Arts at Grafton High School career day - gave teens permission to not have it figured out yet and honored their potential instead of lecturing about my path
What I need to accomplish this week
- This upcoming weekend family trip to St. Louis
- Develop more foundations for the Coach V3 roadmap
- Develop some back end automations for time management with some AI tools
- Day to day operations at Utopia Martial Arts
- Present invitations to our next wave of STORM team leaders - expanding our community of character-driven leaders
Closing thought: Legacy is about "what will they say." While I am here I remind myself "What is that 1% improvement I can make today?"
Take a moment this week to ask yourself: "What will they say about me?" Then identify one 1% improvement you can make today to align with that vision. Share your reflection below ⬇️
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Sunday Reflections: Sep 21st 2025
