What's "Noble" about The Noblemen!

Many companies struggle with their brand.  Over 20 years I invested a considerable amount of time with close friends and meeting new ones.  We worked together to help local kids in need, making a difference in their lives as well as our own.

You see there will "always" be kids in need; however the real "nobility" resides in the helping.

Our brand was "Helping Kids. And Changing Lives.  The period and the capital A was by intention.You see it was our lives that were changed, not necessarily the ones we helped.

After our first Trolley ride in 1995 we arrived back at Jungle Golf amazed that we clearly made a difference.  We started out at what I would call "obligatory philanthropy."  There was money in our account and we were obligated to spend it on something worthwhile.

What happened truly exceeded our expectations and we realized we possessed a new skill that none of us had explored in the past!  Giving with no agenda!  It changed my life that night as well as those that shared it with me.

We took our enthusiasm over to Tautogs with lighted cigars because you smoke a cigar when its time to celebrate a new birth.  That birth was "Nobility" and we proved it was infectious and viral amongst our friends and fellow Noblemen.

That my friends is really what started The Noblemen and why it continues today!

NobleOne

Family

My Uncle Ralph use to tell me that at one time our family occupied a very large portion of the Outer banks however nobody claimed to be kin!

Sometimes family is hard work and other times it's your only foundation.  Over these many years I've come to realize and appreciate the importance of family!

Family can just be three or spread across many friends.  I have been blessed with great friends that I consider family and will be by their side for as long as they'll let me.

My "Noble Years" took precedence over my marriage and I made decisions based on "what could be more important than helping kids?"  I've come to realize that my priorities needed adjusting.

Family is comprised of many moving parts, all connected like gears in an engine.  If one gets misaligned or out of sync it effects the whole operation and efficiency.

At one time I had more cousins than I could keep track of and greatly enjoyed gatherings that celebrated everything from Thanksgiving to high tide.  Those times are gone and a part of my life went with it.

Family like friends require an investment and the returns sometimes try your patience! Never the less its simply what you do!

I can't mention family if I don't include the "pets."  I am blessed with a black lab whose love has no boundaries.  A stable full of horses and a few barn cats top off our farm family that can lift the spirits of a dark day and provide a quiet calming assurance that the world is indeed worth living in.

I know that there are many folks that consider family a burden and not worthy of their time.  In some cases I'm confident there are better paths; however families can be built with folks that don't necessarily have to be related.

This world is not always the easiest place to reside.   At the end of the day I'm fortunate to go home to a wife that loves me and to be greeted by a dog that never seems to have a bad day!

How 'bout you?  Where does family fit in to your priorities?

NobleOne

Advertising is the tax you pay for not being remarkable!

First off, no disrespect for those that are in the advertising business!  Think about it, we all know those businesses that don't need to advertise simply because their reputation drives their business.

Getting my feet wet returning to the "for profit" world I have been reading.  One book that my nephew lent me was Remarkable, a leadership parable by Dr. Randy Ross and David Salyers.

I enjoy business and the art of doing it right!  I am now calling on HVAC contractors as well as working in an environment where I get to teach and learn once again.  I pay attention and look for ways to excel and help those around me do things better.

I am fortunate to have landed with a company that puts customers first and loves to do good business. R.E, Michel has been around for 82 years and is still privately held.  I can't count how many associates that I have met that have been around for over 30 years. That speaks volumes to me.

Big goals remain and I look forward to accomplishing them in this next step in my life. Everyday I hear about a good friend retiring, here I am just getting started once again!

My last 10 years were wonderful and impacted me in so many different ways however there are nuances in the "non-profit" world that annoyed me significantly.  The value of leadership is interpreted so differently.

I plan to dedicate these next decades of my life to doing things remarkable and enjoying being compensated for it.

I will continue to make an impact in the people that surround me and enjoy being able to take care of my family.

2017 and beyond holds significant promise and I am laying the foundation to build a better future!

NobleOne

2016 to 2017 Noble to Normal

2016 was a pivot-able year for me!  For some 2016 was amazing.  I've enjoyed reading summations of amazing changes and new beginning for many of my close friends! I celebrate them with you!

In 2016...
Obamacare almost did me in
I had to let go two of my favorite people in this world
I closed down an amazing office
I lost close friends
I left an amazing life changing career for me as well as many others!
I sold my favorite truck
Made life changes!

In 2017
I'm cherishing 28 years of marriage
I'm turning 60
I've returned to the business world and thinking I'm gonna like it!
I've made some new great friends and retained some great old ones!
We've got a new President that I believe will bring prosperity!
I've gone from Noble to Normal

I wish all of you a Happy New Year and I look forward to the next 12 months!

NobleOne...NormalOne

It's A Wonderful Life

It's Christmas Day and I do my best to write a blog on Sundays if the spirit moves me and it simply did not this morning.

That is until I turned on the TV and watched It's A Wonderful Life, the 1946 Christmas Classic!

I'm sure each and every one of us has those days that make you feel a little bit like George Bailey. Pondering whether or not it would matter if you had never been born.

Yesterday, at the Birdneck Food Lion Christmas gift giving I had my George Bailey moment.  From Thanksgiving to the day prior to Christmas Eve The Noblemen collect gifts to distribute to those folks that could use a break during the holidays.  When those "Noble Deeds" are done we typically have gifts left over and on Christmas Eve we give the rest of them away!

The Christmas spirit is very much alive on Christmas Eve for me.  Our families, kids and all participate in this effort that truly does "Help Kids. And Change Lives."  For all of us most of all!

On this  Christmas Day I want to thank all of you for making me feel like George Bailey, "The Richest Man In Town!"

There is no greater gift than great friends and I am blessed with more that I deserve!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

NobleOne

I do it my way!

It is my belief that inside everyone there is a compass.  A true direction to lead you to next steps and beyond.

When you lose your headings in life or you are in need for a course correction, know that help is internal.

Like a worn path in front of you, it is familiar when you get back on track.  ,,,and when you are off track, you know that as well.

Life is all about adventures and regaining balance.  If you don't experience the lows you simply cannot enjoy the highs!

During this Holiday season it is my Christmas wish that all of you check your compass and consider your current course settings.

The winds of 2017 are coming and there will be storms as well as sunny weather.  Know this...you possess the tools to survive and even thrive.

Seek within and let your internal polish up your external!

Merry Christmas to all my friends!

NobleOne

Sometimes you just have to push the Reset Button!

Next year I will be 60 years old and to be honest, I was not sure I was going to make it.  It is not that I think that 60 is old mind you, I lost my father in his 59th year and it was on my mind!

Well I no longer think about that, my 59th year turned out to be a life changer!  My passion and my reason for being went away.  It was not remotely on my radar screen that I would no longer head up The Noblemen.

So....I had to press my "reset button" in order to save my farm, my life, and everybody I still owed. Not an easy task when you are 59.  Some folks think your best days are behind you.  ...and for almost three months I was thinking they might have a point.

I'm happy to say that is not the case today.  I spent all of last week at my new career.  I ran into folks that I worked with 10 years ago when I worked for WaterFurnace International and even over 30 years ago when I worked for Ferguson Enterprises.  It has begun to feel like an old comfortable pair of boots.  Life is going to move forward!

I am fortunate to have a wife that still loves me after over 27 years and put up with me when she was sometimes second fiddle to my involvement with "Helping Kids, And Changing Lives."  I can now right that wrong and that means a lot to me.

It is my desire in this next career to make those needed changes that allow me to glide into the next few decades with a smile on my face and a bank account to finance it.

How about all of you?  It takes some guts to push that "button."  I have heard from others that got their button pushed, and like me, there was still a future left!

To all my great friends, I am still here and I love you all!  It just may take a little more effort to spend time together, however,  it will be worth the additional investment.

NobleOne