The next few days are a blur, yet I recall Dale speaking with my parents and guaranteeing them I would finish my degree, driving to Austin to meet with the dean of the Journalism School and finding him surprisingly open to my request to create a special degree program, and accepting the position of sports producer for a starting salary of $5.05 per hour.

In 18 days our oldest daughter graduates from UT, and as with many students she’s trying to land that first job. I’m reading a lot lately by columnists questioning the value of a college degree when so many kids are finding it difficult to earn a salary commiserate with their education. Many of these writers suggest only getting a degree in something that’s highly marketable such as teaching, engineering or science.

That’s a great theory; however, it’s difficult to place an 18-year-old in that box. My three older brothers majored in finance. One became a lawyer and the other two earned advanced degrees. As a teenager, I grew so tired of hearing them talk about business that I decided to pursue another path.

When our first-born was in the womb, every night I whispered, “Left-handed hitting catcher” to her, figuring that would be a valuable skill someday. When a newborn girl appeared, each night during her 2 a.m. feeding, I looked her in the eyes and said, “You should be a doctor.” Instead, she grew to be a talented artist and musician. Her dual degrees are in French and Linguistics, and she’s completing an internship at a museum. That’s the career she’d like to pursue.

While the financial road may be challenging, I am confident she’ll find the path to a joyful life. Everyone has different gifts and we should encourage our children to utilize each of their individual ones. Some of the most frustrated folks I’ve met are those who pursued a career ‘because my parents wanted me to’ and ended up in jobs they couldn’t stand.

Eventually, I fulfilled Dale’s promise to my parents – taking one class each semester for two years at UT-Arlington then returning to UT-Austin for a summer session – earning my degree in August 1984. Now 31 years after getting my break in television, I’ve changed careers three times – owning a travel company, working in franchising and going on nine years as an executive coach. My advice: pursue what you love. Everything else will take care of itself.

What visions do those words bring to mind? Pain. Inconvenience. Terror.

I just returned from my twice yearly dental cleaning. When the hygienist asked, “Are you having any discomfort,” and I responded, “Yes, the second tooth from the back on the bottom is really sensitive to cold,” she looked in my mouth and replied, “I can see why, you have three cracks in that tooth.” After she finished cleaning and polishing the other 23, my longtime dentist came in, peered through his über-magnifying glasses, and said, “Well, David, looks like I need to refer you to an endodontist.”

This will be my fifth root canal in the past 24 years. That’s plenty for anyone in a lifetime, yes?

The first one came when I broke my two front teeth in a fall. (Trust me, it wasn’t as painful as it sounds and you wouldn’t know the replacements aren’t real.) The next two – as with this one – were the result of teeth dying. Other than the discomfort from the deadening process, having a root canal is more or less a non-event. Except for the two-weeks of antibiotics to knock out the infection. Except for having to reschedule clients. Except for the anxiety that comes with sitting in that chair under the bright light.

Exceptions. That’s really what success in business is all about when you think about it. You’ve got the regular stuff figured out. That’s being a professional. It’s the things that pop up you’re not expecting that take time, get in the way and distract you. Of course, you wouldn’t be successful, if you didn’t know how to navigate speed bumps and turn detours into opportunities for learning, growth and new direction.

So the next time something appears that steals your focus, take a deep breath, consider your options and complete the steps necessary to get back on track. You’ve been there before and everything worked out. This is just another chance for a crowning improvement.

The only other celebrity I hold in the highest esteem is Bruce Springsteen. (And if you’ve read any of my newsletters over the last nine years, you already knew that.) It’s not Springsteen the man I admire… for he has plenty of flaws and is the first to admit them. It’s the poet and rocker who looks at the canvas of our world and artistically comments on what he sees. Of course, you can’t mention The Boss without including his incredibly talented E Street Band. I’ve seen them play at least a dozen times since 1978.

In the last few years, Springsteen’s keyboardist Danny Federici and saxophonist Clarence Clemons passed away. Imagine losing two people you stood beside on stage for more than 40 years. That must create a deep hole in your heart and big talent gap in your performance.

The redesigned E Street Band, featuring new members including Clarence’s nephew on sax, just embarked on a worldwide tour. On the first night, during Tenth Avenue Freezeout, at the point where Springsteen normally sings, “When the change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band,’ everyone went silence in a tribute to their departed mate.

“We spent a lot of time thinking about this show and talking about it,” guitarist Steve Van Zandt told Rolling Stone this month. “The horn section was a good answer to the unanswerable: ‘How do you replace Clarence Clemons?’ Well, you don’t. It’s real simple. The same way you replace Danny Federici. You don’t. You have somebody else playing those parts, but you have to do something else, you have to morph it into a hybrid of what you were. It’s not going to be the same.”

Every team – sports, music and business – loses members… whether by trade, termination or death. While those times create difficult challenges, there is always someone new ready for his/her opportunity. As a leader, your job is to give them a chance to shine. When it happens, remember the wisdom of Born to Run: “Someday girl I don’t when we’re gonna get to that place where we really want to go and we’ll walk in the sun…”

Historical thriller films – like Nicholas Cage’s “National Treasure” – also are great entertainment for me. There’s something about the mix of history and fiction blended with suspenseful drama that creates a few hours of diversion from the challenges of everyday life.

Many of these storylines date to the American Revolution, which provided a lot of subplots as George Washington continually outflanked the more seasoned and better supplied British military officers with ingenuity and sleight-of-hand. (The best historical fiction writer is my friend William Martin. Read “Citizen Washington” for amazing insight on our nation’s greatest leader.)

If I ever get around to writing the next great American fiction novel, I think much of it will be encrypted. In the meantime, in case you’re curious what reading it would be like, here is a famous quote from the other greatest American president. Have fun deciphering:

Gpit dvptr smf drbrm urstd shp pit gsyjrtd ntpihjy gptyj pm yjod vpmyomrmy, s mre msyopm, vpmvrobrf om zonrtyu, smf frfovsyrf yp yjr atpapdoyopm yjsy szz qrm str vtrsyrf rwisz.

Earlier today I received an email from one client regarding the e-newsletter proof I sent him last week. Over the previous 30 issues, only once has he said, ‘This one doesn’t work for us,’ and I quickly had to turnaround a rewrite from scratch. So when today’s message was: ‘Let’s talk about the newsletter this morning,’ my first thought was, ‘Guess I missed the mark again. Now I’m going to have to make time I don’t have today to redo it.’

I called him and the first thing he said was, “I’m sorry, my knee flared up last week and I haven’t had a chance to take a look at your copy. I just wanted you to know I hadn’t forgotten about it.’ There’s a good chance he felt my sigh of relief, even though he’s 1,800 miles away.

The psychological term for thinking the worst before knowing the facts is negative anticipation… and it’s something I have to continually remind myself to avoid. While I am typically a positive ‘glass half full’ guy, when it comes to my children being out at night or Texas football games or cryptic emails, my amygdala sometimes runs away from me, and I have to tell it to keep quiet. That part of the brain is a tricky one… and if you’re not careful it will convincingly lead you down the wrong path.

One of the announcers I worked with back in my television days told me, ‘Kid, you’re like a quarterback who’s afraid to throw an interception. If you’re not willing to fling it downfield, you’re never going to throw a touchdown pass.’ That’s wisdom worth always remembering.

Sometimes I wonder who has more pressure in ‘America’s Biggest Sporting Event’: the players and coaches or the advertisers. Yesterday’s game really didn’t have a clear winner in the ‘what happens during timeouts at $3.5 million every 30 seconds’ category. I heard a radio announcer this morning say, “We kept waiting and nothing outstanding ever appeared.”

The challenge with trying to top your greatest hit is it’s difficult to keep raising the bar. (Think about Madonna’s new single as compared to some of her best-known releases.) That’s why some are questioning Tom Brady’s legacy today… as if taking his team to five Super Bowls isn’t enough of a career accomplishment. On the other hand, experts are talking Hall of Fame for Eli Manning. What a difference a couple of minutes make at sports’ highest level.

For the rest of us mere mortals, perhaps it’s best to just try and be a little better each day. Over time that makes a big difference in the results of your company. Most of all, thank your stars there aren’t 80,000 people and a billion more around the world watching you work right now.

For the record, at the Super Bowl party I attended, laughs were loudest for these five spots:

M&M’s – ‘It’s that kind of a party’
Doritos – ‘Dog buries cat collar’
Skechers – ‘Mr. Quigley dog racing’
ETrade – ‘Speed Dating’
Acura – ‘Jerry Seinfeld’

The Super Bowl, of course, is the biggest thing in American sports, with the nation – and many around the world – stopping to watch the plays, see the halftime performance and check out the new commercials. It’s become a tradition to gather with family and friends each February for cheering, celebration and critiquing… and a lot of good food.

My personal brush with greatness that is the Super Bowl happened 30 years ago this month. As a 21-year-old producer of sports at a local television station in Dallas, my heart was ripped out when Dwight Clark out-leaped Everson Walls to beat the Cowboys in the NFC Championship and send the 49ers on to Detroit where they won the first of their five titles. I was standing just yards away when he made what came to be forever known as ‘The Catch.’ Unfortunately, that’s the closest I’ve come to making it to football’s summit.

So when you watch the Super Bowl, regardless of which team you’re rooting for, think about all the players who will only have this one opportunity to perform on that stage. It takes years of hard work and dedication to make it in the NFL, and a few athletes will never again experience such lofty heights. Here’s hoping it’s a great game… and some unheralded player turns in the performance of his life.

Among the key metrics tracked and reviewed are Percentage of Salaries compared to Sales and Sales per Employee. One member has lagged in these categories for a while, so the group recommended it’s time to address the situation by either changing the makeup of the workforce, reducing headcount or increasing sales to make the ratios fall into line.

Not surprisingly, there was pushback to this suggestion, with the franchisee saying things like: “In our market we wouldn’t get a single resume if we advertised for anything less than what we currently pay,” “We couldn’t get out the door this much sales without the skills these folks bring” and “If we were to reduce salaries even slightly, there would be an uprising.”

Of course, the other owners and me countered with: “How will you know until you try?” “Might it be possible bringing in new energy in a few positions might give you more capacity?” and “So you’re happy with your employees maintaining their income while yours continues to fall as health insurance and other expenses rise?”

Owning your own business means you take all the risks. You cover mistakes out of your profit. You pay yourself last. Every franchisee or small business owner I know previously worked for someone else at some point during their career, so they’ve seen both sides. It may seem cold-hearted to make tough decisions about your employees, yet it’s part of the responsibility that comes with being the boss. As one of my first clients told me nine years ago, “The only place a business will run itself is into the ground.”

When the numbers don’t add up and cash flow is tight, you have to make the difficult call to protect the organization. Otherwise, one day you may wake up and be out of business.

Helping Others – Finally, if you’re looking to support a worthy cause at year-end, consider Helen Keller International, which operates in 22 countries and puts 85% of donations to work for those in need. Founded nearly 100 years ago by its famous namesake, HKI seeks ‘to combat the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition.’ A $25 contribution will provide prescription glasses for a child. Blessed by your generous gift of vision that youngster might grow up to impact the world.

Brain Teaser – There’s a current Broadway musical set during World War I about a horse that serves in the military. Sound familiar? That’s because Steven Spielberg is releasing the movie version on Christmas Day. I’m amazed how an idea suddenly appears in more than one place at the same time. In three novels I read by different fiction writers the plot revolved around a particle that may travel faster than light. If that quantum physics conundrum that could shatter Einstein’s theory of relativity is a mystery to you, the best joke I heard this year won’t be all that funny: “‘We don’t allow neutrinos in here,’ said the bartender. A neutrino walks into a bar.”