Swing your sword and shovel!

Shrubs I planted on the backside of our house!

I've been reading Mike Leach's book, "Swing your sword," and it's a really good read. I recommend it, even if you aren't interested in football. 

His story is very inspirational and and he talks about taking risks in life and thinking outside the box, daring to be different. He studied to be a lawyer and decided he wanted to coach football. 

He really dared to dream big and he had the guts to do it. He said that several people thought he was crazy to try to be a coach when he had a law degree. He said that this was one of the most defining moments in his life because he took the risk and didn't listen to others who had negative things to say. It was in moments like this where he could reflect on later on in his life and realize it was what made him successful in life.. the ability to focus on his own path, pursue knowledge by questioning everything and believing in himself and his dream above all else.

Did you know that Texas Tech had the lowest graduation rate in their football program when he started coaching there? When he was unjustly fired in 2010, Tech had the highest graduation rate in the nation!

That is truly incredible. And he was only one man who believed in himself and his dream of coaching football and making a difference in his players lives.

One phrase that really stuck with me was, "You have to defeat yourself before you can defeat someone else." 

How many times in my life have I let others defeat me because I had not conquered my own self doubt and conflict within?

I can remember several times on the golf course where I was beaten by players who were not as skilled and as trained as I was.. and it's because I got so upset when I hit a ball OB or in the water and couldn't put it behind me. I had to learn to trust myself again and believe in myself more than anything else!

And if you don't believe in yourself, you can't really believe in your dreams.. much less accomplish them. 

And here is where the "Swing your shovel" comes in.. This weekend I planted 13 shrubs on the backside of our house. Things are coming together.. we are chipping away at the stone and more progress is being made.. I'm getting excited! 

We also planted grass. We planted the El Torro Zoysia grass to see if it would grow and how well it would do. We did a lot of research to see what kind to get.. and it was a tough decision.

Here are a few pics..

Luna checking out her new potty!

We have these beautiful, wild lantanas growing on our property

Donkeys in the background belong to Mr. Lackey, who we bought the land from.

Notice our small pecan tree and donkeys in the background