I get inspiration from all types of people. Some are younger than me, most are older. Some are entrepreneurs while most have 9-to-5s they're passionate about. Some are people I interact with regularly yet most of them are people I may never meet. Here's one of the people I'm inspired by, my business partner and friend Jon Pattillo (left with Sanctuary Printshop co-owner Jed Taylor).
How I met Jon: I walked into Sanctuary Printshop to have some t-shirts and stickers designed for Sneak Attack. Jon and Jed quickly established themselves as the experts whenever the words "design" and "t-shirts" were used. I've since learned Jon's expertise is even broader than that, which is precisely why we're doing even more business together now.
What Jon does better than anyone: Remain calm in the midst of everything. Seriously, if you thought Phil Jackson was calm and had a certain Zen-like quality, you haven't met Jon yet. I've come to rely on this composure tremendously because I tend to be the more aggressive, less patient one in our Style X duo. I've seen this quality in Jon on the job, on an intense project and even in his newfound status as a father. Kudos to him. Hopefully I'll learn a thing or two.
Where I've improved because of Jon: I can't really say I've improved just yet, but I know that Jon (a lot like Rob, who guest posted the other day) is one of those genuinely great guys that I love surrounding myself with. I feel like I'm on my way to being a better person, a better man, at all times when I'm around him. Seeing him with his young son Jonah has really been a treat because I didn't grow up with my dad so it's really helping me to see how to raise a kid. I believe that much of parenting is based on your personal experience with your parents so in lieu of not having a father, I have guys like Jon to show me how it's done. I'm not having kids yet, but when I do I think I'll be ready in part because of this guy.
Why I'm thankful for Jon: Every year, I try to meet at least one person who is going to change my life for the better. I think I was already doing a half-way decent job of living, but Jon inspires me to dig deeper, to have an even more well-rounded life. He's got a great heart, great job, great business, great ideas, a great wife and child and a great outlook on life. It's easy to be inspired that way.
Look out for more of these "sources" of inspiration in the days/weeks to come...
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