GreatLIFE Community,
BREATHTAKING! Over the years, I can think of a handful of moments where I want to capture a moment on camera only to come up short of finding a way to fully encapsulate the beauty of the moment. In early July, I found myself in this moment with what felt like every corner we turned. Yellowstone National Park is truly one of those places that left both my heart, and my camera, FULL of moments, views and experiences I will never forget. In what started as more of a “Check the box” trip, turned into an unforgettable adventure with my family. From the long hikes to make it to a waterfall or a hot spring, to the vivid colors and dramatic landscape that created “other world” views, to the expansive offering of wildlife capped off by seeing a momma black bear get reunited with one of her cubs, it was almost like it was a dream. As we were driving home, I was doing my best to reflect on a few of my favorite parts of the trip and what I learned over the few days we spent in the park.
Here were my top 3 takeaways from the trip:
1. Preparation Unlocks the Moment
The most rewarding views weren’t the ones right off the road—they were tucked away, up steep climbs or beyond five-mile hikes. One of my favorite waterfalls required real effort to get to. And what made that moment so powerful wasn’t just the scenery, but the work it took to get there. I was thankful for every early morning workout, every hard training session. They prepared me to fully experience the moment rather than hold anyone back.
It reminded me: the time we invest behind the scenes prepares us to experience the richness of life—not just survive it.
2. Presence > Planning
A surprising number of people we passed on the trails were already planning their next trip… in the middle of this one. That hit me. I do this too—always looking ahead. But in Yellowstone, I caught myself, took a deep breath, and absorbed the present.
The smell of pine.
The crunch of gravel under hiking boots.
My daughters’ laughter echoing off canyon walls.
Presence is a practice—and it’s one that brings joy.
3. Detours Make the Best Stories
Unlike the way home, which is a whole other story, we purposely took the “long route” to get to Yellowstone. We veered off I-90 to explore the Badlands, take pictures along the winding roads of Spearfish Canyon and created memories while hiking in unseasonably chilly temperatures to get to a natural waterslide called Devil’s Bathtub. None of it was on our original plan. But those unplanned moments? They became a large part of the highlight reel for the trip.
It was a fresh reminder that while goals and plans are important, some of life’s best experiences happen when we make room for the unexpected.
GreatLIFE Updates:
We have been blessed to have had a great first half of the golf season and have seen more new golfers than ever before. As we’ve seen over the past several years, we gained several extra “waterfront” properties after we saw over 4’’ of rain in under 2 hours at Willow Run. These types of weather events create unexpected challenges for our Team but Barry and his team at Willow Run were eager and happy to take on the challenge. In less than 48 hours, they had the course cleaned up and ready for our Members to come out and enjoy the course with little to no signs that half of the holes were under water earlier on in the week. As I’ve talked about in the past, our Golf Team faces some of the most unique challenges in the golf industry as we have more rounds than any other courses around and maintain the expectations of a course with half the play. It takes an ENTIRE Team working together to be able to provide the golf experience we all have come to love at all of our courses and I couldn’t be more proud of them.
Our newly reformatted Family Golf Nights have seen tremendous participation and will see the final two sessions on August 3rd at the Golf Academy and 10th at Rocky Run. If you haven’t had a chance to participate, I would highly encourage you to come check it out. To register, you can call the pro shop at the course!
This summer has also been a first for our PLAYEverything program as we have been able to work alongside the school system to continue to offer our programming to kids at our Title 1 schools throughout the summer. This has expanded our impact to have over 900 participants throughout the year, with an anticipation of reaching over 1,000 students next year. Fortunately, we were able to have one of our largest attended fundraisers in our Challenge for Change tournament in July. More than a fundraiser, it serves as a way of involving more than 20 other local non-profit organizations with the opportunity to share what they do with nearly 150 players from across the area. The goal for the tournament is to have each organization walk away with a check and with deeper connections to people in our community.
As summer activities are coming to an end, we are looking forward to starting several new programs to give our members the opportunities to connect with others within the GreatLIFE community with similar interests. Be sure to check your email, our Facebook pages and fliers within our facilities to find something that is a good fit for you.
BOOK CLUB:
This month’s book was a short, but thought provoking read from Jon Gordon called The Carpenter. The message is simple yet profound: Love. Serve. Care. These three principles aren’t just for work—they’re for life, leadership, and lasting impact. The carpenter models a mindset that puts people before profit, heart before hustle, and long-term meaning before short-term metrics.
Top Takeaways:
- Don’t just build a business—build people.
Success is not about what you accomplish, but who you uplift. The best leaders don’t just grow numbers—they grow people. - Fear is a liar—Love is stronger.
We all wrestle with fear: fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of not being enough. But when we choose to love—our work, our people, our mission—we push through fear with purpose. - Serve first, lead always.
When service is your posture, leadership becomes your platform. Whether you’re mentoring a student, greeting a member, or raising a family, the question is the same: “How can I help?”
NEXT MONTH’S BOOK:
Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
POSITIVE THOUGHT:
The most breathtaking views often follow the hardest climbs, the richest relationships come from the deepest care, and the greatest impact begins with a willingness to love, serve and be present.
Thank you for being part of our GreatLIFE family. I’m grateful we get to walk through life together…on the mountaintops and the winding trails in between.
To the journey,
Nick