This is one of those posts that was fun for me to write.  Sometimes I get emails from readers and subscribers asking me how I “do it” or how I manage running a business, 2 websites, coaching and running a club volleyball team, being a husband and being a father to 5.

I’m sorry to disappoint, but I really don’t have any secret.  It just happens and my wife and I just do it (maybe that’s what got us in trouble in the first place ).

That said, I can give a little introspective into my life.  I hope you find this list as fun as it was for me to look inside myself and write it out!

-Chris

23 Random Things about ME

1. My wife is my best friend and keeps me grounded.

2. I get more enjoyment and fulfillment out of coaching than I ever did out of playing any sport.

3. This year (2010) my wife and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage. AJ is 12 years old. You do the math.

4. All of my daughters have “boy” nicknames – AJ, Joey, Frankie & Mikey – but very feminine first names – Angelica, Josefina, Francesca & Michaela.

5. My son’s name is Joaquin. You pronounce it “Wah-Keen”.  Or you can just call him “Q”.

6. Despite popular belief, I did not name my son (“Q”) after my favorite rapper (Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest).

7. I did, however, name my oldest daughter AJ (Angelica Jordan) after my all-time favorite athlete, Michael Jordan.

8. I am a big believer in failure as a learning tool. You can’t know or understand success otherwise. Therefore, if my daughter doesn’t make a team, I think she’s better for it. Ironically enough, she got cut this spring from the soccer team she was trying out for.

9. The Notebook is one of my favorite movies and I will watch it anytime it is on TV (even if there is a basketball game on).

10. 300 is also one of my favorite movies, but I will still watch The Notebook even if both are on.

11. I played sports when I was young because I loved it. My parents never had to look for teams or leagues for me to play in. I did all the legwork and research myself from the time I was 8 years old. There was no internet back then so the only tools I had at my disposal was the home telephone and my bike.

12. Baseball was my first love. I was the “baddest” 11 year old pitcher in all of house league. One day, my house league coach tried to teach me how to throw a curve ball. I resisted because it hurt my elbow. He benched me and that was it for my baseball career.

13. I hate my Blackberry but I’m sickly addicted to it.

14. Yes, it’s true (at least on my end)…We tried 5 times until we got a boy.

15. I am a self-help book buying junkie…although I’ve probably only read 1/3 of all the self-help books I buy.

16. I think having your kid play one sport year round is a HUGE mistake and that most of the time it’s because of the athletic short-comings of the parent and NOT because your kid wants to do it.  Parents need to stop living vicariously through their kids.

17. I haven’t had 6-pack abs in 8 years mainly because I refuse to give up cheesecake.

18. As a coach, I try very hard not to be one of “those parents”. (You know, the ones that push their kids too hard, yell at the officials and the coaches, put an emphasis on winning at all costs and take all the fun out of the game).  It’s difficult sometimes, but I’m managing.

19. As a parent, I don’t believe in becoming my child’s friend.  My job is to create a competent and successful citizen of the world and if making them learn how to survive the hard way will do the job, then I’ll be a hard ass. They can make friends at school.

20. I think I have ADD and get distracted and lose focus waaaaay too much. I constantly have to shut down my internet connection and turn off my phone to get things done.

21. I don’t drink anything except water and espresso. I went for a beer with a couple of friends 2 weeks ago and got buzzed after drinking half a bottle.

22. I’m an aspiring minimalist, but does having 5 kids make me a hypocrite?

23. I’ve been waking up at 5am for the past 10 years because that is the ONLY time that I can actually get productive work done … I suggest you try it to. Those 2 hours in the morning – between 5 and 7am – are GOLDEN!