Yesterday I was blessed enough to speak to the Boys Team Charity, a youth association to help young men find purpose in giving back.

My talk focused on three areas: Direction, Values, and Attitude. I approached the presentation from two overlapping points of view.

Number one, as a member of the Servant Leaders for Christ, I am looking for opportunities to help lift up and guide younger men. The idea of the mutual aid society in the United States all but dried up years ago as government agencies absorbed those responsibilities. If you wanted government funds, you had to follow government regulations. Those regulations all but eliminated the concept of mutual aid.

However, the need for “elders” to mentor the next generation had not abated. Therefore, I presented myself not as a wise elder there to spew wisdom from the stage (what they call the safe on the stage), but to imagine me as a time traveler. I am coming to them from their future. You see, I have walked the paths many of them are looking at now, and I arrived to share with them my scouting report. I wanted to share what I had learned and seen along the way, so that they could make better decisions.

After making the presentation, I was left with two overwhelming impressions.

First, it went very well. I felt like I held the audience and engaged them for the entire time. Second, I left too many stories out and cut the talk shorter than it needed to be. The lack of stories makes the content less relatable and less memorable. Well, the one good thing is that I can use my keyboard and my blog to fill in the gaps and share my ideas and my stories.

You see, I did not only share experience, I shared the tools I used to find my way. I mean, I managed to have a career in making video games, I managed to raise a family, and start a successful business (an entire industry really) that entertained millions of kids. I should have shared more of that. I am confident in retrospect that I had absolutely no idea the scope and scale of GameTruck, or the reach of the mobile video game theater had on the United States, and even the world. (There are game theaters in countries outside the United States.)

So in a lot of ways, husband, father, coach, entrepreneur, game developer, innovator, I have been down many of the paths that appeal to most young men. And I have stories and lessons to share from the journey.

So it is with that in mind, and the one caveat from my all-time favorite book title, I will share my presentation.

What is the book title?

It Worked for Me by Colin Powell. As they say, your mileage may vary. However, the key here is to take what works for you and leave the rest. This is after all a scouting report, not THE answer, but some useful information, insights, and tools that may aid you (or a young man you care about) on your way.