Week 8: Overcoming challenges.

This week, I wanted to focus on David Carrington's story. I learned a lot from his story as the founder of racingusa.com, which is now the most popular privately owned NASCAR store. What I liked most about his business advice was how it was based on honesty, creativity, and toughness. Carrington made a strong point about coming up with ideas. He told us that our first thought is often the "low-hanging fruit," or the simplest and most clear answer. He said that real innovation usually comes with the third thought, after we've tried the easy ones and moved on to the creative ones.  What he said made me think a lot about how I solve my own problems. Am I just going with the first idea that seems to work? Am I really looking into all the options? What he did after Dale Earnhardt's sad death had the same effect. Some people raised prices to take advantage of the situation, but Carrington didn't do that. He didn't change the prices because he cared about the family and the fans. That moment taught me what it means to be honest in work. It was a reminder that choices should be based on beliefs, not just how much money they could make. The most personal part of his story may have been when he talked about how being diagnosed with cancer in 1999 made him look at his life in a new way. He changed his plans after that because he understood that his businesses were taking over his life. Sharing that battle made him so open, and it made me think about how to find balance in my own life.