Morris Tells Attendees to Pursue Their Dreams

"Everyone has that one thing they want to achieve."

For Jim Morris, that "one thing" was playing professional baseball. At Saturday morning's General Session at NACE, Morris spoke about achieving goals and never giving up on your life's aspirations. But Morris hasn't always lived by that philosophy. Although his Cinderella story inspired the movie "The Rookie," it wasn't until the age of 35 that he began to realize that going after your dream was paramount in life.

Morris never really got along with his father. Because his father was in the military, the family often had to relocate - something Morris learned to resent.

"Baseball was a way for me to escape," Morris said. "I didn't speak to anyone. I just played baseball. That was my way of life; my way of survival."

As a freshman in high school, Morris made the varsity baseball team. But two weeks later, his father moved the family to Brownwood, Texas - a school with no baseball program. He played football for his new high school, but still yearned to play baseball.

Morris' grandfather became his mentor, teaching him about life and offering him encouragement. His grandfather had the most integrity of anyone he ever knew. And he left him with the advice, "Remember who you are."

Morris eventually was given a scholarship to Ranger Junior College in Ranger, Texas. After a scout saw him pitch, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. He never made the minor leagues and was asked to participate in extended spring training. After pitching a poor game, he wanted to quit.

He stuck with the game, but had six surgeries to repair problems in his shoulder. On his final surgery, the doctor explained that he would never pitch again.

At 24, Morris decided "to grow up." He went back to school, met his wife and they started a family. He realized that he could become a teacher and coach his passion of baseball. He felt that through coaching baseball he could make a difference in young people's lives. But what he didn't realize is that they would make a difference in his life.

They challenged him to go after his dream of playing professional baseball. And on winning a bet, he tried out for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Much to his surprise, he was offered a position with the Devil Ray minor league organization.

"A group of kids had more faith in me than myself," he said. According to Morris, he achieved a dream he had since he was five.

Morris spoke about perseverance, persistence and never giving up. His story is unique but attainable by others.

"Life ain't that hard," he said. "Don't take it too seriously. You have to be able to laugh at situations."

Petty Delivers Powerful Keynote at NACE

Kyle Petty knows about business; he knows about tragedy; and he knows about values. And in front of an enthusiastic crowd during General Session at the National Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE), Petty shared his views on running a family-owned business - a topic that many audience members could relate to.

In his keynote address, Petty gave a history of his racing past. Petty's family started in 1958, racing stock cars. The evolution of the business continued as Petty's father became passionate about the winning aspect of racing, not necessarily about the money.

He also spoke about technology's influence in not only the racing field, but the small business sector.

Petty emphasized the importance of family throughout his address. Not only were Petty's grandfather, father and uncle involved in the business, but his son Adam joined the business in 1997. According to Petty, Adam was the future plan for the business. Then he emotionally spoke of his son's death and how he realized that his family's plan had been interrupted.

"Our focus had always been to win," said Petty. "Family became the only thing important to us after Adam died. We developed a six- to seven-year plan to constantly reinvent ourselves."

Petty built a camp in memory of Adam. The Victory Junction Camp caters to children who are chronically ill. Most come directly from the hospital, and then return to the hospital immediately afterwards. The camp is now open to children from all parts of the United States.

"The camp allows us to give back to the community," said Petty. "It's important to give back, be a part of your community."

He ended his keynote address by again emphasizing the importance of family and enjoying your work environment.

"Your family and your faith has to come first," he said. "Be passionate about your work and have a plan for two to three years down the road. You must communicate your plan to make it work. Have someone who leads that ship. You've also got to lead by example."

Flint Shares Pointers on Stress Management

Richard Flint, an acclaimed counselor for both business and personal affairs, shared with NACE attendees his thoughts on how to cope with stress in their lives. His powerful message - presented before a full ballroom at the NACE luncheon Friday, Nov. 5 - included sage advice for dealing with stress both at home and in the workplace.

"My mom died from stress," he said. "Stress is not a joke. People accept stress as part of life, but the reality is, stress can kill you."

In reality, according to Flint, stress is a part of everyone's life. But what brings people down is when they give stress permission to turn their lives upside down.

In Flint's view, your mind doesn't know stress. "Stress is a feeling that feeds off your emotions," he said. "Stress is anything in life that makes you uptight."

These life-altering stress triggers include change in technology, financial worries, the aging process, instability or having no future plan for life.

So how do you handle the stress? Flint suggests stopping and facing the "what if." Refuse to react to life's surprises. Examine your options and stay clear of soothsayers.

For many people, the aging process causes the most stress in their lives. To conquer the stress of getting old, Flint suggests seeing the good in life. He suggests: Take each day as a "gift you unwrap." Refuse to stop living. Explore life and be willing to adopt new things. And stay centered on living with purpose.

In addition, family often causes stress in one's life. "There are few things more stressful than the events a family will go through," Flint said.

To help attendees cope with family stress, Flint suggests the following:

• Start with unconditional love
• Have respect for one another
• Expectations must be negotiable
• Families must stay connected
• Self-development is a must