The Philosophy

ITABWODI

Is There A Better Way Of Doing It?

My grandfather farmed in Central Illinois his whole life. He wasn't an executive, a consultant, or a thought leader. He was a man who worked with his hands and asked one question every single day: Is there a better way of doing it?

Not better in the abstract. Better in the dirt. Better with the equipment he had, the weather he was given, and the constraints of a family farm in the Midwest. Every fence post. Every irrigation line. Every harvest. He refused to accept that the way things were was the way they had to stay.

That question shaped how I think about everything — from running a $70M+ construction company to building AI systems to raising five kids to loving my wife well to leading a church small group. It's not about perfection. It's about the relentless refusal to settle.

The ITABWODI Principles

Question everything inherited.

Just because it worked before doesn't mean it's the best way now. This applies to your business processes, your marriage habits, your parenting defaults, and your assumptions about faith.

Improve within constraints.

You don't need more resources. You need better thinking about the resources you have — in your budget, your schedule, your relationships, and your energy.

Build, don't theorize.

The answer to 'is there a better way' is always a prototype, never a presentation. Try something. In your company, in your home, in your life.

Share what you learn.

A better way kept to yourself isn't really a better way. Teach your team, your spouse, your kids, your community.

Steward everything.

Time, talent, treasure, relationships, influence, health — all given, all accountable. ITABWODI is ultimately a stewardship posture.

Applied Everywhere

Most philosophies live in one lane. ITABWODI doesn't. The same question that drives operational improvement in a $70M construction company also drives how I show up as a husband, a father, an elder, and a person. That's what makes it different — it's not a business hack. It's a life posture.

That's what this site is about. Five domains — Build, Love, Raise, Believe, Grow — each one an invitation to ask the question and do the work. Not perfectly. Not all at once. But relentlessly.