We are asked frequently how the two of us make this lifestyle work as well as it does. It is a great question and there are many things we do that I feel contribute to it running smoothly. After 22 years of marriage, and 21 of those have been traveling and competing as a professional angler, we have figured out what works for us. I think the key words in that last statement is “for us”. Not everyone will think that the way we do things will work for them, but I thought I would write about it and those that are curious can take away things that might be helpful for them.
Let’s start with goals. At the beginning of each season, we both write goals. We have personal goals, family goals, and spiritual goals. We learned a long time ago that without vision we don’t have a daily purpose to get things accomplished. When we have written goals to read and work towards attaining, our purpose is much clearer in our daily lives.
Next, we both like to analyze how things are going throughout the year. After a tournament is over, we both think about and discuss how it went, what could have been done differently, and what was done right. Sometimes there is nothing that could have been changed and other times there is plenty that had it been changed would have yielded a different return. I am sure Randy has many past decisions that still flash in his mind that he looks at and knows that had he done it differently the end result would have been a win or a higher finish. However, we don’t focus on the “could have been, should have been, would have beens”, we learn and apply our knowledge to the next event.
Another thing we both do is READ! I know, you would never have thought that Randy reads a lot! Ha! He actually does though. We both read our one year Bible devotionals every day. We also both read self help books especially ones from John Maxwell and many other authors as well. Randy does the majority of his book reading on flights throughout the year. Here is a funny thing, I try to book a good amount of shows that he can fly to throughout the year for this reason! I call it his continuing education. It has always been said that what you put in your mind can be seen in daily life. Well, we choose to read positive, confidence, character, spiritual building books and I can tell you without a doubt it makes a difference! I think every professional angler will agree that the biggest obstacle they face is between the ears. I have heard it said time and time again. Therefore, we learned early on that we needed to focus on making “between the ears” stronger.
Encouragement is the next subject I would like to touch on. We are both huge encouragers of each other! For example, I just returned from my skincare business’s yearly convention. Randy had written encouraging notes on my airline ticket, my convention registration, and I even found one stuck in one of my shoes! I encourage him as well with texts throughout the day to let him know I am thinking of him and he is a Champion! We both know that negative talk does no good for any situation and we make it a point to always turn the negatives into positives.
Finally, we are also as everyone knows, very faith dependent and prayer is a vital part of our lives. One of the questions we frequently are asked is what do we think of fishing on Sundays and missing church? Well, we think fishing on Sundays is a blessing because that means you made the top 12! Also, we actually don’t miss church when we are on the road. We go to a large church, Church of the Highlands, in Birmingham and they have livestreaming of all 3 Sunday morning services. We are able to listen live if he isn’t fishing or listen to the replay when driving.
After reading what I have written above, I thought “gosh people are going to think I am saying life is perfect for the Howells!” Let me say, life is not perfect, we have ups and downs, struggles and trials, bad fishing days, and hard homeschooling days. However, through many life lessons over the years in fishing and in life, we strive to be better people every day and teach our boys to make a positive difference. At the end of our lives, our legacy is what matters to those we leave behind and the dash on our tombstone is what people will remember. Until next time, SMILE, it could change the world around you!
