Showing results by author "Gregg Patten" in All Categories

What happens when a man slows down long enough to notice his own life? In The Cowboy in the Park, Gregg Patten brings together humor, observation, and reflection in a warm and thoughtful collection drawn from ordinary moments on a park bench. With the voice of a man who has lived, lost, learned, and kept going, these pieces explore identity, healing, relationships, aging, regret, faith, and the quiet courage it takes to remain yourself in a noisy world. Part memoir, part meditation, and part gentle conversation, this book offers the kind of wisdom that does not shout. It sits beside you.

What if the life you think you ruined is not over? Many people carry a quiet sentence inside them: It is too late now. They believe they missed the moment, wasted too much time, failed too many times, stayed too long, quit too soon, or became someone they no longer recognize. They may keep functioning on the outside while privately living under the weight of regret, shame, and the belief that the best part of life has already passed them by. Give Yourself a Second Chance is a compassionate, reflective book for anyone who is tired of using the past as evidence against themselves.

Most people do not leave themselves all at once. They leave quietly — by agreeing too quickly, explaining too much, dismissing their own feelings, doubting their perception, or becoming who the room needs them to be.

Many people think they are fighting procrastination when they are really fighting something deeper. They are waiting for permission, certainty, confidence, fear to disappear, or the perfect moment to arrive. But readiness rarely comes before action. In Stand Up and Plant Your Flag, Gregg Patten offers a grounded, quietly powerful exploration of what it means to claim your life before you feel ready. This is not a productivity manual filled with hacks or pressure.

Most people were taught how to perform. Very few were taught how to learn. From an early age, learning is structured around measurement —grades, deadlines, evaluation, and comparison. These systems can produce results. They can create discipline. They can even create success.

Grades can measure performance, but they cannot measure the whole person. A report card can tell a student how they performed on a test, an assignment, or a semester of work. But it cannot measure curiosity. It cannot measure courage. It cannot measure integrity, patience, judgment, creativity, self-respect, or love of the work itself. What School Can’t Measure is a thoughtful guide for students, parents, teachers, and lifelong learners who sense that education has become too narrowly focused on measurable achievement.