Nate Shepherd

Last night my two oldest and I had the amazing privilege of going to see The Phantom of the Opera here in Detroit. The show was incredible, I cannot say enough about the amazing singing and orchestra that just blew you away. The sets and all that goes into the design of those sets are incredible. The time and effort people put into designing them to move and work and flow so easily is just a clinic in running an operation. We expect excellence from a Broadway caliber show and last night I saw it delivered.  I did not see the back of the house and the chaos that ensues or the countless hours of practice and rehearsal that delivered the show.  But I know the audience saw the perfection that was on stage and heard the amazing voices and music as it was meant to be delivered. Once it ends there was huge amount of applause to celebrate what was just put in front of us on the stage. Even afterwards we along with 50+ other people waited in the cold to get autographs from the actors. ...

     Well it has been two weeks since I started my new crazy kinda scary adventure to leave my comfort zone at ZF and start work at a new company after 13 years with my previous employer. It has been interesting as I try to learn new products, (who knew how complicated a shock and suspension system could be!), understand new systems, and understand new people/organizations.      I am grateful for this new opportunity and the people I am working with many have 25-30 years of experience at this company and seem to be doing well. While day 1 and 2 were not what I was expecting I am trying to take control of my learning and growing path as I build relationships and understanding for my future.      Life is a curious journey we all take as we move through it and the different roles we have as we work on our personal growth and connections to provide for ourselves and others, and to help make an impact on the world around us. Whether it is in a com...

 I have been thinking a great deal about my mission during the Christmas break. I have been listening to the Franklin Planner Podcast lately and it got me thinking about my personal mission and if I can boil it down to one word and the word that kept coming to mind was connection . So I am going to try to better my connections as the basis for my goals in 2026.  First connection is to God and my Savior Jesus Christ. I will strive to connect more to them through: Daily Study of the scriptures with a focus this year on the Old Testament as well as the Book of Mormon. Regular meditation time followed by morning and evening prayer. I will also strive to have more prayers in my heart throughout the day.  Next is connection to myself and nature. I will strive to gain this through: Doing at least one physical activity every day. Preparing for OCR and other races including 4 spartan races, 1 savage race and in the fall a 50-miler race. I will spend time outside as often as I can ...

 I have over the last couple months rekindled my love for Dan Brown Books. I reread The Davinci Code and the Lost Symbol in preparation for the release of his next novel. I love following the mind of Robert Langdon and learning so much while on a thrill ride of short chapters that leave you saying I have time for 1 more.  While this book does not dive into secret societies, as others have, it does give you a glimpse into another way of looking at the human mind. On this adventure is Katherine Solomon from the Lost Symbo l and it is fun to have two great intellectuals following the path through the architecture of Prague and into the human mind and how it functions. With government cover ups and intrigue it is a fast-paced story line but with a different spin on the intellectual side as it focuses mostly on Katherine's research into Noetic Science and the power of the human mind.  The concepts have me thinking differently about how the mind works and even how God wo...

There are times of change in our lives and while a few personal things are changing for me I have just felt inspired to revamp and review my personal brand and mission. With that it includes getting back into blogging. This blog will capture my personal feeling on a variety of topics from reviews of Books and Movies and thoughts around world events as well as my personal life. My personal mission and my personal values will guide each post. My mission draft is as follows: I live by the principles of; faith, charity/kindness, optimism, and integrity, as I continously learn and improve myself and every organization I am a part of. I work to push myself physically and mentally through daily workouts and participation in physical events.  I am working to learn and improve in the following areas. -Learn Piano -Learn Spanish -Business and negotiation skills -History and American Heritage -Building Relatioships -Astronomy -Gospel Study So come along with me on this journey as we learn fro...

I have always enjoyed reading and one of my goals for this year came from my reading of the gBook "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" By Stephen Covey. And because of it I decided to try and read at a minimum 1 book a month. Due to the Corona Virus and being isolated I have decided to resurrect my Blog and begin my writing with a book review. The Count of Monte of Monte Cristo is a story of trials, revenge, cunning, and so much more. I place it as one of the greatest works of fiction ever written. It is one of my personal favorites and this is my second time reading it. The story tells of one Edmond Dantes the protagonist who is imprisoned, suddenly on his wedding day. He is not told the reason for his arrest and imprisonment. But the reader knows the reason is because of the jealousy and ambition of 3 other men. With out giving away too much Edmond makes a friend in prison, a very wise man who teaches him much during his many years in prison. This man also give...