The World Keeps Getting Smaller

Last week, I had the pleasure of guesting on an Australian podcast, It's Never About Money. I had the most wonderful time with their host, Joe Stephan. If this show sounds like something up my alley, it is! In fact, my Media Director introduced the idea of me appearing on their show by saying, "Travis, we just found the Australian Meaning Over Money!" She knew that would quickly get my attention!

After we first connected, they asked if I would personally do the initial discovery call so they could get a feel for who I am and how I present myself. During that conversation, Joe pointed out that they don't often have many Americans on their show....but have had a few. As he lists off a handful of names, he blurts out a name that stopped me dead in my tracks: "Gary Hoag from Colorado." Gary Hoag!?!? My friend, mentor, and brother, Gary Hoag?!?! I about fell out of my chair, but then it got even more interesting. "Yeah, I know Gary! He's one of my closest friends and mentors!" I then held up a copy of the book Gary and I wrote together last year, which was sitting just to my left on my desk. We both got a kick out of that moment.

The world feels small, and it's getting smaller all the time. The fact two total strangers could meet over Zoom, realize they have a common friend, record a podcast together, and build a relationship in the process, all while never being closer than 9,000 miles apart, is mind-boggling!!! I admire Joe and his work, and it's fun to see someone on the other side of the world that shares a common mission. I can’t wait to progress my relationship with Joe and discover new ways we can work together to add value to this world.

I think about this idea a lot. Never before has practically every person on the planet been accessible by practically every person on the planet. Right now, I could send Lebron James a DM, and he may see it. Instantly! Or maybe I have a business idea to share with Elon Musk. Five minutes from now, he could be digesting my idea. Or perhaps I'm interested in getting a job at XYZ company. I could immediately send a message to the CEO with an offer to add value to them. What a world we live in!

If there's something on your mind, put it into action. If there's a connection you'd like to make, send the DM. If there's an idea stirring, send it into the world. You never know who or what will happen. It's quite possible nothing will happen, but I can guarantee nothing will happen if you don't. So why not take advantage of this shrinking world? After all, it will be fun!

If you're interested in listening to my appearance on It's Never About Money, you can find it on APPLE, SPOTIFY, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Rick Rubin on Creativity

“The goal of making art is not to show you just what everybody else sees. It’s to see what’s possible. And what’s possible is radical. It’s like we’ve built a very small world for ourselves with our reason…..We’ve learned what’s possible and what’s impossible. And if we accept what’s possible and what’s impossible, we can’t go beyond. If the Wright brothers accepted it was impossible for man to fly, we still wouldn’t be flying. All of the great revolutions that have happened, have happened because someone believed in something that everyone thought was impossible.”

I’m not a fan of interview-style podcasts, but in a rare move, I took some time yesterday to listen to a conversation between two of my favorite people, author and thought leader, Malcolm Gladwell, and legendary music producer, Rick Rubin. The entire conversation was centered around the idea of finding creativity. Not creativity in the sense of creating an amazing song or a literal piece of art, but rather the creativity we each have in us. I never used to think of myself as creative……the opposite, to be honest. However, over time I’ve realized creativity is one of my strengths and passions. It just looks different than the creativity brought forth by some of my friends’ more traditionally creative endeavors.

The above quote was from Rick Rubin, speaking of the importance of unlocking creativity in each of our journeys. This is the quote that locked me into the episode. It affirmed so much of what I think and how I think, but it set the tone for what would be a goldmine of a conversation to come. The world needs our creativity and will most certainly be a better place if we can muster the courage to share it with others.

If you can find 68 minutes of time in your day, whether you’re running errands, going on a run, road-tripping to see family, or mowing the lawn, I highly recommend you give this one a listen (Apple / Spotify). I could type for hours about some of these ideas, but my words would be doing their words a disservice. I’ll let them speak for themselves!