Don't Judge a Birria By Its Cover

I'm in a men's group that meets every Wednesday at noon. Each week, a different person is responsible for choosing the restaurant. We only have three rules:

1. The chooser can't announce the selected restaurant until within 60 minutes of the meeting time.

2. The restaurant has to be within the city limits.

3. No national chains. 

This week was my week! I chose my favorite Mexican restaurant because they recently began serving Birria tacos. If you have yet to try Birria tacos, immediately stop reading this blog and Google where you can find them in your town. Anyway, this restaurant is always a no-brainer for me. There's a running joke in our town that every time a new restaurant is being built, we assume it's a Mexican restaurant. I just fact-checked it and can confirm our 72,000-person town has 12 Mexican restaurants......and my favorite is ranked #12. Dead last! Are you kidding me?!?!

Birria for the win!!

Here's the thing. This restaurant isn't fancy. It looks suspect on the outside, and though the inside is clean, there's nothing notable about the atmosphere. When I mention it to other residents, they respond with, "Ew, I'd never go there," or "I've never actually been there before." So how does such a "bad" restaurant become one of my favorites in town? Perhaps it's because of all the time I spend in SE Asia, but I've learned that when it comes to restaurants, we should never judge a book by its cover. Some of the best food in the world is served in some of the most unassuming spaces. Now I'm not calling this Mexican restaurant some of the best food in the world, but I am asserting that it's grossly overlooked for all the wrong reasons. When dining at a restaurant, I want fantastic food, served with a positive attitude, at a reasonable price. And "reasonable" is contextual to the situation. I've had $8 meals that were overpriced and $100 meals that were underpriced. But the food needs to stand on its own. 

This story has parallels with so many areas of life. We often overlook opportunities for the silliest of reasons:

• Everyone else is overlooking it, so it must not be good.

• It's not shiny and sexy.

• If we try it and fail, people may laugh at us.

• We don't clearly define what's important to us.

• It's easier to do what everyone else is doing

• We trust people's opinions, even when we shouldn't. 

Whether it's a suspect-looking restaurant or an interesting opportunity that presents itself to you, consider this idea. Some of the best gifts are wrapped in the dullest packaging. And remember, nobody really cares about the wrapping paper once you get inside. 

Taking Advantage of THOSE Moments

One of my friends/clients just experienced a significant moment in his life. It's one of THOSE moments, which come in various shapes and sizes. Some are the result of skill, some luck, and others a combination of the two. Each of us will experience a handful of these opportunities in life.....some more, some less. This situation is the first real moment in my friend's young journey. In his case, it looks like a large sum of money coming his way. It's one of THOSE moments!

Here's the problem with these types of moments. When they happen, they often feel overwhelming. The moment feels large, the opportunity great, and the responsibility weighty. These types of moments open up so many paths, but many of those paths are fruitless endeavors. Sadly, in all my years walking alongside people in this area of money, most people will throw away these types of moments. Most of these moments get squandered. Not intentionally, usually. If handled right, these moments can materially alter our lives. If handled poorly, at best, they turn into nothing burgers; at worst, they sow the seeds of eventual regret and resentment. 

As I was talking to my friend yesterday, I reminded him that, if done right, this moment has the power to change his life, as well as the lives of others. It's an amazing opportunity for him, and I encouraged him in his decision-making process. What path will he take? Only time will tell. 

I've had a handful of THOSE moments in my life. Most of the time I've gotten it right, and I attribute much of where I am today to those critical decisions. Although the thousands of decisions we make each day matter, some carry more water than others. THOSE moments can have a monumental impact on our journey. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:

• Receiving a sum of money or inheritance.

• The opportunity to say "yes" (or "no") to a major job/career opportunity.

• Declining to pursue significant materialistic endeavors (especially early in the journey).

• Doing that ridiculously generous act, even if it doesn't seem to make logical sense. It will change you from the inside out.

• Getting on that plane, even though what's on the other side of the flight is scary, unknown, or uncomfortable. 

• Starting that business that you're afraid will fail.

Each of us will have a handful of THOSE moments in our lifetime, and how we respond will likely shape the trajectory of our life. It's a scary but empowering thought. I pray for clarity and confidence as you experience yours. 

Say "Yes", Then Enjoy the Ride

I've spent all week amidst the oilfields of West Texas. 105 degrees, sunny, strong winds, and a culture far removed from my normal day-to-day life. I've been on-site with a client, working on some fun but intense projects. It's been a series of 12-hour work days capped off by a delightful meal before returning to the hotel. It's been a challenging week, but it's been a rewarding week. I never anticipated this is where I'd spend a week of my life in June 2023, but life is funny like that. There were a million reasons it wouldn't happen, but one thing led me to this place: "Yes." In December, I had a coffee with a man who runs an up-and-coming company. This is where he asked me to do some work for them. I didn't really know what to say, as the work was a lot different than most of my other client and content creation work. However, it sounded fascinating, it was an opportunity to exercise some of the skills I put on a shelf after leaving my last career, and I knew it would be immensely challenging. I was correct on all accounts.

I'm not advocating we say "yes" to every single opportunity that comes our way. I know first-hand how poorly that can go for us. However, I suggest that maybe we need to be more willing to say "yes." Sometimes we need to say "yes" enough times before we truly understand where we need to say "no." Some of the best parts of my life are things I likely would have said "no" to.

If you're anxious about saying "yes" to something, ask yourself one crucial question: "I am stuck if I do this?" In most cases, there's no real risk to saying "yes." I could have done one project for this company, realized it wasn't for me, then quickly got out. No harm, no foul. That option was on the table. Instead, I'm in Texas meeting new people, learning new things, and adding value to others in a different way. It's wonderful, and I'm grateful for the opportunity!

I'm excited to see my family later tonight, but I'll also be excited for my next trip to one of this company's various locations. Life is a fun journey full of twists, turns, and uncertainties. I heard we'll never get out alive. If that's true, let's say "yes" more often and enjoy the ride.

Good Ideas Are Good Ideas

While in a meeting today, my Media Director casually mentioned what may be the best idea I’ve heard all week. It’s a new concept for the podcast that could be a game-changer for us. A few hours before that, my assistant dropped an amazing idea in my lap. Just yesterday, while having coffee with a youth group kid, they dropped a little brilliant gem of an idea on me. A few days ago, a client shared a totally fresh idea about how we can handle our finances well.

Good ideas are all around us! Frequently, however, we’re so set in our ways that we disregard or overlook these amazing ideas. It’s a shame. Pride, stubbornness, and laziness are often the culprits that come between us and the countless brilliant ideas that land on our plates. If I’m being honest, most of the good things I’ve done in my life are the ideas, or inspiration from the ideas, shared with me by people in my circle.

What’s interesting is much of the time, people don’t realize their brilliant ideas are brilliant ideas. They are just sharing perspectives, experiences, or stories. They don’t open their mouths with the explicit intent of dropping game-changing ideas on others. They are just chatting and being real.

The question is whether we’re going to sincerely keep our ears and minds open to brilliance. It’s so easy to overlook, but if we’re intentional with how we engage with others, some of the best ideas in our lives are sitting right there waiting to be harvested. Seize the opportunity!

Letting Opportunity be Opportunity

We work, work, and work some more. All the while, we’re hoping that opportunity finally comes our way. We wait, wait, and wait some more. When will it finally happen?!?! So we work, wait, work, wait, and work some more. Finally, the opportunity of a lifetime slaps us right in the face. It finally happened!!!

We’re so excited for the opportunity, and of course grateful, but instead of just saying ”yes”, the self-talk creeps in. Is this really what we want? What if we fail? Maybe it’s too much work. What if we’re too successful? If it came to us, maybe it’s not as good of an opportunity as we thought. There are probably many more opportunities where that came from. The spiral begins. This is a pattern I see with so many people, in all different industries and contexts. I wish I could say I’m immune, but I’m not.

I was recently flirting with a writing deadline on my plate. I knew I owed my Media Director a first draft, but I didn’t produce it as quickly as I should have. She waited…..then waited some more. Finally, it happened. Fun article, great feedback, mission accomplished. Next article…..the same story unfolded. That’s when my Media Director dropped a little reality bomb on me. “Travis, I have colleagues asking me how they can get their people an opportunity to write for this publication.” Crap, I knew where she was going with this. I responded with a question, “Is this your way of telling me I’m taking this opportunity for granted?” Of course I already knew the answer. It’s never fun eating a slice of humble pie, but that’s why we need to surround ourselves with good people. They will feed it to you when it’s necessary to do so.

Another example. Northern Vessel, the coffee company I co-own, has two amazing opportunities in front of it*. Either one would easily be the biggest opportunity in the four-year history of the company. These opportunities have the potential to fundamentally alter the trajectory and direction of the company forever. While I wish TJ (NV founder) would have had these opportunities sooner than now, he wasn’t ready. But today? He’s ready today! He has the team, infrastructure, technology, brand, processes, experience, systems, and products to not only embrace the opportunity, but thrive through it. Then, there’s the work. These will no doubt be some of the hardest things he’s ever done or had to figure out. To be honest, it would be really easy for TJ to say “no.” There’s no risk of failing by respectfully declining. Since these opportunities came, maybe it’s easy for him to think many more will come in the months and years to come. TJ could have easily spiraled his way out of these opportunities.

TJ is built differently, though. He knows he’s ready. He also doesn’t take things for granted. If you’ve fought, failed, climbed, and clawed through as much as he has as a business owner (many of you know exactly what I’m talking about), you need to let opportunity be opportunity. Embrace it, give it everything you got, and accept whatever comes of it. Maybe you’ll crush it….or maybe you’ll fall flat on your face. But just make sure you don’t look back and regret not simply letting opportunity be opportunity.

* I hate not being fully transparent. My apologies for having to be a bit vague on the Northern Vessel front. I have full intention of sharing in more detail when I’m able! Stay tuned.

So Much Opportunity

Due to some very, very strange circumstances with his last employer, one of my close friends suddenly found himself out of a job. It would have been easy for him to play his tiny pity violin, and maybe he did for a few days, but violin pity music doesn’t pay the bills. He did the first thing he needed to do: look for a new job.

To be honest, this hasn’t always been his strong suit. Pursuing new jobs sits on his priority list just ahead of a root canal and spending a half day at the DMV. It’s not what he wants to do, but it’s the boat he’s in at the moment. He recently applied for three completely different opportunities, each with its own schedule, skill set, and responsibilities. Much to his surprise, he got all three!! One is a short-term project and the other two are consistent jobs. If he were to be honest, none of the three excite him all that much. However, they will pay the bills and help keep the financial train on the track while his family figures out what’s next. Having this income will reduce financial stress/tension and hopefully prevent the negative implications that inevitably come from that.

There’s a lot of opportunity out there…..so, so much opportunity. Every time I hear someone say “there’s nothing available”, I just roll my eyes. In today’s digital world with social media, remote work, flexible jobs, and entrepreneurial opportunities abound, there’s no excuse for not finding something. And by something, I’m not necessarily referring to the job of your dreams. I’m talking about something that will work…..for now….until the next thing presents itself. If you’re in the need for income, go find it. Think creatively, make some calls, and apply for some positions. The worst that can happen is a “no.” As I often mention to my young friends, there’s no limit to the number of “no’s” we get to experience. So what if we receive 10,000 “no’s.” It just means a “yes” is right around the corner. The “no’s” are the entry price to get to the “yes’s.” Let’s get going!

** This isn’t just for people looking for work. If you’re reading this, chances are there’s something in your life you want to do, but don’t want to deal with the “no’s.” I promise you it’s worth it! It may not feel like it while you’re in the thick of it, but at some point, you’ll absolutely be grateful for your former self gutting through it.