A Snail's Progress Is Deceiving

Recently, an Australian publication asked if I would repurpose and refresh an article I wrote about 18 months ago. They thought the content was interesting, engaging, and relevant to their audience. I was happy to oblige. After all, this was one of my favorite pieces I've written in the last few years. My intent was to simply dust it off, update some of the data, and provide some context more relevant for an Australian reader. Then, something happened.

Remember how this was one of my favorite pieces I had written? Upon a revisit, I thought it was garbage. The sentence structure was off in several places, my arguments were not as crisp as I expected, and the jokes felt a little flat. Wow! It was as if I was reading someone else's writing. I was, though. My younger self. Now one might not think a lot can change in 18 months, and you might be right. However, there's one fact to add to this story. Since I've published 300-500 words every day since November (plus writing for other publications), I've probably published more than 125,000 words since I wrote that piece. That's the equivalent of two entire books. Yikes!

That's the funny thing about a snail. It's hard to see its progress when you're staring at it. It looks painfully and embarrassingly slow. But if you turn your attention away from it, then come back later, it's startling how far its come. That same concept applies to us humans, and it's relevant to so many different areas of life.

Earlier this summer, my kids could barely swim…..and I certainly wouldn't trust them in the deep end. It was difficult for them to grab a diving ring from the four-foot depth. Yesterday morning, Finn treaded water for four minutes, and Pax swam the length of the pool in just a few breaths. They would have sunk like stones just a few months ago, but here we are! The snail is chugging along!

Whatever your craft, skill, art, hobby, book, music, or other endeavor is, just put the work in. It may feel like you're moving as slow as a snail, but that's a win! If you just keep going, one day you'll look back and be as shocked as we are at the snail. If I can go from garbage (my own harsh self-talk) to good in just one year, what does the next year look like? Or 5 years? Or 10 years? It's weird to think about.

What about you? What's something you need to just do, do, and do again? In what area do you need to put your head down and put the work in? Whatever your answer, I hope you do it! You deserve it, and so do all the people who will benefit from your excellent work!

One Bite at a Time

In November 2008, on the heels of just finding out we would soon be forced to move to a new state because of my job situation, my new fiancee (of three days) and I were sitting with $236,000 of debt and a whole lot of stress. To clarify, she had $0 of debt and I had $236,000. Beautiful, I know. Thus began a journey that would forever change our lives.

We didn't know how to pay off $236,000 of debt, so we did the only thing we could think of. We paid off what we could this month. Then we did the same thing next month. Then again the following month. Some months we paid off a ton, while in others, it was far less. But we were committed to making progress.

It reminds me of a famous quote from Desmond Tutu. "There is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time." We couldn't pay off $236,000 in one swoop, so we just took one bite at a time. 4.5 years later, the debt was gone. That final payment happened more than 11 years ago, and that achievement still boggles my mind.

Today, we published the 250th episode of the Meaning Over Money Podcast. That's 71 hours of content, free to the world, which will be archived and available online forever. Wow! Reflecting on that journey feels a lot like my debt payoff story. It's hard to fathom how we did it, but it was really just one bite at a time. Two episodes per week, every week, without fail, for nearly 2.5 years. We've never missed an episode. Every Monday and Wednesday since March 2021.

We didn't just wake up one day and decide to produce 71 hours of content. Rather, we woke up and produced 14 minutes of content, then 18 minutes, then 15 minutes, then 19 minutes. Over and over and over. We didn't do anything special. We just had a very clear mission: record 10-20 minutes of concise, relevant, engaging, and useful content for the people we wished to serve.

This is the power Desmond Tutu's words. We can accomplish anything, no matter the scale, if we simply take one bite at a time. It won't happen overnight, but luckily it doesn't have to. I hope you take your bite today!

"I Can't Believe This Is My Life"

"I can't believe this is my life," exclaimed a very frustrated, scared, and defeated wife, with tears in her eyes. It was about four years ago, and I was sitting in a conference room with a husband and wife who felt hopeless and helpless. They had made several poor financial decisions over the years, and the cumulative effect was starting to add up. They felt trapped in their jobs, suffocating in bills, and feeling like the walls were closing in. They were living a nightmare. In many ways, they were living the American dream, but in others, it felt like anything but. They had a bunch of debt, their monthly expenses were high, they had very little communication about money in their relationship, they had no real plan, and every month felt like a financial waste. They were running hard, but getting nowhere fast. Each month, they became progressively more scared about their finances, future, and marriage.

Fast forward to the present day. We're sitting in the same conference room, in the same seats. The wife, again with tears in her eyes, exclaims, "I can't believe this is my life." Except this time, they were tears of joy. In hindsight, that terrible meeting four years ago was a turning point in their journey. In that meeting, they decided to change how they view and handle money. They took a painful and daunting situation, and slowly (but surely) shifted it in a different direction. They committed to meaning over money, which felt like an odd approach considering money was the only thing that would solve their money problem. But that's the beauty of this approach to life. Choosing meaning transforms the relationship we have with the money already coming into our bank account. We can gain more intentionality, a clearer focus, and align those dollars with what matters most.

The journey started slow. Failure came knocking in those early months, but they kept going. Once they started making progress, it felt like a crawl. But even a crawl is better than standing still. Over time, they felt more confident and convicted in their plan. They started communicating better, and this money stuff brought them together in marriage (instead of tearing them at the seams). Then eventually, their progress accelerated more and more. Today, they are living their dream lives. There's a confidence and a clarity that follows them into the room. They are truly blessed.

"I can't believe this is my life".....x2. The first time, it was a tragedy. The second time, it was a miracle. They would be the first to tell you they aren't special. Nothing they did was sophisticated or complex. They didn't receive any windfalls. They got intentional, made it simple, did it together, failed themselves forward, and kept going.

If this speaks to you, I want you to know two things: 1) You can do it, and 2) it's worth it!

"Never Again!!!!!"

One of my clients just paid off a ton of credit card debt. It’s a debt they’ve had off and on for the better part of two decades. Now, after about a year of intense work and dedication, it’s gone! When I asked them how it felt to have it finally paid off, they didn’t react with excitement or enthusiasm. Instead, they looked disgusted. “Never again!!!", exclaimed the wife. It was as if years of frustration were let loose in that moment.

“Never again.” That moment represented a lot of different things to that couple. For me, it felt like a turning point. History has repeated itself multiple times for them over the years. Debt, pay off, debt, pay off. This time, however, feels different. They know better is waiting for them. They now have the tools to move past the debt and never let it haunt them again. They have a bigger purpose and the hunger to pursue it.

This idea applies to many areas of our life, money included. Sometimes we’re not ready until we’re ready. If we’re not ready, there’s almost nothing we can do to get it right. But if we are ready, there’s almost nothing that can stop us. If it goes the way I think it will, this will be the launching point of many good things to come for their family. I will always remember my “never again” moments (there were several), and I suspect they will, too.

Three important things happen when we reach this moment:

1) We prove to ourselves that anything is possible.

2) We prove to ourselves it’s never too late.

3) We model for others a better way. If we can do it, so can they.

It changes our lives, as well as the lives of other people around us. How cool is that?!?! Powerful stuff! Let’s get to work.

You Just Never Know

Just a handful of years ago, I was at a high school girls' basketball game cheering on some of my youth group kids. They were playing against one of their biggest rivals, which is always a fun game to watch. It was one of those years where their rival had a really solid team, led by a uniquely talented player. I remember watching that game and thinking, “I bet she’ll have some success at the next level.” My suspicions were right, but I was also so wrong. Not only would she “have some success.”, but she would go on to become the best women’s basketball player in the world. Caitlin Clark, man! Dare I say she’s literally transforming the game? It’s absolutely unbelievable. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d put a women’s basketball game on my calendar and DVR so I wouldn’t miss it…..and for it to be my most hated team, nonetheless. It’s like a Yankee fan getting excited to cheer on the Red Sox. It just doesn’t happen. But here we are! You just never know.

Life is funny like that. So many things in our journey can feel like that. Maybe not to the Caitlin Clark level, but to some degree of special. In the rare moments when I stop to think about all we’ve been through and all that’s happened, I have to shake my head in disbelief. Never in a million years did I even dream about some of these things. Last night was one of those nights. Our coffee company, Northern Vessel, just partnered with the Iowa Cubs (AAA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) to become the official coffee of the team and stadium. They even asked our founder, TJ, to throw out the first pitch at the season opener. It was a surreal experience to enjoy the game with the Northern Vessel crew while sipping on a Northern Vessel coffee. If you would have asked me even one year ago, I never would have imagined any of this being part of my life. You just never know.

I think there’s a common thread between Caitlin Clark, Northern Vessel, my journey, and your journey. We just have to keep moving forward. In the midst of it, it never feels sexy, or glamorous, or even worth it. We just put one foot in front of the other, do the right things for the right reasons, doing the hard work. Maybe it clicks, and maybe it doesn’t. Many things don’t click…..but some do. But we’ll never know until we do the work. This is what I love about stories like Caitlin Clark’s. You just never know.

Ode To Sleep and the Power of Patience

As a child of the 90s, I grew up on music videos. Even today, though I don’t listen to a lot of music, I love watching music videos. For the last few years, my absolute favorite music video has been “Ode To Sleep” by Twenty One Pilots. If you don’t know the song, and you probably don’t, you can check out the video HERE.

Aside from it being an amazing song, the concept of the video is what draws me in. It opens with Tyler and Josh performing a live show in front of just 12 people. It’s a grainy video shot in what appears to be a mix between a middle school cafeteria and a set piece from the movie Saw. This is two years into the band, and after all that grinding, they are giving 110% energy to just 12 people. The video immediately jumps forward 19 months, where they are performing the same song in front of 300 people. Again, 110% energy! Then, it jumps again. This time, 20 months into the future. This time, however, they are playing in front of 20,000 people…..with the same 110% energy. I get emotional every time I watch it.

They played for 2 years for the privilege of performing in front of 12 people…..but they kept going. They believed in themselves and the mission, and they did the hard work. Fast forward another 2.5 years and they were one of the biggest performers in the world. It was nothing…..until it was everything. If they were gauging success based on worldly numbers, they would have quit long before they had the opportunity to impact millions of people. I’ve seen them perform in person three times now, and can confidently say they are one of the best live performers in the entire world. It’s an experience unlike anything.

Though most of us won’t one day become international music sensations, we too have something in common with Twenty One Pilots. Success isn’t a predictable straight line. It oftentimes sometimes seems like nothing…..until it’s everything. You may be getting frustrated with something in your world. A project you’re working on. The promotion that should have come a few years ago. The business you started. The child you and your spouse so desperately desire to conceive. It’s so hard! Sometimes we just want to quit……quitting would be easier.

I’ve been thinking about that as it relates to our podcast. We’re 200+ episodes and 60+ hours of content in. We’ve been grinding for two years. And for whatever reason, our audience has exploded in the last few weeks. Hundreds of downloads per day. New episodes and old episodes alike. We’re getting DMs from people all over the world. We hit the top charts in other countries. It’s quite weird, to be honest. Like Twenty One Pilots and so many other things in life, it’s nothing…..until it’s everything. We don’t measure success in the numbers, and I’m glad we don’t. If we had, we would have given up a long time ago. We’re chasing something more important than numbers: impact.

Whatever you’re working on, please don’t stop. The world deserves to experience it, and you deserve to share it with the world. Sometimes it’s nothing…..until it’s everything.

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.

We Can't Just Skip to the Good Part

A while back, I was talking to my Meaning Over Money business partner, Cole Netten. We were talking about the podcast and how much traction we’ve gained with it. In that chat, I made a comment about how, in some ways, I wish we would have just started our business with the podcast instead of some of the other less-successful endeavors. I quickly realized how naive this comment was. Truth is, the podcast couldn’t have existed had we not been through all the other things. The thesis behind Meaning Over Money wouldn’t have been vetted like it is now. I wouldn’t have been able to clearly communicate ideas via video and audio on the podcast had we not done some of our earlier media projects (I was a hot mess in our early productions!). Even the name Meaning Over Money wouldn’t exist had we not worked on those earlier projects. None of what we have today would be possible without what we went through. We can’t just skip to the good part.

Yesterday, the Des Moines Register did a full-page story about my friend and Northern Vessel business partner, TJ Rude. I was a bit surprised by how vulnerable TJ was about his past failures and burnout. The birth of his coffee dream was full of so much hope and optimism, but just two years later he announced the closure of his shop and the potential end of his dream. Today, not only is Northern Vessel back, but it’s taken our metro by storm. Four years after its original launch, TJ has created something truly special…..and there’s no telling where it will go from here. In many ways, I suspect TJ wishes he could have just skipped to the good part. However, none of what he has today, or even who he is as a person, would be remotely possible had he not gone through everything before it. We can’t just skip to the good part…..and we should be grateful for that.

This Is Pointless

I recently became a partner in a start-up coffee company, Northern Vessel. Today marks the one-month anniversary of our brick-and-mortar opening. By any metric or measurement, the most appropriate way to describe the results of the last month is, well, meteoric. It’s been far greater than we could have ever imagined, and for that we’re grateful.

I’ve had lots of people ask me why Northern Vessel has experienced so much success, so quickly. My answer is always the same: failure and persistence. While Northern Vessel is a start-up, this is actually the fourth iteration of the company. We call it NV 4.0. The concept was birthed five years ago when our founder, TJ Rude, lived in Los Angeles and fell in love with their unique coffee culture. Soon after that, NV 1.0 was born. It was a coffee cart that served up their signature Cold Brew Lattes at grad parties, weddings, and other events worth celebrating. I was first introduced to NV at a grad party for one of my youth group kids and was immediately fascinated.

During COVID, as all events were shut down, NV started a delivery service (NV 2.0), where TJ would hand-deliver larger batches of drinks right to people’s doors (which is the first time I met TJ…..at my front door with a big bottle of Cold Brew Latte in his hands). It was during this stretch of time that Alex Prins, our creative and branding guru, entered the mix. TJ and Alex made a fantastic team and they had pretty big dreams about what NV could someday become. As COVID waned, they reopened their cart outside a restaurant…..then eventually took occupancy in that restaurant space (NV 3.0). Then suddenly, it all just ended. Due to a combination of factors, TJ pulled the plug and NV ceased to exist in any material form. Though I still wasn’t involved at that point, my heart broke for them….especially TJ. This was his baby and his dream. You can listen to a great podcast episode where TJ tells his story HERE.

Fast forward a year, from an outside perspective NV is an overnight success. When I think about NV, I think about this image:

From @visualizevalue on IG. Go follow them!

What people don’t see today is the blood, sweat, and tears TJ put in for nearly a half-decade. Or the awesome work Alex put in for the last 2+ years. They didn’t see the brutal grind, long hours, low pay, and less-than-glamorous lifestyle these two guys lived. I coached both of these guys for a season and I can attest nobody would have been jealous of their budgets or bank accounts. They were a couple of guys with a big dream, filled to the brim with passion, and talent coming out their ears.

I think the world is a better place because of what they built. Had TJ and Alex just walked away, thousands of people wouldn’t have the opportunity to enjoy it today. We all reach a point on our journey where it just feels pointless. We aren’t seeing the fruit, we encounter obstacle after obstacle, and it would just be easier to quit. It makes me wonder how many books, songs, businesses, ministries, and movies end up in a grave because their creators thought it was pointless and simply walked away. What if they were just one year, one month, or one week away from it all finally clicking?

What if it’s not pointless? What if it’s actually what you’re meant to do?

It’s Never Too Late

Last weekend, a friend approached me and said he had news wanted to share with me. Immediately, his eyes welled up as he started talking. He excitedly shared with me how he and his wife had just become debt free and set into motion a dream they had talked about for so long.

Any time someone shares a big win, I celebrate with them. However, this one felt different. I worked with them nearly a decade ago…..with very little success. And that experience came on the heels of very little success for the prior several decades. Literally decades of wishing, wanting, and not seeing it materialize. But not this time! This time they did it!

It’s never too late. This couple could have given up decades ago, conceding the system was rigged against them. I’m so glad they didn’t. In that moment, I could see so many regrets, mistakes, and failings wipe away from him. It’s like they dissolved right there in an instant.

It’s never too late to do the thing you’ve constantly failed at, were too scared to try, or kept putting off for any number of reasons. It’s never too late!

The Power of Not Stopping

My business partner recently confessed he hates our podcast cover art. Shocked at his statement, I responded, “what do you mean you hate it? You made it!!!” I thought I had him! He’s going to insult his own baby? His response to my response was, “I didn’t think we’d make it past 20 episodes, so I just threw something together quickly.” Wow…..!!!! How dare he!

19 months after starting the podcast, we’re more than 170 episodes in and we’re just getting started. On the outside, it seems like we have it all together, brimming with confidence. It couldn’t be further from the truth. There are so many times we want(ed) to quit. After all, quitting would be easier. Sometimes it’s hard to keep going when the going gets tough. Perhaps we’re just too stubborn to quit. We fail at something, so we try something new. We fail at that, so we again go back to the drawing board.

Podcast analytics can be hard to come by, but there’s one site that attempts to put it into perspective. Of the roughly 2.98 million podcasts that exist (which may also approximate how many have ever existed), they say we’re in the top 3% of all-time. We’re no Joe Rogan, that’s for sure. I think this statistic tells us more about everyone else than it does about us. To me, this is a measure of persistence. Most people quit, but we didn’t. We hope to produce amazing content for an ever-growing global audience for years to come, but that dies the moment we give up. Translation: we aren’t giving up…..even when it gets hard. The mission is too important to let our discomfort get in the way.

There’s at least one area of your life where this concept needs to be applied, and you know exactly which one. Go for it! I promise it will be worth it.