The Daily Meaning
Take your mornings to the next level with a daily dose of perspective and encouragement to start your day off right. Sign-up for a free, short-form blog delivered to your inbox each morning, 7 days per week. Some days we talk about money, but usually not. We believe you’ll take away something valuable to help you on your journey. Sign up to join the hundreds of people who read Travis’s blog each morning.
Archive
- November 2026
- October 2026
- September 2026
- August 2026
- July 2026
- June 2026
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- August 2021
- November 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- October 2019
- September 2019
Would You Wave the Wand?
Think about some of the more significant mistakes and failures you've experienced in your life. If they are significant, I suspect they involved some level of pain. Take the next 30 seconds to think about what these mistakes are.
"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.
Because Every Month Is Different
July has been absolutely bonkers for our family. By the time July comes to a close, one of both of us (Sarah or I) will have been traveling for 23 of the 31 days of the month. It’s a combination of work, fun, and family. With crazy summer travel comes a very common occurrence in households all across the country. Finances can become chaotic, unpredictable, and laxidazical. I have this conversation with clients all the time, reminding them they aren’t alone.
A Good Day's Work
Have I ever mentioned how much I love work? Not because it's fun (it's often not), but because it matters. There's something really fulfilling about waking up in the morning, serving people well, using our gifts and talents, and coming home knowing we gave it everything we had. Yesterday was a perfect example of it:
One Relationship Away
A decade ago, I was an avid user of a program called Instapaper. This tool allows you to save web articles and documents in a central location for later reading. If you’re anything like me, I frequently see interesting things to read, but am too busy with other obligations to digest it on the spot. Enter Instapaper. This app lets you click a button on your phone or desktop browser, and boom (!!!), it’s forever saved and organized until you decide to read it.
Beware of Survivorship Bias
I had a fun dinner last night with some of the employees who work for my client. One of them asked me about our most recent podcast, which took us down the finance rabbit hole. One of the young men commented on how debt is good, citing its prevalent use as a common trait amongst wealthy people. The dots were connected that using debt fuels success. In some ways, he's right. Using debt can propel success. On the flip side, however, just as using debt can accelerate success, it can also accelerate failure. But we don't talk about that much in our culture. Why?
The Stock Market Is Melting....or Is It?
Per usual, there's been a lot of talk about how bad the stock market is. According to the prevailing narrative, it's "risky," people have lost a lot of money, and it's not wise to put money in it. Whenever I wander into these types of conversations, I always ask why people think that. Inevitably, the answer is some form of "because it's lost so much money."
Coke and Context
I was recently trading texts with an old high school friend. We usually text about NBA basketball, but other times we hit on parenting, work, relationships, and life. In this particular conversation, he mentioned the prevalence of drugs in his world. A bit confused, I started asking him some questions. He was saying things that I cannot relate to in any shape or form. He's my exact age, and we spent most of our childhoods living in the same tiny town, hanging with the same people. If I wasn't already disoriented enough, he dropped a comment that shook me, "Honestly, it's hard to meet a girl who doesn't do coke." That's a different type of relational challenge than I've struggled with.....to put it lightly.
"Daddy is Helping People"
I didn't become a parent until I was 35 years old. One of the benefits of not becoming a parent until later in life is it allowed me to watch everyone around me parent. As I watched, I noticed one trend that disturbed me. Kids would freak out when their parents went to work. To an extent, I understood this. Kids want to be with their parents.....period. However, I noticed something else. Whenever the topic came up, it was communicated in some variation of the following: "I have to go to work."
In the Zone
Today's post is a weird topic, but since it's my blog, I suppose I get to do that. I've recently been thinking about the idea of being "in the zone." It's a common concept in sports. It makes me think back to Michael Jordan and some of his dominating performances over his illustrious career. Though mine weren't as infamous as his, I vividly remember being in the zone a time or two in my basketball career. Notably, a 47-point game in a JV tournament when I was a freshman in high school. It was like a switch inside me flipped, and everything around me was in slow motion. It was still me, but it was a different version. Nearly 30 years later, I still remember those feelings like it was yesterday.
A Price Tag on Legacy?
I was talking to someone the other day about big-picture financial goals. This topic often produces some interesting ideas, but there are a few responses I hear over and over. This particular man uttered an all-to-common phrase, "Leave a legacy for my kids." And by legacy, he meant millions of dollars dumped into his children's laps. I know this for two reasons: 1) that's typically what this phrase means in modern America, and 2) he clarified and said it means leaving his kids millions of dollars.
You Don't Know Until You Know
Several years ago, I was listening to an Adam Carolla podcast when a caller asked an interesting question. This was shortly after Adam had released his second documentary film. To paraphrase, the caller asked, "How did you know how to make a documentary?" Adam's response was simple, but profound. "I didn't know how to make a documentary until I made a documentary. Then I knew how to make a documentary."
Comfort or Impact
For nearly two years, Cole has been prodding me to record a specific episode I desperately fought against. His idea was simple: He would join me on the mics, and we would each detail our family's monthly budget...bit by bit. Yes, one of the things I try to focus on when creating content is vulnerability and transparency. Honesty always wins. However, the episode Cole was proposing was about seven steps further than I was comfortable going. I've discussed all sorts of personal financial and non-financial topics on the podcast and blog. However, this idea was something completely different. It was beyond my level of comfort.
Lessons From the Alpine Inn
Last week while in the Black Hills of South Dakota, my family decided to spend our last night dining at a local establishment. My sister-in-law received a tip from a tour guide about a restaurant all the locals frequent. It's called the Alpine Inn, and is nestled on a fun little main street drag in Hill City, population 922. From the moment we walked into this old German restaurant, I knew something different was happening. Then, in the coming hours (yes, hours), I would learn that "different" doesn't even begin to explain it.
Sunday at 4PM
We got home last night from a 5-day camping trip in the Black Hills. It was a great trip, filled with new experiences, shared memories, and tasty food. It was a long drive home, but it went as smoothly as an 11-hour journey with two six-year-old boys can go. I spent much of the drive home thinking about my week ahead. No, not dreading it. Instead, I couldn't have been more excited. We have some huge things in store at Northern Vessel this week, I have lots of awesome coaching sessions on the books, I'm meeting with some interesting people, and I have a bunch of meaningful content to produce. It's a wild feeling when you're on the way home from vacation, excited about what's waiting for you when you return.
The Psychology of Mountain Coasters
The other day, I took my kids to a place called Rush Mountain Adventure Park. It’s a great little place tucked just outside of Keystone, SD. It features a handful of attractions, but none greater than the mountain coaster. It’s less of a coaster and more of a toboggan ride…..but it’s wonderful!
The Generosity of Campers
There’s something about having new, temporary neighbors, and some level of shared experience, that connects people. It’s this idea of community, but actually lived out. When someone is trying to back in their camper, a total stranger swoops in to guide them. Another camper has an extra bundle of firewood, so they gift it to the adjacent campsite who just pulled in that afternoon. A few people are randomly walking by a group of people enjoying a meal, and they receive a thoughtful invite to stop and grab a bite to eat. A group of friends are playing volleyball or basketball, but they invite another group to join them. Total strangers, quickly turned friends, sharing what they have.
The Struggle is What Makes the Adventure
Last night, our family time at the campsite was cut short when a nasty thunderstorm blew in. It was the whole package: thunder, lightning, rain, and wind. We quickly retreated to the tent where we rode out the storm and eventually fell asleep. While we were trying to settle the boys in, they were a bit panicked. I think there’s some lingering impact from an absolutely brutal storm we endured in the tent earlier this summer…..which included Pax getting flooded out in the middle of the night. In an attempt to calm them down, I encouraged them that these are the moments that make the adventure. It helped…..a little.
Even the Best Laid Plans
I had something specific to write about today, but that all went out the window as I’m meandering through a string of failures. We’re on an annual family camping trip, which is starting off strong. I thought I had all the pieces in place to successfully publish this blog each day.
Who Are You Going to Offend?
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays of the year. There are so many things to love about it. However, there's one fringe benefit of the holiday that I look forward to each year. The social media outrage that bubbles up in the days leading up to it, ranting and raving about people setting off their personal fireworks. This sort of outrage has existed in various forms over the years, but it now prominently lives in community Facebook groups. This year's outrage did not disappoint. Multiple times each day, someone took to Facebook to air their grievances. Their justification for their outrage ranged from practical, to questionable, to outlandish. It was nothing short of spectacular!