The Daily Meaning
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A Clean Slate
If you're like many Americans, August can be a brutal month for your finances. It's a wild cocktail of end-of-summer travel, experiences with friends, back-to-school expenses, and the transition from summer to fall clothes. When all these factors combine forces, it's easy to implode our monthly budget.
The Hidden What-If Cost
Yesterday, I shared a meal with a friend. He's a young guy who reminds me of how I was around 20. Like me at 20, he loves investing. And, like me at 20, he prefers to do it irresponsibly and overconfidently. Ah, so many similarities between us. Part of me wants to shake him out of it, but then again, I don't think anyone was going to shake me out of my ridiculous ways back when I was his age.
Getting Rid of the "Just"
I recently had coffee with my friend Angie, and she said something that struck me deeply. She was sharing about some amazing developments in her career and how much peace/confidence/excitement she has as she's entering this new season. As she shared her newfound perspective and momentum, one of the contributing factors was giving herself more credit than she used to.
Yes, Your Work Matters. Yes, Even Yours
A young man recently contacted me via social media with a profound question. He stumbled upon a video clip from our Meaning Over Money podcast where I talked about how all work matters because it adds value to others. When he heard this, he started to question his own career choices. It's not because he hates his job.... it's the opposite, actually. And it's not because he doesn't make a decent living.... it's the opposite, actually. His pondering came from a place where he needed to know if his work actually adds value to others.
C.S. Lewis Makes a Good Point
One of my favorite C.S. Lewis stories revolves around a night he and his friend were walking down the street. Along the path, they see a homeless man. Lewis immediately reached into his pockets, pulled out all the cash he had on him, and handed it to the man. As they walked away, his friend said, "You shouldn't have done that. He's just going to squander it on tobacco and alcohol." Mr. Lewis looks at his friend and replies, "Well, that's what I was going to do with it."
"I Want to Be a ____"
About once a month, one of my kids will update his proclamation of what he wants to be when he grows up. Recent examples include a firefighter, basketball player, mowin' man, podcaster, and "in Twenty One Pilots."
What if the World Melts?
There's a lot of talk about the impending doom of America. Everyone has an opinion, and most people's opinions revolve around some notion of our economic system collapsing. Whether it's the housing market, our currency, the stock market, or some other piece of our economy, people think it's all going to melt.
"It Feels Like I'm Living My Dream"
Yesterday was the official launch of our new canned cold brew partnership with The We Will Collective, Iowa State University's NIL collective organization. We started by offering cans in our brick-and-mortar shop, followed by retail availability early next week and direct-to-consumer online sales a few weeks later. As I watched TJ pass out cans to eager Cyclone fans at our soft launch event yesterday morning, I couldn't help but smile. It felt like something big was happening, though none of us could adequately define what that truly means.
Shame On Me
I did it again. I promised myself I wouldn't, but I did. I suppose I haven't had enough punishment yet. When will I learn? Maybe next time I'll know better. These thoughts ran through my head yesterday as I sat in a local restaurant. I'd been in that restaurant countless times, which usually ended with similar laments oozing out of my pores. Each time, I say to myself, "This is the final straw!" Yet, there I was, subjecting myself to a level of torment I clearly deserved.
Yet Another New Season
In just a few hours, my boys will begin first grade. With it will come a plethora of varying emotions. On the one hand, I'll be proud of them and who they are becoming. On the other hand, I'll mourn the fact they are growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday, they were learning to walk and talk. Today, they read everything they see and constantly add random numbers. It seems like just yesterday, they decided it would be fun to fingerpaint with their poop. Today, they strategically drop farts on me and each other. Ok, some things never change!
What if Nobody Was Watching?
On the surface, giving has a simple and noble intent: to help people. However, we all know people give gifts (financial and otherwise) with other motives in mind.
"Do I Have to Like My Job?"
I receive this question often, but it felt particularly loaded when I recently received it from a man in Germany. He reached out via a DM on Instagram. There was a bit more context involved, but in short, he wanted to know the following: "Do I Have to Like My Job?"
I regularly reference a staggering statistic on this blog and the podcast. 70% of Americans dislike or hate their jobs. I hoped these last few years would help shift these numbers, but new data indicates it's more of the same. According to Gallup's latest numbers, 69% of Americans dislike or hate their jobs. In Europe, where this man resides, it's much, much worse. According to Gallup's recent study, 87% of Europeans dislike or hate their jobs. That's nearly 9 out of 10 adults across the entire continent. Holy crap!!! That's a staggeringly sad statistic.
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.
The Jobs That Shape You
During a recent conversation with a youth group student, the topic of jobs came up. And not just any jobs, but the crappiest of the crappy jobs. This student had recently experienced a string of terrible work. He was frustrated and feeling down about the entire idea of work.
Buy That Coffee
It's been a week. Today will mark my seventh consecutive day working at my client's office in Midland, TX. I've really enjoyed the work, and the people, but I'm spent. I've really poured myself out this week, and we've made some massive progress along the way. All in all, it's been a tremendously worthwhile endeavor.
The Reminders We Don't Want
On Saturday, during the busiest day of the week, our Northern Vessel coffee shop experienced what could have been the most tragic of situations. A car, stolen earlier that morning, barrelled into the side of our shop at full speed. It first struck a customer standing out front, sending him through the main window and down into the basement (the cavern being exposed due to the impact).
At the same time, two of our full-time staff members and a loyal customer were sitting on the built-in bench with their backs against the glass window. Upon impact, as the bench was dislocated (exposing the basement where the outside passenger fell), these three individuals began to retreat and were thrown across the room.
Playing the Long, Long....Long Game
As my kids are heading into first grade next week, they are in this sweet spot where they are just getting into reading. They are fascinated with it, but aren't yet fully proficient. Out of sheer curiosity, they try to read just about everything. TV tickers, nutrition labels, shirts in public (this one is dangerous), highway signs.....everything.
Just Stick Your Head In the Sand
One of my clients reached out with concern yesterday. He recently saw that one of the most famous investors in the world shorted the stock market. That means he's betting that the stock market will crash. If the market goes down, he wins. If the market goes up, he loses. It's also worth noting that he's reportedly put 90%+ of his portfolio in this position. In other words, a very prominent investing figure strongly believes the market is going down....and he's putting his money where his mouth is.
The Work Goes On
One of my friends recently left his job to do something else. He enjoyed his job and found a ton of fulfillment in it. He served a lot of people and made a significant impact on this world. But he felt a call to do something new in his life. In this new season of his career, he'll serve people differently. He'll use his gifts, passions, relationships, experiences, influence, and resources to find new ways to make an impact.