Your Ideal Reset

My family recently had its annual summer vacation. We take several random trips throughout the year, but this is our sixth year taking this specific trip. It's the highlight of our family's summer, and an event most highly anticipated by all four of us.

Including travel days, we were gone for eight days. If you ask Sarah, she would say that a few more days would be perfect. If you ask me, two to three fewer days would be perfect. Even while having the best time in the world, I start going stir crazy by day six. It's not that I take it for granted or don't love it, but by that time, my mind and body are ready to get back to work.

A study conducted in 2012 found that, on average, the ideal length for a vacation is eight days. That's when we achieve maximum satisfaction before the law of diminishing returns kicks in. If you're not familiar with the law of diminishing returns, think about a delicious apple pie. That first slice is amazing! The second slice is also pretty fantastic! The third slice, though? That third slice starts to make us feel a little lethargic. What about the fourth slice? The fourth slice makes us queasy. What about the fifth? We're in a coma. Somewhere between the first slice and the second slice is peak satisfaction, which begins to diminish after that until we become worse off.

Vacations are the same. After a certain amount of time away, we achieve our peak satisfaction from our trip. Then, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. In my particular situation, I hit that point around day six. I NEED to get back into life and rhythm. I NEED to serve people again. I NEED to re-engage with my company.

The law of diminishing returns is one of the key reasons I vehemently disagree with the notion of early retirement. For those who believe that a life of leisure is the prescription to happiness, the law of diminishing returns has some bad news for you. In practice, a life of leisure eventually becomes empty and unfulfilling.....like that fourth and fifth slice of delicious apple pie. Too much of a good thing can become a very bad thing.

The alternative, though, can be beautiful. A mix of work and play, time on and time off, serving people well before getting a reset, pushing hard and then resting. It's a give and take. We don't have to grind ourselves into a pulp so that we can eventually take our ball and go home. My biggest encouragement is for people to find a permanently sustainable rhythm that you never want to retire from. How amazing would that be!?!?

What about you? What's your ideal vacation timeline? Sarah votes for 10 days. I vote for 5 or 6. The data says 8. What say you?

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Blood Money

I've received countless thoughtful responses to yesterday's post about my friend who turned down his dream job because it would require him to effectively take a $850/month pay cut. His dream, calling, and aspirations were sitting right in front of him, and all he had to do was say "yes." He said "no." Money overcame meaning. He knows that, and he also recognizes that the societal pressures all around him were the driving force for his ultimate decision.

One reader took exception to my analysis and aggressively came to the defense of my friend. "You're a finance guy, Travis. You know the math. If your friend invests $850 each month for the next 25 years, that's $1,000,000. That's how he gets to create generational wealth. He'd be stupid to throw away that opportunity."

The math is correct. $850 contributed per month, at a 9% annual return, for 25 years (300 months), would result in about $950,000. He's absolutely right.

You know what I call that? Blood money. If my friend throws away his dreams, calling, and aspirations for the next 25 years (from age 42 to 67) and instead hoards all of this excess money, he'll end up $1M richer. Last time I checked, he only gets one life. One chance. One opportunity. One shot at this. And he's going to exchange the 25 most productive years of his life for a million dollars?!?!? Blood money!

If you know me (whether personally or through the blog/podcast), you know that I'm a big believer in investing. I teach it, advocate for it, encourage it, and help people execute it. I'm a staunch believer in the power of long-term investing. However, NEVER at the expense of meaning and impact. If our investing prevents us from living a meaningful life or it's at the expense of making an impact on others, it defeats the purpose.

Money for money's sake is like losing the game in the first quarter, but not yet knowing you lost. It's the kind of loss that sneaks up on us and blindsides us just as we thought we were about to win.

Sure, my friend could elect to invest $850/month for the next 25 years by turning down his dream. It will result in a million dollars. That's real money. Alternatively, he could live with meaning and follow his dream, calling, and aspirations, and undoubtedly live an amazing life. Not 25 years from now when he has a ton of money, but today. Today. Tomorrow. Next week. Next month. Next year. Always.

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Putting the Meaning Where Our Mouth Is

One of my friends was beyond ecstatic! He had just received word that he was accepted for his dream job. For more than 15 years, he's been talking about how much he aspired to do x type of work. I'm going to be intentionally vague on the specifics, as I want you to focus more on his decision pattern than his interests. But let's just say this guy has been over-the-top interested in this field.

Fast forward one month, and I ran into him at a local restaurant. Obviously, I asked him about his new job. "How's the new job going?!?! Everything you hoped it would be?"

Then, he dropped a bomb on me. "Well, I actually turned it down. They just couldn't get there financially." He explained that the salary offered was $15,000 less than his current job.

"But that was your dream job!!!!" I exclaimed.

This is the part that got me. He shared with me that he was ready to take the job, but several trusted people in his life criticized him and told him it would be a dumb decision. In his heart, he knew he needed to seize this opportunity. However, when push came to shove, the cultural pressures around him to prioritize money won the day.

He just sold his dream for $15,000/year, $1,250/month. After taxes, it's probably more like $850/month. He sold his dream for $850/month!!! Also, to clarify, this $850/month isn't the difference between his family surviving or not. This $850/month is lifestyle, margin, and more investing. He had been waiting his entire life for this moment, and turned it down for $850/month.

Please don't hear me criticizing him or looking down upon him. I get it. There's an immense cultural pressure to place money above all else. "Take care of your family." "Provide." "Create wealth." "They deserve more." It's so loud that it can seem deafening.

I've been there. I've looked at myself in the mirror and ultimately chosen money. I've fallen into that trap.....multiple times. I'm not trying to be a hypocrite here. Rather, I'm just some random dude who has lived on both sides of this coin that cares enough to die on the hill that the meaning side will always trump the money side. IF, and only IF we can put our meaning where our mouth is, our lives begin to open up and we experience something far richer than money could ever buy. Easier said than done, but so, so worth it!

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No Countdowns

We tend to look at lives as some form of long-term countdown. We perceive ourselves (and our loved ones) as 90 years old, then count backwards. I'm 30, I have 60 years left. I'm 50, I have 40 years left. I'm 70, I have 20 years left. For whatever reason, we put this arbitrary date on our proverbial calendar, then measure our time against that.

One of my friends recently found out his wife has "One to three months" left to live. In their 30s, their internal clock probably said they had 60 more years left in the countdown. Then, at the snap of a finger, their countdown is reduced to 30-90 days.

There are no countdowns. All we have is today, plus whatever tomorrow brings. There's a tension in that unknown, as we must embrace today for all it is while also preparing for the future in our imagination. We might be gone tomorrow......or still here at 90.

I've mentioned several times on this blog that I've always had a feeling that my time would come sooner rather than later. It's not a comforting feeling, but it has helped me think a lot about this topic.

While I spend much of my professional time helping families prepare for the long run, I also beat on the drum of living with meaning TODAY. If all we do is live for today, we might end up sabotaging our future selves. On the flip side, if all we do is live for the future, we might never actually live with true meaning. Again, the tension.

In a world with no countdowns, the answer feels obvious to me. Simply live with meaning. Live with meaning today, live with meaning tomorrow, and hopefully, God willing, continue living with meaning when we're 90. If we're living with meaning, everything else will eventually sort itself out. It's not about how much we spend, save, or invest. It's not really a mathematical conversation at all. Instead, let's look past the money and aggressively pursue meaning for meaning's sake. In a world with no countdowns, meaning is the thread that holds it all together.

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Idle Hands

With one day left in the month, Northern Vessel has already shattered most of its all-time single-month records. By all accounts, everything continues to trend in a shockingly positive direction. A week doesn't go by without a business, investor, or property requesting us to open a new location.

Speaking of new locations, it's the elephant we hear nearly every single day:

"When are you going to open a new location?"

"When are you going to expand?"

"Where will the next shop be?"

"Why don't you open another spot?"

"You'd make so much more money if you would just grow!"

Yes, it's the elephant in the room. You know what they say about idle hands, though. This is the moment most business owners would get big eyes, grow complacent with their current operation, and decide to start multiplying. Having worked with countless businesses, I think this approach is often a huge mistake.

Multiplication sounds simple and effective. Just do the same thing again, and make twice as much money. However, there are deep implications to such an approach. It increases risk while spreading thin our time, attention, energy, leadership, team, and resources. It's nearly impossible to retain the same level of excellence by multiplying. Few can do it well, but most crash and burn.

Our strategy is completely different. Instead of letting our idle hands lead us down the road of multiplication, we're going to double down and triple down on excellence. Whatever we're doing, we need to be better. Better hospitality, better drinks, better experience, better atmosphere, better process.

Here's where I think businesses and people make a critical mistake. Every time we hit our peak, we think it's our peak peak. The truth is that it's not our peak peak, but rather our next peak. We have so much more in us!

Here's how this has played out at Northern Vessel. As we round out our shop's third year, we've noticed a trend. This year's floor was the prior year's ceiling. Our prior best becomes the new worst. Every time we think we've hit our peak, it turns out to be the new floor. The bar gets raised, then we endeavor to meet it again. It's a self-perpetuating cycle. That's the real secret behind sustained growth. The relentless pursuit of excellence!

This applies to all of us, whether an individual or a business. If we're not careful, our idle hands lead us down some awfully self-destructive roads. Instead of trying to find easy or artificial ways to grow, sometimes we just need to be more excellent. Excellence is the gateway to the next level.....and then the next. Wherever you are in the journey, just know that your current peak will soon be your new floor. Keep raising the bar!

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A Hole Full of Water

Yesterday, I had the privilege of swimming with my kids. If you're a parent of small children, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Never underestimate the power of a hole full of water. There's something magical about it for kids. For hours, and hours, and hours, and hours, the boys swam, jumped, and splashed around. We dove for toys, did handstands, practiced our cannonballs, made hurling football catches, and plenty of other silly games.

To me, this represents the simplicity of life. Life doesn't require massive outlays of money, elaborate plans, and exotic destinations. Often, it just requires a hole full of water. Perhaps not literally a hole full of water, but a figurative hole full of water. The simple things are the best things. The simple things are the most valuable things. That principle applies to adults just as much as it does to kids.

Think about your purest moments of peace. Do they revolve around some elaborate and expensive endeavor? I suspect most people's answers will be a hole full of water type answer.

My hole full of water is a cup of black coffee in the morning, a long walk with a good podcast playing in my ears, and watching a movie at night with kids positioned against both my hips. Those are my holes full of water. Simple, pure, inexpensive, and priceless.

What are your holes full of water? Whatever they are, keep going back to those wells.

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Empty Soul, and Tons of Regret

As I was scrolling social media last night, I stumbled upon something that stopped me in my tracks. It was a distraught-looking middle-aged man staring into the bathroom mirror, with the following text plastered across the screen: "30 years of service to a job, and all you have to show for it is an empty house, empty soul, and tons of regret." I'm not going to share the post, as my thoughts aren't as much about this particular man as they are about the broader phenomenon.

I've seen this look on too many faces. I've heard these words from too many mouths. So many people (especially men) are suffering in silence.

One of the root causes of this phenomenon is our perspective on work:

1. We generally view work as a necessary evil. We expect work to suck, then just like clockwork, it sucks.

2. If work sucks, then the objective becomes the race to someday quit working (i.e., retirement).

3. If work is supposed to suck and our goal is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible, we unintentionally create a self-fulfilling prophecy in the selection of our job(s).

4. When we spend half of our waking hours at work, and said work is soul-sucking, then there's probably not a lot of gas left in the tank for the things we do actually care about. Thus, those things also suffer. Our relationships, our hobbies, and our passions.

5. When we finally "win" the race and get to retirement, we realize this life of leisure wasn't actually the answer after all. That brings on an entirely new level of pain and emptiness.

6. Enter the regrets.

The solution to this is unbelievably simple, yet so very difficult. It's called aggressively and violently pursuing meaning each and every day. Every day matters. Weekend days matter. Work days matter. Holidays matter. Vacation days matter. Young days matter. Middle-aged days matter. Older days matter.

But if we live our lives as if half our waking hours don't matter because we at least have the rest, the pain starts to bleed into all the days. Instead, what if all the days mattered? What if we found just as much meaning in our job as we did in our home life? What if our work provided a similar richness that our weekends provide?

It's simple. It's difficult. It's attainable. It's worth it.

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Self-Employment Is Perfect, If…

It's a sentiment I hear all the time, but one specific conversation with a friend inspired today's post. He's a man who has experienced a decent amount of success in his corporate career. He makes good money, he's in a field that aligns with his skills and passions, and he generally likes his job. All in all, he would self-describe his life as meaningful and his work fulfilling. However, the grass always feels greener on the other side. And to him, the grass of self-employment seems a lot greener than that of corporate America.

In his words, self-employment sounds "Perfect!"

I gotta admit, self-employment IS perfect. I say that tongue-in-cheek, of course. Seriously, though, self-employment is perfect if....

....you enjoy having the worst boss ever.

....you're okay having no paid time off.

....you don't know whether or not you'll have enough income to feed your family this month.

....every hour of the day becomes a potential work hour.

....you prefer to arrange (and pay for) your own medical insurance.

....you're cool paying double payroll taxes.

....you're excited to take on marketing, admin, finance, and accounting responsibilities.

....you wake up in the morning thinking you'll become the next Jeff Bezos, but go to bed wondering if you'll be homeless tomorrow.

....you're committed to making sure everyone else gets paid before you make a penny.

If that's you, yeah(!!!), self-employment is perfect! Seriously, though, I do love self-employment. However, it's not the magic pill many think it is. It can be brutal, unforgiving, and ruthless. Our collective romanticism of self-employment / business ownership doesn't fairly represent the true reality that people in the trenches are experiencing.

I sincerely think most people would be happier in their traditional job. Traditional work can and should be beautiful, fulfilling, and meaningful. Please don't let society trick you into believing you must "be your own boss" in order to be successful. The best path for you is whatever the best path is for you.....period.

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It’s NEVER Too Late

A few readers have recently accused me of being fatalistic in my two recent posts about rich vs. wealthy. The first post is HERE, and the second post is HERE. In short, I made the argument that there's a massive difference between being wealthy (all about money) and being rich (nothing about money). I followed it up by saying it's possible to have both, but the irony is the journey to both requires us to pursue rich (meaning), not wealthy (money). Meaning over money, if you will. When we pour our blood, sweat, tears, and passions into something, there's a strong likelihood we'll have some form of financial success.

Here's what one reader said about my two posts: "I feel like you're telling people that once they pick a road, they are screwed. That's it. That's your fate."

First, I totally understand how someone could read into my words and think that. I'm always grateful for the back-and-forth with readers; that's what gives this daily blog a soul!

Here's where I land on this topic. Not only do I disagree with the notion that once you pick a path, you're screwed, but I would double (er, triple!) down on the idea that it's NEVER too late to choose rich. It's NEVER too late to opt into meaning. It's NEVER too late to aggressively pursue work that matters.

I regularly tell 40-somethings that today is a great day to change their lives and take drastically different paths. Sure, they might have been chasing money, stuff, and status for two decades now, but they still have so much time left. It's NEVER too late.

I regularly receive messages from blog readers and podcast listeners who say something along the lines of (paraphrased), "I used to pursue money, but now I pursue meaning." Here's one thing all of these messages had in common. Almost every single person who switched their priority from being wealthy to being rich said they are so glad they did. Nobody ever says they regret pursuing the meaning and wish they would go back to pursuing money. Interesting!

In summary, after my unexpected three-part series, here's where I land on the topic:

• Being rich ALWAYS surpasses being wealthy.

• You can have both, but the path to both requires the pursuit of meaning.

• It's NEVER too late to change your mind and take a different path.

Regardless of whether you're 17 or 87, you still have time. Make that precious time count!

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Because Of, Not In Spite Of

I spent the last two days in rural Nebraska working for a new business consulting client. The trip came together on 36 hours' notice, which required me to rearrange my entire schedule and convert in-person meetings to virtual (big shout-out to everyone who showed me grace!). It was one of the most challenging weeks of my career. I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and a bit stressed.

Sometimes, we look at these types of situations and tell ourselves that life is good in spite of these twists and turns. I don't think that's a fair way to perceive it. Instead, I think life is good because of these twists and turns. 

As I reflect on all the insane situations I've found myself in this past year, I don't think 15-years-ago Travis would have been able to wrap his head around it. Frankly, I don't think that version of me would have been down for it. After all, our human nature is to hold on to the familiarity of the known (comfort) and reject the unknown (perceived risk). 

If I could go back in time and have two minutes to share something with former me, it's this: Embrace the journey. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. The twists and the turns are what enhance the meaning. 

As I head back home this morning, I'm full of gratitude, fresh insights, unique challenges, fun experiences, and hopefully some new relationships. 

Cheers to another day/week/month/year of twists and turns. Run to them, not away from them. Have an awesomeweekend!

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Yes, You Can Have Both, But….

One of my friends was livid at yesterday's post. In it, I discussed the difference between being wealthy and being rich. Being wealthy has everything to do with money, and being rich has nothing to do with money. I concluded the piece with this: "I'll die on the hill a million times that rich far exceeds wealthy every day of the week."

My friend, a very wealthy man, told me that my perspective on this topic is "small-minded" and "narrow." In his words, "Why choose one when you can have both?"

He's absolutely right......in the most wrong of ways. By his own admission, based on my definition of rich, he's poor. But now that he has wealth, he's going to find richness. However, in his mind, wealth is the key to subsequently finding richness. He couldn't be further from the truth. I'll save the gut-wrenching stories and gory details for confidentiality's sake, but he'll be the first to admit that his life lacks joy, meaning, and purpose. There's a lot of brokenness and pain caused by his steady pursuit of wealth.

His original point is right, though. You can be both wealthy and rich. It's not one or the other. However, there's an irony here. The only way to get both (in most cases) is to simply pursue richness. His own testimony is the cautionary tale of what happens when we try to pursue wealth. We just might find it, but it's not all that it's cracked up to be. Plus, the journey to get there often involves actions, decisions, and behaviors that sabotage our ability to have a rich life.

On the flip side, the pursuit of a rich life becomes more about the journey than the destination. It involves actions, decisions, and behaviors that lead to more meaning, purpose, and impact. Here's the irony. When we aggressively live with meaning, money often follows. That's not some prosperity gospel-type stuff, but rather a reality: when we pour our blood, sweat, tears, and passions into something that matters deeply to us, it's hard not to find some level of success. The journey toward meaning often intersects with excellence and impact, which translates into some form of compensation.

I'm not suggesting we have to choose between meaning and money......but I am 100% suggesting we ought to violently pursue meaning. Then, we let the chips fall how they may.

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Rich vs. Wealthy

There are two families in this story.

Family A has a household income of $550,000. They live in a big house in a gated community, drive luxury vehicles, and belong to a few exclusive local country clubs. They wear nice clothes, send their kids to private school, and are generally viewed as "successful."

Family B has a household income of $85,000. They live in a modest house, drive 8-year-old cars, and don't belong to any clubs. They wear forgettable clothes, send their kids to public school, and probably aren't viewed as much of anything.

Which family would you like to be?

From a money, stuff, and status perspective, Family A has it going on in all the right places. They've made it! They are living the American Dream, and I suspect many people look up to them as the model for where they would like to be someday.

From a money, stuff, and status perspective, Family B leaves a lot to be desired. They are living the most normal lives imaginable. I'm not sure anyone looks at them and envies their lives. Nobody is modeling their lives after them, saying to themselves, "Someday, I'd like to be where they are!"

Family A is wealthy, but Family B is rich.

Here's what we don't see. Family A, while having all the visible attributes of success, is struggling. There's a lot of financial tension in the marriage. Neither spouse particularly likes their jobs. Vacations are an act of escapism, but at the end of the trip, a feeling of dread sinks back in. From a day-to-day, week-to-week perspective, "joy" isn't a word that would describe their lives. They are busy, busy, busy, but that only adds to the stress.

Family B, on the other hand, is rich. While they don't have the material wealth that our society would deem successful, they live with so much peace and meaning. Every time I sit down with them, I'm inspired to be more like them. More purpose, more love, and more contentment. Their marriage is amazing, they feel almost no financial tension, and they both wake up each day excited for the good work they're about to do. They are rich!

Being wealthy is not the same as being rich. One has everything to do with money, and the other has nothing to do with money. I've had the opportunity to be both wealthy and rich, and I'll die on the hill a million times that rich far exceeds wealthy every day of the week. That's the essence of meaning over money. When we aim to live a wealthy life, we might just find what we're looking for. When we aim to live a rich life, though, we'll inevitably find deep meaning and impact to the degree many people will never understand.

I wish you much richness.

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Everything Is Temporary

As humans, we tend to possess a fatalistic view of life. We treat many (or most) decisions, whether big or small, as permanent. The cars we buy, the houses we live in, the jobs we take, the hobbies we pick up, the clubs we join, the people we associate with.....and the list goes on.

One of my friends recently shared how he's miserable in his job but doesn't know what to do.

Another friend just moved into what he's calling his "forever home."

A former youth group kid is beating himself up over what major to select in college, as that single decision will cement his career path.

One of my clients is frustrated after selling a car she couldn't afford and buying a car she can afford. To her, this simply feels like her new reality.

Another client is in the midst of a brutal season of paying off debt. The budget is tight, and most dollars are going to the bank. It feels like this season will last forever.

No matter our situation, everything is temporary.

That job you have? You'll either leave it for something else or retire from it. It's temporary.

That forever home? You'll either let the hedonic treadmill push you into a new "forever home," downsize into something smaller, or die. It's temporary.

Your college major? You'll either use it, or you won't. Or maybe you will for a while, then do something else. It's temporary.

That crappy car you're driving during this season of life? If you take care of your business, you'll soon be driving something better. It's temporary.

Does it suck paying off debt every single month? Eventually, you'll be free from the mess and you'll live in a completely new (and debt-free!) reality. It's temporary.

There's so much freedom in knowing that everything we do is temporary. No decision is forever. No reality is everlasting. No suffering is perpetual. To me, as a Christian, the only forever that exists is what happens after I die; the rest is just noise. So, today, remember that. No matter how high or how low you feel, everything is temporary. If that's true, it should give you tremendous freedom to simply live a meaningful life, unafraid of this false (and inaccurate) sense of forever. Carpe Diem!

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Always the Long-Term

I still can't over how my convertible survived my stupidity and the flash flood I subjected it to. Two days removed from floodgate, everything seems to be working. The stereo, speakers, automatic seats, dashboard controls.....everything! Unbelievable! Not only that, but the car is 19 years old. So today, a huge shout-out to the engineers at Nissan who created something nearly two decades ago that could withstand all that life would throw at it. I think it's truly remarkable!

It makes me think about a concept TJ and I discuss often as we build Northern Vessel. Whenever a decision needs to be made, we filter it through the lens of the following question: Which option is better for the firm 10 years from now? It's always about the long-term for us. That may not always sound fun, but in my experience, it ALWAYS yields the best outcomes. However, in order for that principle to carry forward, we must be willing to accept delayed gratification.

Here's one example where we didn't follow this principle. In December 2023, we thought it would be fun (and financially advantageous) to run a crazy gift card special for the Christmas season. For a 15-day window, we ran a buy-one-get-one special on $20 gift cards. For every $20 gift card purchased, customers would receive a $20 gift card for free. We had some strategic reasons for pulling the trigger on such an insane idea. One of the reasons was to boost cashflow for some upcoming projects. In just 15 days, we sold nearly $30,000 of gift cards......and gave away another $30,000 of gift cards.

While that cashflow influx (and the other ancillary benefits of getting thousands of NV gift cards in stockings and under trees) was nice, it was a decision that benefited us more in the short term than the long term. Fast forward 19 months, and we're just now starting to run on a net positive monthly gift card variance. When we made that decision, we failed to consider which decision would be better in the long term.

I'd like to think those Nissan engineers who spent lots of time, energy, and money designing and building a car that would thrive in the long term. Sure, they could have cut corners and boosted gross margins by producing a slightly cheaper vehicle, but they chose the long-term. As a customer, I'm so grateful for that. Today, I tip my cap to those engineers from 20+ years ago who considered the long term and saved my bacon two decades later.

It's so hard to view life through this lens. After all, the sexier and more enjoyable decision is almost always the one that benefits us more in the short term. Signing up for car payments vs. investing monthly. That Chipotle burrito vs. paying down debt. Focusing on our core products vs. grabbing whatever income streams we can find. Obsessing about excellence vs. trying to drum up more customers. Hitting the fast-food drive-thru vs. making a healthy meal at home. Taking a high-paying job we don't care about vs. a lower-paying job we might love.

If we were wise, every decision would be framed through the lens of what benefits us more 10 years from now. We might not like the answer (today), but our future selves will thank us soon enough!

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Nightmare Initiated

Yesterday morning, at approximately 4:00 a.m., I was awakened by a flash flood warning on my phone. As I gained consciousness, I heard the sound of a torrential downpour outside my bedroom window. That's the moment it happened. I instantly realized I had made the mistake of mistakes. One of my biggest nightmares had just been initiated. I forgot that I left my convertible top down! I quickly scrambled out of my bedroom, out of the house, and into my flooded car. It was a disaster!

I was able to close the roof, and then assessed the damage. Every single inch of the car was drenched. The dashboard, the seats, the console.....all of it. There were two inches of standing water underneath the seats. Thus began a 90-minute mad scramble to dry every bit of my possibly ruined ride. Yes, my nightmare was on full display. Fortunately, it appears that I somehow managed to come out of that situation in one piece. By some miracle, everything in my car seems to work. I don't know how, but it survived!

I used to worry a lot.....I mean, a LOT. Big things, small things, probable things, improbable things. If there was a chancesomething could go wrong for me, I'd find a way to worry about it. Then, something inside me changed. I realized there were two fatal flaws in my worrying:

1. I was worrying about things over which I had no control.

2. I was worrying about things that had very little chance of even happening.

What sense does it make to worry about things I can't influence? If they are going to happen, they are going to happen. My worrying doesn't help in any shape or form. On a similar note, what's the point in worrying about something that has just a tiny percentage probability of even occurring?

This mindset shift began to transform where I focus my attention and what gets my worry. I'm so glad I adopted this new perspective, as I don't think business owners can survive without it (at least with their health intact). The one thing I learned as an entrepreneur is that something terrible will happen almost daily. It's just the way it works.

The truth is, there are a million things I could worry about; far more than ever before. However, instead of letting every intrusive thought win, I frame it through my two questions above:

1. Does this potential fear even have a reasonable chance of happening?

2. If so, do I have the ability to influence the outcome?

If the answer to either of those questions is "no," I don't worry. If the answer to both is "yes," I try to refocus the energy that would possibly be spent on worrying to figuring out how I can positively influence the outcome.

I actually do worry about leaving the convertible top down. The irony, though, is that worrying about it doesn't positively influence the outcome. If I had been sharper two nights ago, I would have focused that energy on ensuring a better outcome (i.e., following my behavioral triggers that would have resulted in me successfully closing the roof). Instead, I worried......and paid the price.

Hopefully, someone reading this will be positively influenced by these words. Please don't let my convertible nightmare be in vain! Have an awesome, dry, worry-free day.

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Imitation and Excellence

One of our Northern Vessel One Percent Better shirts was spotted in Hollywood yesterday. It's always cool seeing our shirts all over the country, which comes on the heels of them going semi-viral last fall. So, yesterday, it was fun to receive a photo of another one in the wild in Los Angeles.

However, one problem. Check this out:

The picture on the left was taken on the streets of Hollywood yesterday afternoon. The picture on the right is one of our marketing photos posted on Instagram last September after releasing our new design. They look oddly similar—the color, the word placement, the offset. However, notice how the design on the left is in a slightly different font and doesn't have any overlap in the words. It's an imitation! Someone literally took our design and recreated their own for profit.

You know what they say, imitation is the best form of flattery. Nobody would try to steal our designs if it sucked. Therefore, it tells us that what we're doing is moving the needle. But we have a choice to make. We can either get mad and try to get even.......or we can simply be excellent. Guess which one we'll choose.

One of my close friends recently reached out to me with a problem. Someone opened a similar business to his business, less than a block away. This new business will be a direct competitor, and he's pissed. Imitation is the best form of flattery. I told him that he has two options: 1) Be upset and find a way to feel victimized, or 2) Be excellent.

Remember last September when I shared about how Caribou Coffee was moving in next door to Northern Vessel? The local media wanted to do a piece about how big business is killing the little guy. Instead, TJ shared with the reporter that we're glad to have them join the neighborhood. Hopefully, it will bring more traffic to the area and, perhaps, we'll have an opportunity to serve some of those new people. He also added this: "At the end of the day, excellence wins."

Fast forward 10 months, and we have a better sense of reality. The Caribou next door is struggling. Once in a while, while hanging out at Northern Vessel, the boys and I will walk over to Caribou and buy a bagel. The last time we did this little exercise, there were 67 people inside the small Northern Vessel shop. When we got to Caribou, it was completely empty.....not one soul.

The t-shirt situation is silly. We're just going to focus on excellence.

Yeah, Caribou opened next door. We simply need to focus on excellence.

My friend just received some new competition down the street. He needs to focus on excellence.

If you don't have a similar situation in your life right now, you will soon. You have two options: 1) dwell on it and be upset, or 2) focus on excellence. Excellence always wins!

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Your Youngest You

I had a blast speaking to a few hundred high school kids yesterday. There aren't many things I'd change about my talk, which is a rare thing for me to say. As I was staring at so many young faces, it dawned on me how not young I am. It's kinda depressing to think that I have 25-30 years on them. Where does time go!?!?

It's so easy to look at young people and wish we were younger again. We tell ourselves that we'd give anything to go back in time. Take all my money. Take all my status. Take all my accomplishments. Take all my everything. I'd give up every single thing in my life to be younger again.

On the flip side, think about this. Imagine future you, 30 years into the future. That older version of you would also give up all the money, status, accomplishments, and everything to be where you are right now. In some ways, that makes your status in life worth more than all the money in the world. You're the youngest you'll ever be. Youth is your friend. There's so much opportunity in front of you.

Think about that today, then act accordingly. Today is your youngest you.

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Anti-Complicated

In a few hours, I'll have the privilege of speaking to several hundred high school kids. When I was invited to speak, I was instructed to approach the topic of money at the most basic level, as many people in the room will have little to no knowledge of the subject.

"Great, I'll teach the same thing I teach everyone, then!" I replied.

Simplicity always wins! Whether I'm meeting with high school kids or seasoned business professionals, simple is always best. I wasn't joking in my response; I'm going to teach these kids the exact same thing I teach all my clients. In a world that likes to make every little concept or idea overly complicated, I'm going to approach it with an anti-complicated posture.

I'm going to use a single visual, which will slowly build as my talk progresses. Here's what it looks like:

We'll talk about:

• The importance of work. Work = adding value to others. Adding value = money.

• A singular checking account should be the hub of our finances.

• Why a savings account tied to our checking account is the perfect execution for an emergency fund—the release valve of our finances.

• We must account for all income coming in each month. A budget unlocks everything else.

• Debit cards are king. The use of credit cards is a slippery slope that is killing our society. No matter how aggressive I get on this one, it's not enough.

• The difference between needs and wants, and why both are important.

• Giving changes us from the inside out.

• The importance of saving and why sinking funds are a behavioral science hack.

• The power of investing, especially at their age.

The goal isn't for each student to walk away as financial geniuses. The goal is for each person to understand this money stuff can and should be simple......anti-complicated, if you will. And if so, they will hopefully feel empowered to embrace these concepts in their own journeys.

I'll let you know how it goes. Please pray that I say what needs to be said, how it needs to be said, and with the flexibility to pivot if needed. Oh yeah, and if you have one more descriptor in your prayer, pray that I'm funny! It should be fun. In the meantime, I hope you have a fantastic day and make a positive impact on everyone who crosses your path.

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Get To

I was recently chatting with one of our young Northern Vessel employees, and he said something awesome: "My friends always talk about having to go to work. I get to go to work."

He went on to share about how much he enjoys working for us. He mentioned his co-workers, the leadership, our guests, the culture, learning new skills, being challenged, and, of course, making money.

Is this the perfect job in the world? Depends on who you ask. I'd like to think we've done a good job creating a culture that people want to engage with. However, I think a MAJOR factor is this young man's perspective. He has a healthy perspective of work and intentionally seeks meaning in it, which drives his get-to attitude.

On a related note, one of my eight-year-olds was excited to return home from a handful of days in KC visiting his cousins. Yeah, I think he was excited to see me, but he was also excited to mow. He didn't have to mow.....he got to mow. I gave both kids the option, and Finn jumped at it.

Similar to our NV barista, Finn's passion for the work is a mix of things. He's always had a heart for mowing, he enjoys seeing the visual progress of his actions, he knows it's a way to serve his family, and, of course, the money. By the time he got done, he was hot, sweaty, and content. He was also $30 richer, which made him smile.

Is mowing the best job in the world? Depends on who you ask. In Finn's case, while I believe he has some passion for it, I think he has a really healthy attitude towards it. His perspective is healthy, which drives his get-to attitude.

Whatever is on your plate today, I encourage you to have a get-to attitude. Whether it's the best work in the world, or something far from perfect, the work matters. You can treat it like a have-to, or a get-to. The choice is yours, and that choice will play a significant role in how it goes. Always choose "get to."

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Right or Luxury?

As expected, yesterday's post offended a fair number of people. We Americans love our cars, and the mere suggestion that we shouldn't have a car payment sounds as absurd as me suggesting we ought to live our day-to-day lives naked like a bunch of crazy nudists. That suggestion would sound absurd to nearly everyone, and for many reasons, so too is my suggestion that we should all live without vehicle payments.

One of my friends was particularly peeved by my absurdity and decided to call me.

"Travis, do you know how expensive cars are these days?!?! It's practically impossible for most people to buy a new car without getting a loan."

"Yeah, you're right."

"So how do you expect most people to buy a new car without having a payment?"

"I don't."

My friend is absolutely correct! New cars are brutally expensive. Based on recently published data, the average price of a new vehicle during the first half of 2025 was approximately $49,000 (with an average payment of $745/month). Therefore, we have two options: 1) We fork over $49,000 of cash, or 2) We elect for big, fat car payments.

Therefore, my friend makes a good point. It's nearly impossible for most people to buy a new vehicle without large payments. Or.....or.....or, hear me out. Perhaps we can put a third option on the table: 3) Don't buy a new car!

Buying a new vehicle is a luxury, not a right. However, since this is America and our culture is so twisted, we've conditioned the masses to believe that everyone deserves to buy a new vehicle. The truth is, we don't inherently deserve to go out and buy a new vehicle just because everyone else is doing it.

I've never owned a new vehicle in my life, as I don't believe the lie that buying a new vehicle is a right (or a good decision). Even if I could buy a new vehicle, I doubt I ever would. One of the consequences of my decision not to buy a new vehicle is that I haven't had a car loan for more than 17 years. Here's a rough history of all the vehicles Sarah and I have purchased in the past 17 years:

• 2008: Used Honda Accord - $15,000

• 2013: Used Nissan Altima - $16,500

• 2017: Used Toyota Highlander - $15,000

• 2018: Used Nissan Altima - $15,500

• 2024: Used Nissan 350Z - $9,000

Today, our three vehicles have a combined value of $20,000-$25,000.....COMBINED! Would we like to upgrade our vehicles? Of course! And we probably will later this year, but going into debt to do so is an absolute non-starter. We'll buy whatever vehicle we can afford with the cash we have saved for said purchase. Buying new vehicles isn't a right; it's a luxury.

On the flip side, you wouldn't believe the number of people who make $50,000 per year who drive new $50,000 vehicles. The big, fat car payments people are signing up for are crushing their ability to make progress in their financial lives. It's madness!

I again invite you to join the movement. Let's live out a different reality for people to witness. A debt-free reality where we buy vehicles we can afford and live meaningful lives that are far richer than being a slave to our payments. Let's go!

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