If you've ever had a job you know the importance of taking inventory.

If you don't take inventory you can't order properly, you sell shit you don't actually have, and it makes planning for the future impossible because you never know where you're at.

So you take inventory. It sucks. It feels so extra. But you do it because if you don't, you get fired.

Taking our emotional inventory often feels much the same way. We know we should carve out time to reflect and ask ourselves important questions:

"How do I really feel?"
"Are my actions aligned with my goals?"
"What truly makes my heart sing?"
"Am I doing this for me, or to meet other people's expectations?"
"I'm going somewhere — is it where I want to be going?"

It's easy to ignore taking emotional inventory because we have a little bit more work to finish here, or we want to get ahead on a project there. Maybe we have a pretty solid idea of what the result of sitting with our emotions might be and we don't really want to face it because it feels easier to not.

But just like inventory at our job, if we ignore it, it's going to bite us in the ass at some point and when it does, it's going to hurt way more, and take more time, energy, and effort to correct than it would have if we would have simply gotten ahead of the game.

So take some time out today. Take your emotional inventory. Turn it into a regular thing to be celebrated and not something to be ignored and feared. You deserve it. 

Too often I find myself running away.

Running away from shit I don’t like. Running away from something that’s causing me pain. Running away from something that makes me feel uncomfortable, drained, or scared.

I run and run and run, and never seem to get anywhere.

This is because running away, while sometimes necessary, is only a short term strategy.

Running away provides no direction.

If we spend all our time running away, all we’ll ever think about is what’s behind us — the very thing we are trying to get away from.

A better strategy is to run toward something.

“I hate this job and need to leave.” is a less powerful statement than “I want to work somewhere that values my individual contribution.”

“I need to get away from my current friends.” says less about what you actually want than “I want to be around people who push me and hold me accountable to chase my dreams.”

Framing things in the context of what we do want is more powerful than framing things in the context of what we don’t want.

Once we know what we want, we can use our energy to run toward it. Each day can bring us closer to something we love, not just further from something we hate.

There's no escape from getting it wrong. 

Getting it wrong provides an inflection point for growth if we're willing to step back, recognize our mistakes, and push forward again. 

It often feels like there's safety on the sidelines. That we can spare ourselves the shame of getting it wrong by avoiding things that make us uncomfortable. 

Starting a new journey is intimidating. A personal project, a business, or educating yourself and speaking out against social injustices that are so deeply woven into the fabric of society that it makes you cringe to even think about it. 

While certain journeys are definitely more weighty than others, they all begin in the same place: Taking the first step knowing that sooner or later, you're going to get it wrong. 

What's far worse than getting it wrong is waking up one year, five years, ten years later to discover that you haven't grown at all, that you haven't done anything. 

Skateboarding was where I found my first home. A group of people that accepted me even though I was, well, me. 

Skate culture at the time was a safe haven for misfits. It drew people from all walks of life and even though it was a pain in the ass it was somehow enchanting to get yelled at by jocks, kicked out of places, and be harassed by the police. 

As entertaining as all that was, I do remember being upset about the label that was put on me and my friends: that we were stupid, lazy, and destined for failure. It made me angry. 

Because of this, I used to think I could relate to others who were systemically marginalized.

But there's a difference. I can choose to leave my skateboard at home. The cops gave us shit but our lives weren't in danger. Jocks were just having fun with us but didn't really want to cause any serious harm. Being judged negatively for being a skateboarder is not even on the same planet as dealing with systemic racism.  

This all probably sounds painfully obvious, and it should be. But for a lot of people, including myself at one point, it isn't. There's a cultural disconnect. 

For people who grew up in my shoes, this is where doing the work comes in. Trying to understand as much as we can knowing we will never understand. Being willing to listen to other people's perspectives, take them seriously, and act on them — not simply dismiss them because "It doesn't feel like that for me." Being willing to see what is so easy to ignore.

I am so small, so imperfect, and so ignorant about what needs to happen to start steering the ship in the right direction. So here I am sharing an experience. Owning a mindset I had that was completely wrong in hopes that someone who sees this will be able to share it with someone who can benefit from it.

Today I'm attending a workshop on how to build a strong culture. I imagine a world in which work deepens the connection between us and the things we love. I need tools to further my cause so I seek help.

Today I also have a call helping two passionate business owners build a strong culture of their own. They have big ideas about what a business can be and are intent on bringing their dream to life. They need tools to further their cause so they seek help.

I like to imagine that this continues all the way up and down the spectrum. That those I'm helping are helping others. Those helping me are reaching out for help. An unbroken chain of students and teachers.

Today offers one literal example of this chain but here's the great part:

We don't need to sign up for a formal class to learn.
We don't need a huge platform or following to teach.
We learn just as much helping others as we do seeking help.

But only if we approach each moment with intention.

Every day each of us has the opportunity to be both a student and a teacher. If we don’t embrace both paths, we're selling ourselves and those around us short.

Your good intentions can't inspire someone, give someone hope, or make them more equipped to tackle the challenges they face. 

Only your actions can do that.   

It's recently become clear that the picture of myself I have in my head and the actions I take don't match up. At least not as much as I'd like them to. 

As much as I want people to see me for what I believe, I must accept that they can only judge me based on what I do. 

Finding the courage to act isn't always easy. Putting a flag in the ground means you're going to piss some people off. People who might be close to you. People you value.

But your road is yours to travel, and standing up doesn't mean standing alone. 

You gain the opportunity to find people who feel the same way as you. To inspire others to take action of their own. To help others who need you.

But only if you send the signal. Only if you act.

For many of us, work is a means to an end. We have to pay rent. We have to eat. So we work. We show up every day and we clock in.

But as we clock in we check out. We view work as a separate part of our lives, something that’s somehow disconnected from the whole. But the time and energy we trade are very much real.

Long after we’ve clocked out, we deal with the emotional aftershocks of the day. Stress. Anxiety. The pressure to be a different person at work than we are at home. These are feelings that no amount of vacations, meditation, massages or spa days can cure.

The culture has convinced us that we want work-life balance. That it’s ok to spend all day shoving a square peg through a round hole because the PTO we’re accruing makes up for it. Fuck that.

We can do better. Not just as employees and bosses, but as a culture. It starts with us. Let's get to work.

There's a difference between hearing and listening. 

The action is the same but our intent drives the result.

Being heard makes us feel safe, understood, and appreciated. 

Simply being listened to often leaves us feeling more frustrated than we were in the first place.

The amazing thing about hearing others is that we usually learn something about ourselves in the process.

Our bosses, teachers, parents, friends — they all listen to us. It's the ones who truly hear us that have the power to impact our lives for the better.

Who will you hear today?

That box wasn't built for you. 

Even if it was, you don't have to get into it. 

No life hack beats knowing what you believe. 

No productivity technique beats a strong sense of purpose. 

Apps and software can't organize us, only our thoughts can. 

So maybe we should listen to them. 

Maybe, instead of finding more efficient ways to do things we hate, we can do the hard work of looking deep inside to search for something we love.

Graduation. Your first big job. Opening day. 

More locations. New markets. Increased revenue.

Chasing the thrill of the highlight reel teaches us to ignore the adventures that happen every day.

Life is a collection of moments, not a collection of milestones.

What you do today matters, even if it doesn’t change your status, get a thousand likes, or make you a million dollars.

Each of us has a contribution only we can make.

When we give ourselves permission to live our truth, it creates an environment that gives us the freedom to do our best work.

We all deserve the opportunity to do our best work, not only for ourselves but because it’s the best way to contribute to the things we believe in and show up for the people we serve.

Being involved doesn't mean doing everything yourself. 

Empowering others doesn't mean relinquishing ownership. 

The idea of hands-on vs. hands-off leadership implies that we live in a black and white world when in fact, everything is a shade of grey. 

Don't choose a side. Choose the courage to thoughtfully explore balance.

Today's a great day to help someone. You don't need money or a huge platform. 

Make a call. 
Send a message. 
Write a letter. 

When we're feeling the weight of uncertainty it's easy to disregard each other in the name of saving ourselves, but there's a catch:

If we put all of our energy into saving ourselves, we must be aware that when the dust settles, we'll be alone.

We already possess our most valuable gifts.

The real work is to unlock, shape, and share them. 

"I'm going to relocate my career into coffee, you guys are having so much fun!" A friend texted to our group thread.

"Trust me, coffee looks cooler than it is." A fellow coffee professional replied. 

I can relate. Some days I dream of switching industries in hopes of finally feeling at home but I know it's not our industry that's broken.

A great relationship with our job is much like a great relationship with another person. One where we feel safe and comfortable being ourselves. If a friendship becomes toxic or one-sided we let it die. We know friendship itself isn't the problem. 

"Any job is only as good as what you work for, who you work for, and how much of yourself they let you bring to the game every day," I replied. 

If we spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, year after year not feeling like ourselves, it doesn't matter what industry we're in.

“How many locations do you have?”
“How many employees do you have?”
“How many wholesale accounts do you have?”

Trying to assess the value of an organization by way of the above questions is like trying to assess the value of a human by asking what kind of shoes they wear or how many followers they have on Instagram.

We’re not actually trying to get to know people, we’re simply attempting to rank them in our dysfunctional social hierarchy.

The questions we ask reflect our values and start the conversations that shape our culture.

“What do you stand for?”

A time to be heard. A chance to identify, to belong, to connect with others like us.

We run to our soapboxes armed with our predetermined soundbites—predetermined by people we want so desperately to believe have our best interests at heart, and we shout.

Flags planted firmly in the ground. Mouths open, ears and minds closed. The best aspects of democracy choked to death by fear and misunderstanding.

For want of winning so bad, we all lose.

It can be hard to show up as ourselves.

Societal pressure, groupthink, our perception of others, or sense of self-worth all have the power to impact the version of us we give to the world.

It’s easy to build the nasty habit of running our truth through different funnels and filters to please other people or even hide from ourselves.

The problem is, when we compromise our beliefs and values in hopes of fitting in, we really aren’t there at all.

Tweet. Gram. Update. Publish. All signals to let people know we’re still here. “Don’t forget about me, I’m important!”

Endless time poured into digital networks in hopes of being heard, of feeling like we’re a part of something. Hours spent meticulously crafting posts to make sure people understand who we are and what we stand for.

A sharp contrast to our conversations in real life.

“Sup?”
“Nothing.”
“How you doing?”
“Good.”
“Cool.”

Ironically the bank we’re paying into is the very thing that’s keeping us from what we want most.

We willingly trade our lives to increase the valuation of entities who could give a fuck about us. Entities that try their best to make us think if we don’t participate, we don’t exist, but the reality is the inverse. The more we participate, the less we exist.