Topic of the Week: Get yourself a BHAG...

☕️ "COFFEE AND CULTURE" VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Does it feel like every day is groundhog day? You get up, go to work or school, come home, waste time on your phone or watching Netflix, sleep, and repeat? Like nothing ever improves?

Try this and you might see your life transform in just weeks...

❤️ PERSONAL STORY OF VULNERABILITY: When my first startup failed...but I grew as a result.

I started a company in 2021. I thought there was no way we'd fail.

We did.

I would do it again.

One of the things I learned was the importance of humility.

I hadn't led a company before. It was new to me, and it was so much harder than I ever imagined.

As a business owner/operator, you can wear a LOT of hats, especially early on when you don't have any extra hands to do various tasks. You have to do much of it yourself.

I juggled quite a bit, but also dropped the ball quite a bit.

During that time, a colleague became understandably frustrated with me for lacking the preparation needed for some critical customer meetings. I had relied on my ability to quickly synthesize information and my gift of gab...but it wasn't good enough.

I needed to step up my game.

And I needed to apologize to those relying on me to be at the top of my game.

If I wasn't giving 100%, how could I expect others to give 100%?

So I sent the text message below...

I had feared judgment in my vulnerability, but what I received back was understanding and a deeper relationship with my coworker.

When we are vulnerable, we open a door of opportunity to grow deeper relationships with those around us.

Take it from me...I've consistently struggle to let my guard down and admit I failed.

Maybe you do, too.

But open that door, and let others walk through it.

You just might be surprised at how they respond.

Where do you need to be vulnerable more in your life? What are you afraid of? What if your fears weren't justified and you were missing out on growth and deeper relationships?

Take a step this week and be vulnerable and apologize for failing or frustrating someone you care about in your life at home, at work, or in your community.

🏆 PERSONAL GROWTH CHALLENGE: Get yourself a BHAG.

People overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can do in a year - "Maybe" Bill Gates

That quote has been attributed to a number of people, but no matter who said it, it's true.

I've met a lot of people who are very focused on immediate gratification, especially these days with Amazon same-day delivery and social media culture. Many people are seeking fast wins, whether it is related to career, fitness, influence, etc.

But it takes consistency to achieve anything of significance. You know the saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Well, your life won't change for the better in one day, one week, or maybe even one month.

However, go ahead and set yourself a "Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal" (BHAG), a term originally coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. Your BHAG may be 30 pounds of weight loss, 3 months of emergency funds in savings, getting out of bed at 5am to work out and meditate/pray every day, quitting Instagram to focus on more important things, getting that company you've wanted to start up and running with your first customer...something big, something challenging that seems extremely difficult for you, but something that would change your life radically for the better.

Only you know what your BHAG should be. But choose it, and then loop in a group of close friends and loved ones to let them know, to encourage you, and to keep you accountable.

You won't get it done in a day, but I bet you underestimate what you can do in a year.

September 2025 might look very different for you...if you want it badly enough.

P.S. For what it's worth, THIS NEWSLETTER is my BHAG. I wanted to keep myself accountable to growth, reflection, and creativity, and chose writing this newsletter every two weeks as my BHAG. Then, I invited you to follow along and subscribe so I had accountability and motivation.

Thanks for being part of my journey.

👋 Hey, I'm Joel. I'd love to get to know you.

🌎 I'm obsessed with changing the world by loving people at work.

👍 Subscribe to this newsletter if you believe that truly loving people can change the world.