Posts

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#39 Coffee with John

Takeaways: honor your word.

I truly appreciate when people say what they commit to doing. “I will let you know soon,” “We will make it happen.” We casually make these type of commitments but never follow up.

So it’s great (and refreshing) when people actually do follow up, even if it’s just to say that they can’t follow through with their original intention.

Another takeaway, it’s key to have self-value and expect others to treat you with respect. That might mean taking a bold stand like uprooting and taking a whole different path in life.

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#38 Coffee with John

The takeaway: don’t over think situations, especially things that are beyond our control.

We over think things, making a mountain out of a molehill. Sometimes we just need to be open to the experience and be as best prepared as we can.

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#37 Coffee with John

From a few weeks back, Coffee with John. This was my #37 meet up but my first Coffee with John in NYC. The takeaway: you need to let go of the past to move forward.

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#36 Coffee with John

Coffee with John #36


Takeaway: We all have these notions or benchmarks of what we are supposed to be. Those beliefs dictate our actions and behaviors.

The price is that we mask ourselves and pretend to be someone or something we are not. Be honest to yourself and your being; don’t try to comfort or fit into a specific checked box. As that Bob Marley song says, “free yourself from mental slavery.”

Yes. Different occasions require us to play certain roles but, if you are constantly lying to yourself and others, then you must confront yourself.

In some rare cases, being honest with yourself might mean breaking away completely from what you know. It might mean changing careers, taking on new responsibilities, confronting fears, pursuing that long-lost passion, ending certain habits, among a hundred other things.

I hope we all find the courage to find our true selves. And, in the process, our true passions. Of course, don’t go breaking the law now because deep down inside you believe you are a fun, loving criminal.

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#35 Coffee with John

From a few weeks back (falling behind with my posts):

Takeaway: Be receptive and open. Don’t come to a situation with your jar filled. Let it be empty and overflow with new information.

Of course, if you need to be prepared for a situation, be prepared. Still, don’t come with assumptions or preconceived notions. Let go of it all and be open to the experience.

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#34 Coffee with John

Coffee with John #34

What is power?

The definition can vary, depending on different variables and who you ask but I like Merriman Webster’s definition of power as the “ability to act or produce an effect.”

That echoes the takeaway from my penultimate coffee meeting. We all have the power to act and change the course of our life at a given point in our lives. Not to say that it’s always easy or without herculean efforts but the ability is there, sometimes hidden or unnurtured.

We have the ability to act.

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#33 Coffee with John

Takeaway: just as life hits you with unexpected realities, life also gives you welcomed surprises like finding a $1 as you step out of your car or having a great conversation with someone you only met a few weeks back.

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#32 Coffee with John

Takeaway: life is full of unexpected turns.

You might have your plans but life itself has other plans stored for you. All you can do is forge forward and embrace what life puts in front of you.

What other choice do you have but to be brave and keep on rolling?

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Interlude

Always grateful when friends take time to meet up. Nothing like a good cup of coffee over a great conversation with good company. Agradecido (Grateful).

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#31 Coffee with John

No great epiphany, or personal insight.

This is not to say I didn’t enjoy the conversation. I did. I always find it interesting to learn about people’s passions, especially if those aspirations are to create a better world, one way or another.

Also, I find it fascinating to explore the perceptions we all have of each other. That’s what’s great about having the chance to connect with people face-to-face and go beyond what you see on their social media.

For 99% of the time, I have no clue what the Coffee with John conversations will lead. This time I had an inkling. I just knew where the conversation was going to go beforehand — not so much the conversation but the subtext of it.

So in a sense, I felt disconnected as I knew there was an agenda on the table. This is neither good or bad. It is what it is. In the long run, if I can help someone, I more than willing to explore possibilities.

I guess those all are takeaways, but for me, the biggest: McDonald’s coffee ain’t half bad. I had not been in a McDonald’ in years. So I was pleasantly surprised.