BROKE IS THE NEW RICH

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In 1998, Stephen M. Pollan penned a bestseller titled Die Broke. Mr. Pollan interlaces several sound practices, but one really stuck out. Give what you have away while you are alive to enjoy watching others be blessed by your generosity. Why wait to give away what you have earned until after your gone. Where’s the fun in that? The reason this book was a bestseller is because it is so counterintuitive to our natural store up and hoard game plan.  

Houses, garages, storage units full of our stuff feels like winning in the moment. Why is that? My bookshelf is full of books that I have read. Occasionally, I will gaze at that shelf with pride like they are all little trophies. Why would I hold onto these little accomplishments instead of passing them on in an attempt to bring joy to someone else? Honestly, it’s most likely because I’m proud of the time I invested and occasionally will use these books as references. But maybe I’ve been thinking about these little trophies all wrong. I have already paid and benefited from them and now I have the opportunity to share something that has added value to my life with somebody else. 

The reason we accumulate is to establish the fact that we have made it. The secret voice in our head says, “that (fill in the blank) was wrong about me and didn’t see the raw potential that I had.” With chest puffed we secretly declare, look at me now. It’s amazing how much time we invest into proving others wrong. This chip on the shoulder mentality allows for you to acquire and accomplish but it will inevitably cost you everything. More specifically, everything of true value. 

One cannot acquire relationships. True bonds with our spouses, kids, loved ones, coworkers, and friends cannot be purchased. In fact, anything of eternal value can’t be bought. Yet, we spend our whole life generating income in hopes of securing something that can’t be obtained with the money we worked so hard to procure. 

This week, I encourage all of those reading to give something of value away to a person you care about. We must never take for granted our time together and we need to condition our selfish nature to look outward. Thinking of others is a habit and one that will change your life. 

Finally, it is my belief that the way in which we share what we have is the wisest investment of our time. The final result of a life led by giving will be a life that is honored, revered, and read about in trophies on bookshelves like mine. Remember, nobody has ever regretted being generous!

Go for it,

Matt Davenport

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ON THE ROAD AGAIN

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On the road again
Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Seein’ things that I may never see again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again

Willie Nelson’s words spark the imagination. They take us to a place of daydreaming and embracing the possibilities of new frontiers. Interesting to look back and realize we have recently been places we have never been and seen things we may never see again. It doesn’t feel so romantic when we look back as much as when we think of the possibilities ahead of us. 

Over the past several months I have encouraged everyone to appreciate how you arrived where you are today. Hindsight can be very uplifting when one looks at all the obstacles and hurdles we have made it up and over. We may have stumbled and skinned our knees, but we are here. Today, I want to do the opposite. Let’s dream of that open road again! 

Ancient wisdom says that hope deferred makes a heart grow sick. Many of us are heart sick due to the fact that it feels we are in a never-ending news cycle of deeply disturbing information. If you stare at the spin cycle long enough the dizzying effects can become nauseating apathy. This apathy then develops into depression and self-loathing. 

Let’s take a virtual Dramamine and set our sights on the future. The reality is we don’t know what is next. That is the beauty of Willie’s words. We will soon be goin’ places we have never been. I’m with you, I hope these places are filled with health, kindness, understanding, and gratitude. Willie finishes his legendary track with these words:

And our way is on the road again
I just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin’ music with my friends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again, break free
And I can’t wait to get on the road again

Refill your tank, break free of doubt and let’s look forward to the open frontier that is our life. 

Get your kicks,

Matt Davenport

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WORDS ARE IMPORTANT

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Today is June 15th, 2020. There has never been another day quite like today in the history of the planet. Are you anxious or excited about what the day will bring? Most pessimists are plagued with the mindset that they have no choice in the outcome of their days, months, or years. This sky is falling ideology is a false narrative that handicaps our mind into a robotic manner in which we look for negative outcomes to prove our self-fulfilling prophecies. The truth is you do have a choice. The choice between how we decide what the day will be like is a very thin margin. One can either declare, I’m so anxious because I don’t know how this day will turn out or decide to say I’m so excited because I have no idea how this day will turn out. 

Words are important! The words we use and the way in which we use them have the opportunity to either build someone up or tear them down. Why would we use the finite time we have on this planet to spread anything other than seeds of encouragement? I think the simple answer is we don’t fully understand and appreciate the power of our words. 

Pause for a second… think of a recent time when someone’s words were essential to getting where you wanted to go. These words are like volunteers handing out Gatorade as you past mile 20 on your way to finishing the marathon. They give you that little bit of extra that you didn’t know you had left in the tank. It may have been from a coworker, a coach, or some passerby but the point is you remember it. You have that same opportunity today. 

Personally speaking, I love the phrase Good Morning. What is better than walking by a stranger and they optimistically look at you and say those basic but inspiring words. This phrase feels like it is reserved for Saturday morning walks or vacation strolls. Most likely because we are all so self-focused during the week that we don’t think to take a moment to share those encouraging words. To all those strangers that have passed by me and spoken that phrase, I say thank you. You’re right! It is a good morning, I’m breathing, the sun is shining, and I can’t wait to see how the day will turn out.

Be encouraged,

Matt Davenport

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NORMAL

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How many times have you said in the past few months, I can’t wait until we get back to normal? I hear that phrase uttered every day as an attempt to explain our frustration with the thought of losing something we had. I get it. I want things to return to normal as much as anybody. Well, that’s not entirely true, I only want things to return that I liked. Things that I enjoyed, not hard or inconvenient stuff. Moreover, I want things to stay the way they are in quarantine.  Well, only the parts that include comfort and time with the family. Ultimately, we want to walk through life like we are in line at a Chipotle. We are quietly saying the words, I will have a little of that, some of those, medium spice, no tortilla, and a bag of chips to go, please.

Here’s the hard truth, change is good. Even when it’s painful it is good. Difficult times highlight the need for transformation in a way that is almost alarming. 2020 has proven to be a historic year filled with gut-wrenching and much needed but painful self-examination. The reality is that most of us thought we were in control six months ago. It’s like buying a home in Orange County in 1965 for $50,000 and having it appraised for $1,000,000 forty-five years later and calling yourself a genius. If you were a genius, you would have bought two. Most of us have been blessed to make some good decisions that have made us look way smarter than we actually are. We simply happened to be in the right place at the right time. 

As your Chief Encouragement Officer, it is my sacred duty to proclaim that you are at the right place at the right time today! Today may look more daunting than you would have imagined but it’s the perfect time for you to be alive. Forty-five years from today your older self will look back and say wow what an incredible change agent 2020 really was. We needed 2020 to shake off the scales of unwarranted pride and course correct our passionate pursuit of normal.

Think about it, as a nation we are dealing with the effects of a global pandemic, 30 million people out of work, the stock market behaving like a cork in the ocean, no school, no sports, Olympics canceled and we have seen racial injustice put correctly right to the front of the line in conversation. We are being forced to deal with 100 years of challenges in a six-month time frame. It reminds me of a semester summer school class that is crammed into the month of July. What does all this opportunity for change mean? 

It means that we are not returning to normal. I for one, say good! Normal has never produced anything of value. It feels like life just offered us a mulligan. You may have hit your golf ball out of bounds for the past 30 years but 2020 is standing there with a new ball in hand and offering you the opportunity to tee it up again. So here we are given a fresh scorecard with a new outlook for the future. Let’s bond together and make sure we don’t return to normal. Change is needed, change was needed, and as soon as we feel like we have got it down again be prepared for more change. 

Onward,

Matt Davenport

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I’VE LOST IT!

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Nearly 80 days ago, our whole world turned upside down. Stay at home orders, fear of the unknown and so much more consumed the thoughts and minds of everyday people like myself. Part of holding things together is repetition and routine. These humdrum activities don’t get enough credit for us staying grounded by practicing the predictable. Prior to these unusual times, I would come home from work and drop my wallet, keys, and sunglasses in a bowl near the front door. This simple yet predictable act would limit the opportunity for me to unjustly blame my kids for moving my stuff the next morning. Prior to the bowl at the front door, I wore a chain connecting my wallet to my pants. Not only did I think it looked cool, but it also fixed the issue of losing my wallet. Now what? No chain, no regular trips, times, schedules going to or returning from anywhere?

Roughly 60 days ago, I told the family that I can’t find my wallet and to keep an eye out for it. No big deal, it will turn up and there is not much use for it right now anyway. My focus was really on leading my business, protecting my family, and being a good community member. However, as time marched on the find my stuff app was growing louder in the back of my head. Confident it would turn up, we looked through the office, the house, the garage, and bizarre locations that sort of made sense. Sometimes it feels like you spend half the day losing things and the last half looking for them. Six weeks with no wallet, my wife suggested we cancel credit cards, renew licenses, and mourn the loss of my poke rewards card. I had moved on; new credit cards were rolling in and a fresh wallet courtesy of Jeff Bezos was on its way. 

There I am in the home office, participating in my umpteenth zoom call and my wife walks in with a small plastic storage container filled with paper napkins. Puzzled, I watched her casually pull my wallet out of this random Tupperware. Unbelievable! The unit containing my wallet was on the top shelf in our pantry. How did it get there? We have no idea and we simply didn’t care. Instead of going down the dreary path of asking how and why we found ourselves simply celebrating the fact that it was there. 

We are in a time and space that simply doesn’t make sense. We all have watched this past week as a horrible crime was committed that precipitated massive unrest in many of the major cities across our country. This is a time where many of us are saying, we have lost it! Our nation, our families, our jobs, and our community will never come back from this! I’m here to tell you that we haven’t lost anything, we have simply misplaced our hope. The virus, the violence, the economy, international unrest, and everything else we can add to this list have created an environment that is both unnerving and impossible to predict. However, unlike our sacred routines, the world has never been predictable. 

As your Chief Encouragement Officer, I want to urge you to look back. Your own personal tragedy and triumph are a great indicator of the future. It may not have been pretty, but you are here.  Don’t dwell in the why but rejoice in the opportunity to promote goodness, kindness, and mercy. Your rocky path has made you tough and has given you the confidence and endurance to press towards the mark. Celebrate the fact that life has thrown punches but like Rocky, you continue to get off the mat. 

During this time of uncertainty and chaos, our hope must be in that which will endure. We need you to embrace the past all while remaining excited for the future. Alexander Pope penned the famous line, “hope springs eternal.” Without hope, we will lose it. With hope, we can strategize, empathize, and mobilize towards a future that will be greater than the past.

Press On,

Matt Davenport

CEO

I'VE LOST IT
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