Category Archives: Life

Day 3339 – The Third Door – One Of The Best Books I’ve Ever Read – Read A New Book Month Day 1

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I’m going to do something a little different for the month of September and share my top book recommendations every day in honor of Read A New Book Month. You don’t have to follow along for long to know that I read a lot, that I adore reading, and I think reading is an essential part of life.

If you’re having trouble getting into reading, I hope that my recommendations will open your eyes to books you didn’t know existed. I’ll share non-fiction books ranging from business, to mindset, to inspiration to living a full life. I’ll share fiction books that have stuck with me for years. I’ll share kid’s books that moved me to tears and inspired me in ways I didn’t expect.

Thanks to reading challenges, my reading has expanded to many different genres, so I hope you find something you’ll love in my recommendations. There will be links to the books on Amazon, which will be affiliate links. As a reminder, an affiliate link is one that if you click and purchase the book (or something else) I’ll receive a small percentage at no additional cost to you. I ruthlessly only share products, services, books, etc, that I have personally used and only recommend what I think is useful and valuable. I’ve marked all affiliate links in this post with this little guy –> *

So here we go! For day one, I want to share a book I just finished last night – The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World’s Most Successful People Launched Their Careers* by Alex Banayan.

*

Here’s how it’s described:

“The larger-than-life journey of an 18-year-old college freshman who set out from his dorm room to track down Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, and dozens more of the world’s most successful people to uncover how they broke through and launched their careers.”

I found this book because of a post made by Tim Ferris about the book. It was on my to be read list for a while and one that I put a hold request on at the library. I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting out of this book, but it ended up being one of the greatest books I’ve ever read. While I didn’t really learn anything new, a lot of the advice is what I’ve heard before, learned before, applied before, and I did learn a few new things about the folks he interviewed.

But the biggest thing that drew me to the book was the journey of the author. In a lot of ways, I felt like it mirrors the journey of being a business owner, or really anything in life. It can be easy to just share the highlights, the good stuff, all the times we win, but not Alex. He shared every fall, every fail, every embarassment.

His words reminded me that no matter how crazy your dream is, you can take a shot at it. I finished the book with many tears, many smiles, and more empowered to chase my own dreams. Definitely worth the read*.

Check out all of my 2018 Read A New Book Month recommendations.

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Day 3338 – Counting Down Days, Looking Backwards

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Y’all know I love looking back, especially using Facebook Memories. I’ve talked about how interesting it is to watch what I posted about in the weeks and months leading up to my eventual sobriety. Remembering (or barely remembering) things I did, parties I went to, etc.

But something stuck out this August. In 2011, I was counting down to becoming a full-time photographer. I was finally leaving the 9-5 world. I can’t believe I’ve been a freelancer for almost 7 years. There are definitely things I should have done differently (went full-time way too early), but the rough times over the last 7 years have taught me so much about myself.

So what struck me today is that I had one countdown I knew was coming (full-time freelancer), and one I did not (sobriety), years later. Sometimes, you can only see the countdown when looking back. You can look at posts on social media or entries in your journal and see how everything was leading to this one moment. If you find yourself in a trying time, just know that when you can look back with the clarity of time, you might just find that everything was leading you to someplace you’ve never dreamed possible.

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
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Day 3337 – When Did I Know I Was An Alcoholic – repost

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I’m working through my second draft of my memoir, and I’m happy to see it taking somewhat of a logical shape.

Yesterday, we had so much fun hanging out with some friends at a beautiful waterfront bar. Chatting with one of my friends, we talked about what was success for my first book, which was that one person’s mindset was changed.

In my current draft of the memoir, I wrote “I don’t want to write this book. Thinking back to these times doesn’t make me happy. Trying to read other memoirs about drinking is hard to do. I want to forget it all happened. I want to leave those memories in the past. Why would I ever want to go back there? Why would I want to share even more about the things I did? I suppose, if just one person is helped. If one person can move past addiction and treat it finally as a sin, it is worth it.”

I think I have my goal for this book.

So, when did I know I was an alcoholic?
Probably in the few days after my last drink. Here’s a snapshot from my journal, which is part thinking out loud, part praying, in the days after that last day.

September 29, 2014 (first day sober)
“I do enjoy it and I have had some great times, yet I’ve quit so many times. Can I really not control myself or am I trying to prove to myself that I can? Am I holding on to sin? Should I cut it loose? Do I need to cut it out completely? Truly? Forever? Is it standing in my way?”

On October 3, 2014
“Thank you also for the clear “it’s time” to quit drinking. Thank you for the strength already against temptation. Let it open doors to honest communications about how Christians aren’t perfect.”

Almost three years later and I think it’s so true – that it can open lines of communications. People are shocked when they hear about my sobriety – “but you’re a Christian!”

Thinking back to the months following this moment, I remember thinking that there is almost more stigma against people who don’t drink than people who do. Look at all the memes about drinking at the end of the day, or that say “how could I ever quit drinking, I’d be boring!” I was more embarrassed and nervous to say “no thank you” to a drink, then when I was downing bottle after bottle.

I’m so thankful for sober Jen, because she can go to places like we went yesterday, and remember every minute. I really hope we can live near the water some day.

originally posted 8/6/17

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
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Day 3336 – Reflecting On Our Near Death Experience Nine Years Ago

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I’ve shared my full story of our near-death experience before, so if you haven’t read it, check it out here. But today I wanted to talk about the lessons I learned through it, since it, and how it still impacts my life.

For the last 20 years of my life, I have been met with much young death. The ages ranged from about 18-30ish. I’ve attended a lot of funerals. The shortness of life has been within my radar for my entire adult life. Dating Bret also kept it in my view. Honestly, I don’t know if I could have handled having this person I loved deployed to a literal war zone without these experiences.

So reflecting on how close we both came to death that day on the river, I think these things.

– I am never ever ever ever promised tomorrow or even the next second, so I better enjoy the time I have.

– The little things that bother me and stress me out on a day to day basis are so small compared to the scope of my life.

– I let go of the things I need to let go of and hold onto the things I need to hold on to.

– I am much more honest about the things I need and the things I don’t need.

– If I want to wear a Batman shirt with a cape, I do it.

– Even if I’ve made countless mistakes, I can make a difference by sharing those mistakes.

– I live without regrets. While in a lot of ways, I could point to a number of things in my life that I regret. I could say, wow, this situation is NOT what I wanted to happen, I would change THAT for sure. But I’ve learned that everything that has happened in my life has brought me to the person that I am today. And honestly, I really like that person, and I also can’t wait to see who that person is down the road….however many miles I have left on it.

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
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Day 3335 – Don’t Negate The Small Things You Say

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I’ve realized recently that even super small, off hand comments can have a deep impact on someone else. I also recognized that it’s ok to repeat yourself. I watched a video a week or so ago that completely changed my thoughts on my reading goals this year, just by a brief comment the speaker made.

I had multiple people comment about a post that I just kind of threw together.

Sometimes I’ll sit in front of the screen, trying to figure out what to write on this blog. It can be hard some days to find the motivation because, at face value, this blog doesn’t really bring me much income. Yet, it is something I devote time to every day. I show up, no matter what.

I come back every day for several reasons. This blog is a creative outlet. I can toss out whatever the heck I want, and see what sticks. I’m often surprised by the things that speak to people (I’ve said it before, but I wouldn’t be writing a book about my drinking if it wasn’t for this blog). I find the things that I am truly passionate about (I’m looking at you travel). I can share something that’s important to me and even though we look at it differently, is important to others.

So as you’re talking to people, whether through your social media posts, in person, or however else you talk to people, remember that even the tiniest comments can have a profound impact on someone else.

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Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel