Wendell’s Weekly Wins and Whiffs

🏆 WIN OF THE WEEK: Japan Changed My Perspective and Reminded Me Why Home is Everything

I just got back from 10 days in Japan and it was absolutely surreal. Everything felt like I was inside an anime scene with the music and Japanese characters and the culture surrounding me everywhere. The Japanese people are extremely respectful and the service they provide is next level. The cities are clean, the food is incredible and the public transportation system is locked in. Here is something that will blow your mind though, it is not even that expensive. High class food and service are still expensive, but the average bottle of water is around 75 yen which is like fifty cents. In America that same bottle is three plus dollars. That is wild when you think about it.

I got to explore Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka and we also stopped at a hotel with a view of Mount Fuji on the way. Osaka had the best food. Kyoto had the best history and cultural feel. Tokyo felt like a very modern city and was the cleanest for sure. One thing I did notice though is there are a ton of people. Way too many. Japan is roughly the same size as Montana and it is home to about 122 million people. To put that in perspective, the entire USA has about 349 million people. Japan has roughly one third of the USA's population in a country that is the size of a single state. I have never seen so many people in my entire life.

With all that said, I am excited to be coming home. Every time I travel after about a week or so I get antsy to get back. Back to Catelin, back to my animals and just back to building what I have going on. Japan is awesome, but I will say anytime I travel and love other countries, nothing trumps the USA. Just something about it. Maybe I am biased, but man the United States really is amazing. Sure it is expensive but we have everything. From Montana to huge cities to amazing beaches to different states with different policies so you can choose where you want to live based on what you like. No other country has that. It is not even close.

Before you complain about the USA go travel to multiple countries. Really ask the locals how they live and enjoy the culture. It is really fun, but every time I do it I just realize how blessed I am to live here. Japan was amazing and next time I go I definitely need to see more nature and less city though. I am not a city guy. I need myself some peace and earth. Arigato Japan (ありがとう — "thank you" in Japanese) and hope to explore more of you soon.

💨 WHIFF OF THE WEEK: Missing What Matters and Realizing You Don't Have to Do Everything Right Now

You know what the only whiff was, which is not even really a whiff, is that I missed Catelin and my animals and my businesses all week. And just to be real with you, this is not really a traditional whiff like I normally cover. This is more of a personal realization. Everything is better when Catelin is with me so exploring was not as great without her. Next time I am dragging her with me, sorry baby. My businesses kept moving without much of my input which is an amazing thing thanks to my partners and employees, but after like three days in Japan I just wanted to work a bit and keep growing. Maybe I am a workaholic. Maybe I am just addicted to doing more. Or maybe the taste of freedom traveling Japan made me realize I need to work more to get more of that freedom for myself and Catelin. Either way I always get a snippet of anxiety that I am not doing enough when I am traveling.

I think this trip I held it off a good amount and the 13 hour time difference helped because no one was bothering me when I was awake and instead only when I was asleep. But I still had little urges. I did a little bit of work when I could and it was when everyone else was asleep in the USA and I was awake in Japan. It was kind of cool to realize I don't have to do everything immediately. I am a very do it now type guy and I move with urgency but this trip showed me something real. I can wait a day to do some things to enjoy life and Catelin and dates and everything more in the moment. It was refreshing to see. I am excited to get back, don't get me wrong, but this realization hit different.

🎯 TACTICAL TIP OF THE WEEK: Stop Waiting and Book the Damn Trip

Here is what I need to tell you. You just need to book a trip and put it on your calendar in advance and just do it. Travel even when you feel like you can not. Trust me you can and it is just your subconscious and outside pressures of society making it seem like you can not. Fuck that. Enjoy life but work hard. Book the trip and put it on the calendar and force yourself. Life is precious. You can die tomorrow so stop waiting. This goes with everything in life too. Business. Traveling. Trying new hobbies. Just do it. Be crazy. Get called weird. Fuck them. They are just jealous because you are actually doing things and taking action while they sit on the couch making excuses. Stop overthinking. Stop planning to plan. Stop waiting for the perfect time because it will never come. The perfect time is now. Take action. Make moves. Build something. Travel somewhere. Call someone you care about. Do something different. Anything else is just noise and distraction from actually living.

🔦 FROM THE FIELD: The Team Executed, I Traveled, and Everything Kept Moving

Not much from the field this week as we are currently just waiting on permits to break ground on a few projects. But I will say my partners and employees handled everything exceptionally well while I was away. They kept everything moving. They made decisions. They kept pushing forward. That is what a real team looks like. That is what systems and culture do for you. Love my team and can not wait to do more together.

💰 Passive Investor Opportunities

We are continuing to move deals through the pipeline at Tide and Timber Ventures. If you have been curious about passive investing with our team, reach out. These opportunities fill fast and now is a solid time to have that conversation.

🐝 The Hive CLT Entrepreneurs Network 

The Hive community keeps growing. The conversations in that room actually move needles. We are building something special and if you are serious about your business and want to be around other builders, RSVP for our next event at https://jointhehive.co/

💬 FINAL WORD

Japan showed me something I needed to see. It showed me that the world is massive and there is so much to experience. It showed me that I am incredibly blessed to live in the United States. It showed me that I need to travel more with Catelin. And it showed me that I don't have to go full throttle every single second to build something great. Sometimes slowing down and being present is the move. Sometimes waiting a day is okay. Sometimes enjoying the moment without thinking about what is next is actually the secret sauce.

But here is what else it showed me. It reminded me why I work so hard. Freedom. That is it. Freedom to travel. Freedom to take time off without losing everything. Freedom to choose. Freedom to build. Freedom to live on my own terms. That is what I am after and that is what you should be after too.

So book the trip. Take your person. Don't ask for permission. Don't wait. Life happens now, not later. And when you come back from that trip, attack your business and your goals with everything you have got because that taste of freedom will make you unstoppable.

I am back home now and ready to build. Ready to push. Ready to make it happen. Let's get it.

Arigato Japan (ありがとう — literally "thank you" in Japanese), hello Charlotte. The grind continues.

Keep growing or die,