The "why" and "how" behind The Venue

I haven’t posted on this blog since February 11, 2021 and here’s why - I’ve been focused, maybe pre-occupied is a better description, with sending books out into the world, attempting to expand my weekends to include branding my work into a Social Education Platform called the Divergent Thinking Academy for elementary, middle and high schools, and I’m still supporting my teams at TrueBlue with a job I love. Why do all of this? I’d love to say it was for the passion of the work, yet that would be a lie. I’ve been swept into the world of “have to” – you know… “I have to do this” or “I have to do that” because that’s what successful people do – they hustle. The problem is…all of the hustling and the pulling in different directions has created an interesting disconnect to something I hold near and dear to my heart - “having fun”. I love to write. I’m interested in supporting anyone who wants some guidance through life. And Paperclip Thinking and the pillars that make up this thinking continue to shape me in the coolest ways and remain a huge part of who I am and who I’m becoming. For five years I’ve been pre-occupied with “building a business” and my focus had been on growth and expansion. I thought this focus was the proper thing to do and I assumed that this multi-pronged focus would lead me down the path of recognition and money.

Reality check - some of this “business stuff” took the fun out of “why” I do what I do. When the fun & learning stops, I think it’s important to reflect and can be more important to pivot. I’m testing the hypothesis that if we remain focused on our “why” and we spend time supporting others, maybe the other stuff (growth, expansion, etc.) becomes a by-product for the future. I’m shifting my pre-occupation with “build and grow” to a more aligned value system of, “share and guide”. It’s a subtle shift, for me, yet the impact is huge on my well-being. I love a good discussion. I love vulnerable topics. I love the idea of people not feeling “alone” on this planet and I love sharing what I’ve learned on my life’s journey (so others might be able to experience their journey with some additional guidance and perspective and a few less fuck-ups). This is my focus and my “why”.

The “how” is connected to my ability to share and guide through a discussion club called “The Venue”. This discussion club meets every other Wednesday (you can DM me on Instagram, send me a note through FB Messenger, or you can email me to join The Venue’s community). These sessions are one hour long, cost you nothing, and include a mix of people from all corners of the country, ages 14+ are welcome and during our discussions I facilitate a couple of things: 1) I bring forward topics that all of us think about yet very few discuss on a regular basis; 2) our attendees share “ultimate life hacks” for career preparation, personal growth, and life transitions (i.e. learnings from moving from middle school to high school, deciding if college is or isn’t for you, selecting a major if you are in college, choosing a career that you will love and prosper doing, ways to remain balanced in our crazy world, how to build and leverage a network, methods for navigating anxiety and stress, how to change careers later in life…just to name a few of our recent topics); and 3) our community shares all of its knowledge and experiences in a safe environment. Some join to share and some join to listen…some do both. We use Zoom, so you can pop into a session from anywhere.

Please follow @paperclipthinking on Instagram and Facebook. These are two of the platforms where I share content most frequently and I’d be honored if you’d join us as we spread the message of this unique kind of “Paperclip Thinking” and how being divergent in thought can positively impact life.

Following each session of The Venue I’ll be sharing the takeaways from our group discussion on The Paperclip Thinking Blog. If you miss a session – don’t worry – you can subscribe to the blog and learn on your own time and at your own pace:  www.paperclipthinking.com/blog

I hope to hear from you soon and know that from here forward… I’ll be focused on, “changing the world…one discussion at a time”. I hope you’ll consider joining the discussion!

Contact: travis@paperclipthinking.com with any questions. Love y’all.

Gratitude Inventory

Inventories.  We use them in our manufacturing businesses to count our product lines, school districts take inventory of their students, and sport teams take inventory of their equipment and uniforms. 

I use an inventory concept within my life’s introspection and that inventory becomes an exercise that supports my personal growth, so I wanted to share with each of you.  I inventory the time I spend exercising, the time I spend reading and writing, the time I spend being productive in my career, the time I spend with friends and family.  These are things that I want ample supply, so I inventory them to ensure my life has these facets.  Others might have different areas to inventory, because we all choose different areas of our lives that we deem to be important.  Interestingly enough, one area I haven’t paid attention to was an inventory of the gratitude I share with the world, the people around me, and the people I come in contact with.  How much gratitude do I recognize and share, daily?

What do I have in my gratitude inventory?  I went back through my experiences and thought about the different times of my life and here is a sample of what I’ve uncovered:

I’ve enjoyed my tenacity for experiences.  I’ve built a career that has added value to the clients I’ve supported and to my family.  I’ve continued my life-long education, I’ve learned to cook, to clean, to install ceiling fans, to paint, to drive.  I’ve flown all over the world, I’ve seen different countries, and there are plenty more to see.  I’ve been fortunate to learn how to love and I’ve learned the experiences of nature, talking to trees, watching the life cycle of a lake’s wave, and I’ve been blessed to write poetry, stories, and a book.  I’ve coached and inspired other people.  I’ve experienced wealth and financial despair.  I’ve experienced healthy and unhealthy physical intimacy. I’ve had light and darkness.  I’ve learned to listen (although I still talk too much) and I’m learning how to ask great questions that lead to great dialogue.

And this gratitude inventory led me to remember the most critical piece of my life, which is the ability to love myself, and this is reinforced through this exercise, daily.  Remember to have (dialogue) because it creates (connection), which leads to (opportunities) for amazing (experiences).  Your life’s gratitude inventory could lead to some amazing experiences- I hope you’ll try it.

Whole

We all begin this journey whole.

The experiences begin do we dismantle to learn?

To Yearn.

To Grow.

Piece by Piece dismantle can feel destructive…

Is it?

We are whole the entirety of our lives.

Never pieces always whole.

We’re always enough yet the masks we’ve chosen to wear separate.

Separate us from who we are.

Our wholeness is not far.

The more we connect.

Ask and share.

Dialogue’s a way to eliminate our despair.

Remember the awe the gratitude for all.

We are whole, we are enough.

Please stand tall.

If you enjoy these posts – you might enjoy a copy of my book, “Happiness is Over There” – which is a personal memoir detailing the stories, learnings, and exercises I used to shift my life from dark and chaotic to a life of light and productivity.  Through Paperclip Thinking LLC, I also support group and individual coaching sessions as well as book talks for groups of 15-20.  You can buy a signed copy at www.paperclipthinking.com or you can email me at travis@paperclipthinking.com to arrange book delivery or set up coaching and group talks/sessions.