[COFFEE]
For the first time since 2019, Donna and I resumed our annual holiday trip to NYC.
So of course, we visited some of our favorite coffee shops in the Big Apple.
Here are my recommendations if you find yourself in the big city looking for great coffee. (Yes, there are Starbuck’s & Dunkin on every corner. Notice, I said great coffee.)
Kobrick Coffee: 24 9th Ave. (near Chelsea Market) - This is our favorite coffee shop in NYC. Small, tucked away, not busy/crowded, and they have pour over devices that look like complicated chemistry labs. Amazing coffee if you’re looking for a true experience, and break in the action (much needed when you’re squeezing all the activities into 48 hours!.
Grumpy Cafe: Several locations, but we’ve only been to the Grand Central Station location - Really good coffee, lots of options, and convenient location(s). Try the El Salvador or their house blend, a great combination of Columbian & Ethiopian beans.
Blue Bottle: Locations throughout the city (and beyond) - admittedly, it’s a chain, so it’s not an “NYC-only” coffee. But, unlike most coffee shops post-COVID, they do pour overs and they have an amazing Ethiopian that they serve every holiday as their “Winter Seasonal Single Origin”. It’s so good that I order a bag for myself and friends every year.
[MUSIC]
I’m still jamming to holiday instrumentals and sniffing pine-scented candles.
If I’m still doing it in March, send help.
(The holiday instrumentals. Not the pine candles. Pine candles are acceptable year-round.)
[BOOKS]
After recommendations from 2 really smart guys (who happen to be retired Navy SEALs) Jack Carr and Mark Divine, I’m on a Peter Zeihan kick.
Zeihan is a geopolitical strategist and I find his work to be both intriguing and timely.
Jack Carr’s suggestion: 2017’s The Accidental Superpower: The Next Generation of American Preeminence and the Coming Global Disorder
Mark Divine’s recommendation: 2022’s The End of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse of Globalization
If you nerd out on maps like I do, you might enjoy these maps and book resources on Zeihan’s website that accompany his first of these two books, The Accidental Superpower.
[PODCASTS]
This episode has been shared with me about a dozen times, so the laws of internet etiquette mandate that I share it with you.
David Goggins has a new book (Never Finished) which he means he’s on the book promotion tour. And that means he was on Joe Rogan’s podcast again - #1906.
Around the 8-9 minute mark he utters the phrase “f*ck your feelings” - as in, you just have to say f*ck your feelings bro, and do what you’re supposed to do, when you’re supposed to do it.
I feel like I’ve heard that before…
Acknowledge (& Celebrate) Your Wins
Here’s a really valuable end of year exercise that I share with my clients (and do myself).
It’s simple.
Give yourself 20-30 minutes with zero distractions - no TV, no phone, no people.
Write down all your wins and successes from 2022.
Take some time to think about all areas of your life. Go month by month to ensure you get them all written down.
You’ll probably be shocked at how much you’ve accomplished this year.
The more driven we are, the more likely we are to overlook our successes (“on to the next thing”)…
It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate our wins.
If you’ve been moving the chains daily, weekly, and monthly in 2022, I have no doubt that you’ve stacked up a pile of wins.
Feel free to share them in the comments below.