Last week was a lot of fun with some heavy moments mixed in.
It was a bunch of stuff in Houston followed by meeting my cousin and business partner Nick in Vegas, and also our client. It was a fast paced (with some pool time) weekend with a little work and a birthday celebration for Elizabeth.
Now, the part about writing that is most humbling… Writing about some mistakes that were made.
First of all, I’ve had a few too many cocktails the last couple of weeks to keep my mental health sharp. Overall, I’m fine, but I’m not fine with fine.
This last week, I had a moment where my frustrations got the best of me, and I began projecting those frustrations in a manipulative way with a loved one.
Good news, I noticed it very quickly. I was a bull seeing red, and I was ready to battle.
Bad news, it shows me I need to pull back a bit on the drinking. That wouldn’t have happened without alcohol, I’m certain.
I’m not blaming alcohol at all. But it altered my state of mind and opened up possibilities. I own that.
I was very angry at myself for a bit. Really fucking angry and judgmental. I’ve worked so hard for so long to keep control of my emotions, and I got myself way off center and didn’t act in alignment.
This is when my lens changed with my loved one.
What would normally take hours or days to get over took less than an hour. Not because she was sweeping things under the rug, but because she chose to understand and give me grace.
That was maybe the most impressive moment in a long time.
I was given grace, where in so many instances in my life I’ve not received such grace.
That grace was based on love and appreciation.
That’s literally what I’ve been focusing on in my work, and now it came back around to me.
She showed me something that impressed me more than anything thus far. She held space for me.
This comes back to “redlining” my nervous system. This is where I have to stay in my routine to ensure I can perform at my highest level.
This leaves me with my final thoughts this week, which puts me in an unfamiliar place.
I’m on the brink of doing a renovation to my house, which will put me out of the house for 4-6 months. That will most definitely shake a routine, and choosing how to go about this project has proven more difficult than anticipated.
I’ve just finished my 38th flight of 2026. That’s just too many. I absolutely love all the cool shit I’m doing, but it makes it hard to stick to a routine. I have a burning desire to go see people, do cool things, build cool businesses, and everything in between.
When I haven’t been traveling, I’ve had people at my house or had events in town. It’s a lot, and I’m taking time to look at how I can restore more of my energy. Today is definitely a recovery day.
This then moves me to one of the things I learned when I was in Costa Rica… I need to get back into a regular sports routine.
I used to have flag football and hockey multiple times per week. That exertion of energy and effort fed my soul. I’m trying to make more time for golf, but that isn’t the same type of fix.
Volleyball was really fun, and so was surfing. One of these is easier in Houston than the other lol.
I really miss going full throttle with flag football. Having the best QB in the city was always a massive advantage, and it’s nice to know he continues to offer me a spot on the team.
The last time I played regularly was 2021, and that’s definitely on my mind. I’ve run routes a few times, and the main thing that sticks out is I’m a much bigger target with great hands, but I can’t sprint for shit lol. I guess I’m switching to tight end!
Hockey has been brutal because our rink broke a shitload this past year, and with all my travels, I’ve played like four times in 10 months. I hate it. I really love playing, and it’s amazing for my body. That broken ass rink is now shutting down for good after like 30 years, so even more unknowns going forward.
What a weird spot mentally. I’m humbled by grace and motivated by the changes happening around me, while feeling a massive unknown, which I do not recall feeling in my life.
It’s a hard working Monday at Fountain Forward World Headquarters. I’m welcoming Brian, my sales director, to Houston tomorrow for a few days to work on our new client acquisition and such.
Cheers to some serious changes and unknowns. Trust the process, as they say.
Chin up, shoulders back.
– SJ
PS – Shoutout to Mike for the amazing hospitality this past weekend. You are a real rockstar and I love and appreciate you!