Hey there,

I am back in the United States! 🇺🇸

But I ain’t home yet. This has been a complicated international trip (as you will see below).

I wrote these two journal entries by hand in my notebook, but because I like you, I’ve transcribed them into text for this letter.

Journal Entry #1

24 hours into my trip home

I am rocketing through the sky at 560 mph, way up at 38,000 feet altitude.

This flight is about halfway over. Only 7 hours until I land in NYC.

This is the second time I've returned from the Philippines and just as before, I feel both empty and full at the same time.

Empty pockets and a mind full of dreams.

Over the last 3 months, I've struggled with planning. I think the reason why is because I've lacked clarity around what I actually want to accomplish,

Even if I knew the exact target I am trying to hit, my 'why' is nowhere near strong enough.

Big ambitions require big 'whys'.

Some extreme clarity sure would have been nice, too.

I've been shining bright, but as a lamp instead of as a laser.

My efforts have been too diluted to make a deep enough impact and I'll never be satisfied with the surface level results.

It is okay to want many things, but if you expect to have them immediately without a Herculean effort, and without help from others, then you will be sorely disappointed.

Which is why I am feeling the way I am now. My expectations exceeded my ability to execute.

AI Generated Intermission✨

Our intrepid hero Cliff has landed in New York City, only to find his final flight home canceled! Dismayed but not defeated, he hunkers down for a night on the airport floor.

As Cliff's adventure from Manila stretches past the 40-hour mark, he settles in amongst fellow travelers for yet another round of airport floor slumber.

Journal Entry #2

40 hours into a seemingly endless trip from Manila to Gowanda.

A strange man came and sat near me on the floor of the airport. His name was Ivan and he had been stuck in the airport for 3 days, because his flight to Florida had been cancelled.

Honestly, my exhausted self was just hoping he would go away so that I could keep resting. I mean, it was 4:00 AM after all.

He seemed like he wanted to stick around, so I entertained the conversation.

He talked. I listened.

He told me about the lessons he learned in his 30 years as a merchant marine and boat mechanic. Lots of good, meandering advice.

I swear, if you want good advice, go find someone that has spent a lot of time on a boat.

The morning was moving along and it was time for me to leave. I had to find my way into downtown NYC, so that I could find my seat on a train to Buffalo.

Ivan seemed keen on giving advice, and right now, I've been very open to new perspectives.

So, without giving him too much context, I gave him a basic idea of what has been on my mind lately….

And here’s his advice in bullet points:

• Take two steps back and look at your skills from a distance.

• Refresh and revisit the fundamentals.

• Focus on one customer at a time.

• Find a way to increase people's self-worth when you talk to them.

• Look inside, whatever it is you are avoiding, sit down and face it.

• Use your spirituality and pray before you start. Here he quoted the serenity prayer:

  • “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.“

• Embrace being a man and always hold your head high, because that is what a man does.

Over the course of my conversation with Ivan, he was shifting uncomfortably because he had been sitting on the hard ground.

So, before I left I handed him a small blanket that I brought with me through my trip to Manila. It seemed like a fair trade after all of the free advice he had given me.

When I handed him that blanket, his face lit up like he had just received a winning lottery ticket.

FYI, if anyone out there is slinging advice like Ivan: I have more blankets.

Anyways, I am gonna catch some sleep…

I’ve got another 5 hours in this train and it is comfy.

Chat next week.

-Cliff