We’ve got to start somewhere

Welcome to the community where together, we’ll dive deep and find the strength to never give up because Great Things Take Time.

It’s been an exciting week in more ways than one. With the launch of this platform, some chaotic travel, and all the mixed energy requirements that come with them, I’m excited to be back here with you this Monday.

If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe and join the Great Things Take Time Community to get content from me every Monday.

Here's what's in today's email

• Expecting The Unexpected

• Moments with Maurice

• The People Who Influence Us

• What's Got Me Smilin'

• What I'm Like on a Flight

• Couch Potato

• Damn! You Put Your Foot In This

Happy Monday!

You can expect the unexpected and count on Mondays always starting your work week.

You may read this and think, “Duh, Adrian, that’s a pretty obvious statement, REAL sage advice there. All brawn and no brain.” But hear me out:

We’re all at the beginning of our weeks, some starting earlier than others. You have a plan, you know what’s on your plate for the week, and you may or may not feel prepared for things.

But then your train is late, the car doesn’t start, your child gets sick, you have a massive blowout fight with your partner, or something goes wrong at work. Really, the list is endless.

So where can we save time and energy by creating a routine for the expected and preparing for the unexpected?

Here’s how I learned this the hard way this week:

On Wednesday, I flew out of NYC for California. The plan was a 5-hour flight followed by a 2-hour drive. After I landed, I’d get my rental car and eat at a restaurant somewhere along the way or at my destination, enjoying a full meal of delicious, well-cooked food.

The reality was that we were delayed on the tarmac, so a 2:55pm flight got pushed back to a 6:30pm takeoff. I had eaten Shake Shack ahead of time, knowing this would hold me over for the flight. I had planned my main meal to be a delicious celebration of sorts once I got to California, the land of the green drink, colorful veggies, and other tasty foods to get me right after flying. However, our plane was delayed due to mechanical and fueling issues, which sent my brain into a chaotic spiral.

Is this really the smartest thing for us to be stuck on a plane? Cool, cool, now they are saying there's a hole in the fuel tank? Were we gonna just lose fuel?

You know, normal air travel thoughts.

Due to being confined on the plane stuck on the tarmac, the lack of communication regarding our next take-off time when we changed planes, some chaotic inner turmoil, and the general unknowing of the new schedule, I let myself sink into HANGER. This meant that when we landed, my vibrant meal was now two desperately consumed Carl's Jr. fried chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and french fries because that was the only place open. 

I don’t hate fast food. I love a good fried meal, but I know I have to balance it out with some leafy green things to feel right, especially after being stagnant traveling for so long. And this was certainly a long trip. Finally, after over 12 hours of travel time, I reached my hotel around 12:40 AM local time. 

I could choose to be stuck in frustration over wasted time, things that didn’t go to plan, and missed experiences, but instead I reformatted my thinking:

• The car pick-up process was seamless since no one was at the airport so late.

• Fried chicken sandwiches?! Still a pretty tasty option if you ask me!

• The drive I had to take wasn’t congested, and being in a fast car meant I really got to enjoy the drive AND the car. 

• The next morning, I knew I’d have access to tons of delicious food I could choose from. This meant anticipating finding a green drink or some beets was even more exciting.

Ultimately, I had to remind myself that I can’t trust everything will go to plan. Food is the one thing that drives me crazy. If I don’t eat, I start to fall apart, which just means I have to be smarter about traveling, eat a more serious meal, or bring snacks I know I’ll enjoy. If having a certain type of food is a priority for me, I need to prioritize it and plan for everything to fall apart.

So, as we go into this week, take a moment to think about your priorities. Maybe you have a handful of things you want to get done, a friend you want to reconnect with, a personal accomplishment you want to achieve, a tough meeting or conversation at work. You name it.

Now, think of a few possible things that could go wrong: Your phone stops working, an errand takes longer than you anticipated, your kid needs you more than normal, or self-doubt gets in the way. Maybe you just need to give yourself a pep-talk that you’ve got it and you can get it done. 

And hey, if you have a hard time telling yourself that, or haven’t heard it from someone else, I’m telling you now:

I believe in you.

Thinking about what can go wrong doesn’t mean you’re dwelling in the negativity. You’re just expecting the unexpected. When you prepare to handle something that might throw you off your course, you’re also setting yourself up to deal with many other things that might come your way. You’re living in adaptability.

Now, look for the things that you know you can count on. Do you wear the same thing each day, or do you plan your outfit the night before so you don’t have to decide in the morning? Do you eat the same thing for a meal? The week starts on a Monday; what things come with it that you have to be prepared for week after week?

It may feel like a long week, but that means there’s even more time to get closer to your Great Things. You’ve got this.

Moments with Maurice

Each week, my Wednesday content will leave you with a reflection and prompt to share your reactions and thoughts, and the following Monday I’ll highlight some of the responses. Taking things inward is powerful, but sharing them reminds us we aren’t alone in our thinking and that we aren’t all that much different.

Last week, I shared the story of my Nana, who she was, what she meant to me, how she impacted my life, and how the loss of her changed me. Afterwards, some of the Great Things Collective shared their answers to the prompt. I’ve included some below, but let me tell you, every person’s story was incredible. If you haven’t already, I challenge you to dive into the reflections on your own.

Upgrade your subscription status to get these prompts with Wednesday’s exclusive content, discuss with the Discord community or submit your thoughts.

Whether we like it or not, the people in our lives shape us for years to come. This Wednesday, I’m sharing people in my life who left a lasting impression on me, my father being one of them, but also my childhood friends.

Here’s a sneak preview of what I have to share with you:

Because no matter what, there is always something to smile about.

• Your Feedback: Hearing your responses to Great Things Take Time and the content, both in the Discord community and in the subscriber survey, were incredible to experience. You all shared such meaningful, emotional, and hilarious responses. Shout out to the person who subscribed because they “like emails”. I’m still making my way through them, but I’ve sat with each response I’ve read thinking about how best I can serve you all. And since you asked for the number: over 1,400 of you subscribed because you thought I’d have my shirt off.

• The Great Things Collective: There are a lot of plans about what I want to do for the Great Things community, but the first week on Discord with the collective has been a super special one. Not only am I getting to interact with people in a more meaningful way, but I’m starting to witness friendships being formed and people being brought together who might not have otherwise met. Our kickoff call was just a taste of the excitement, and I can’t wait to keep it going this week. If you’re part of the Great Things Collective, but aren’t in the Discord yet, make sure you follow the onboarding instructions in the email you received after upgrading.

• CARS! Let’s be honest, this makes me smile every week, but this weekend I got the chance to preview the BMW M5 Touring Wagon before the press did. After having to lock up my phone, what made the event special was being in the room with a bunch of other gearheads and just geeking out over cars. Getting to share your passions with a group of equally obsessed people makes things even more exciting.

  

• A Phoenix Rising: My nephew Phoenix starts kindergarten this month, and it has warmed my heart to follow along the journey and see how much he’s grown. I’m excited to see how his new school helps him further develop into the incredible kid I know he is.

• The Ocean: My hotel this weekend had a balcony right on the water and getting to feel (and smell) the fresh sea breeze really helped center me. Dare I say I miss the sound of seagulls squawking? Also got to hang with some of the homies

  

While I’d much rather be in a car, here’s my travel breakdown when flying cross country:

• Window or aisle: Aisle. I want to be able to stretch my legs, whether into the aisle a bit or to get up to go to the bathroom. Plus, when I fall asleep I tend to jerk my limbs (probably from all the superhero movies), and being on the aisle lowers the chance I elbow my seatmate (which I have done 🫣).

• Chatty or quiet: As you’ll learn more about, I need my alone time to recharge. I’m more likely to find the time on a flight to read, watch something or nap, than strike up a conversation. Kudos to the people who use a captive audience to network, couldn’t be me.

• Plane food or BYOS: 1000% bring your own snacks. I learned this the hard way this weekend.

• What’s in my bag: A collection of personal care products (Hand-Aid Healing Balm, Kiehl’s face products, my own bar soap), hydrogen water bottle, camera gear, Aesop cologne. I’m pretty simple.

  

Off the couch this weekend, I squeezed into a plane seat for a 5 hour flight. Here’s how I passed the time:

• Marvel movies: No rawdogging the flight over here. These movies are so long and make the time go by faster, which made them the perfect thing to have playing while inflight: Endgame (one of the best movies of all time), Black Panther, and Madame Web.

• Destroked Engines: While Marvel was my background, 5 hours of reading about the benefits to destroking engines was the main event. I took a deep dive into the topic since it’s decently complex, to figure out why someone would want to destroke an engine on a car. You would make what they say is less power and less torque, but it’s more drivable. If you’re road racing, less power means more control. There’s so much more to this content I could discuss, but I think I’d max out my word count on this newsletter.

  

Food is a universal way of sharing and experiencing each other.

My grandma, my mom, and I have always been the same, it brings us joy to see people enjoying what we’ve made. Because of that, I want to give space for the community to share recipes that are so full of love, it makes people say "damn, you put your foot in this!" 

Each week, I’ll highlight a recipe from the community, sharing the story behind why this meal, dish or drink is special to them. What better way for us to get to know each other better and maybe even cook together?

Ingredients: Pesto

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted

• 1 garlic clove (I use two)

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning

• 1/3 cup olive oil.

Ingredients: Crostini

• 8 (1/2-inch thick) slices whole-grain baguette or ciabatta bread, preferably day-old

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 small tomato, diced

Recipe

1. For the pea pesto: Pulse together the peas, garlic, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

2. For the crostini: Preheat a stovetop griddle or grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil and grill until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bread to a clean surface and spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the prepared pesto on each slice.

3. Top with tomato halves and serve.

Submit your recipes here

What To Expect From Me:

Monday’s newsletter will always be accessible to anyone that has subscribed to Great Things Take Time. I’ll highlight moments of my week, announcements, things that have brought me joy, and other things worth sharing. But to bring you even more great content we have the Great Things Collective, a paid subscription level for $9 a month that gets you the following:

• Access to a Subscribers’ Only Discord community to interact with myself and other like-minded friends. 

• Additional editions of the Great Things Take Time newsletter where I share stories from my life, lessons I’ve learned, guest authors, personal growth prompts and so much more!

• Exclusive access to in-person and virtual events. 

• The ability for YOU to share more in-depth with the Great Things Take Time community. 

• First in line to get all announcements, merch drops, and anything else fun I have planned to share with you. 

Thanks for being with me on this journey. I’m excited to see where this takes us, and what we’re going to achieve together. I know this is far from perfect, but together I hope we can grow it into exactly what it’s meant to be.

Remember:

-Adrian