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Let's Build Some Honeycomb
You're going to have to read this to understand wtf I'm saying
Adrian Williams
October 14, 2024
Welcome to the community where together, we’ll dive deep and find the strength to never give up because Great Things Take Time.
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
What Would You Consider Oversharing?
For some, what I’ve shared in these newsletters, specifically Moments with Maurice, could be considered oversharing, especially as a man. Men don’t talk about crying, loving their friends, or getting quiet to be introspective before a big life event.
No! We charge in, testosterone blazing, ready to tear things limb from limb.
Or do we?
Beating around the bush as a man looks like putting up a tough front, but there is so much that is lost, specifically when we cannot share what goes on internally.
As long as it comes from a place of love, I’ve learned that in the long run, honesty heals more than it hurts. When I’m honest with someone, it is because I want to work through something, not make you sit with what I’ve shared. I want to talk about my honesty, my truth, and what I'm feeling. It’s not finger-pointing or blaming; it’s highlighting something to focus on in our relationship.
Sometimes, honesty isn’t about working through problems collectively; it’s about sharing where one is at that moment. When we brood and meditate on something alone, we might miss key pieces that bring closeness, and everything seems bigger and far more impossible to tackle. I’m not talking about sharing that you eat yogurt and granola to wake up your digestive system (guilty). It’s deeper than that.
Think about a time someone has shared something deep that resonated with you. How did that make you feel? It’s so easy to be held prisoner by our own thoughts, trapped in a world where we believe something is wrong with ourselves.
No one else thinks like me.
No one else has the same problems.
No one else fights the same battles.
But those are lies that we tell ourselves. We are all more alike than we think
Just take a look at what the Collective shared below in their responses to Wednesday’s prompt. All three people live very different lives, but they have similar responses to rituals that prepare and center them.
Build Your Beehive
With each nugget you share, you’re creating a safe space for yourself and others. Over time, those spaces compound on each other, growing the reach and comfort you can provide, exactly like what a honeycomb does for a bee, creating “rooms” for them in their beehive.
Today, I realized the beautiful symmetry of Great Things Take Time. This content is being built on beehiiv, a platform inspired by a bee’s home. It’s built by stories shared by people worldwide, but in the case of Great Things Take Time, the stories are from a community we’re building through sharing authentic and honest experiences.
My challenge to you is to start building up your beehive with some honeycomb.
If you take that to mean you should pick up beekeeping, go for it! Someone in the Great Things Collective is married to a beekeeper, so you’ll be in good company! But I’m really challenging you to find ways to build safe spaces for those around you by sharing what’s on your mind.
Do you not want to go to an event? Why? Share it so others know it may have to do with energy levels, interest, or scheduling. Doing so may allow the host to understand you deeper and save them from the spiral of “Why doesn’t this person like me?”
Also, it feels pretty good to be honest and not dance around the truth.
Nervous about a new class or activity? Everyone in that room was a beginner once so instead of trying to act like you know what you’re doing, be honest. You never know who else is lost but afraid to ask.
Sometimes, it’s just not that deep, but our imaginations make it seem that way.
On Thursday, we had our first event/competition for The Collective, judging Charcuterie boards.
Ready to hear me “drone” on about cheese?
The winner would come down to Eddie’s decision with a 1:1 call with me on the line. There were household drones involved, and honeycomb was a big topic and included in my joint board with Eddie (per his insistence).
Can you spot the honeycomb?
A handful of people chose to join the call but not create their own board, citing reasons for being worried about a sub-par product. I admire the vulnerability in opening up about how they felt, but I wish they had tried to see what they could put together, no matter the outcome, in addition to sharing their reservations. I can’t help but wonder what could have been created.
It gives me a new goal for this community: to create a space where we aren’t afraid of the end result; we’re just excited to see what’s possible.
Like life and the things we share, the winning board was selected due to the mixture of salty and sweet. Separately, these items can be overwhelming if you have too many, but together, they create a beautiful medley that Heather Sobol demonstrated perfectly. Congratulations, Heather!
Congrats to Heather Sobol for being our Charcuterie Board winner!
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.
If you haven’t heard of it before, imposter syndrome is defined as “the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills.” As I shared on Wednesday, I fight with it, specifically when I started coaching on the platform in 2020.
While I still struggle with it, I’ve developed tools to remove doubt and set myself up. As many of you are aware, mental games can come at any point in time, whether or not you’re ready for them. Setting myself up for inner reflection before I begin a big event, or even just start my day, has ended up becoming the shift I’ve needed to remove the self-doubt from my mind logically. It’s not the magic pill but the stepping stone to a Greater Thing, and from the looks of below, there is a tool a lot of people have in common.
Reflection: Imagine you have a big thing on the horizon. You’re starting a new job, first day at school, becoming a parent, meeting new people, whatever might be a big undertaking for you. (No judgment here, one person’s mountain is another's speed bump.)
Walk through two scenarios:
First, picture where you won’t have any time to focus and mentally prepare. This might look like waking up, grabbing something random out of your closet and running out the door. What your life usually looks like if you don’t dedicate time. How do you feel when you jump from one thing to another?
Next, think about what it would look like if you set yourself up for success. Is it a moment to center yourself before a big event? Preparation leading up to the day of? A 20 minute phone call with your friend to blow off steam? What do you learn about yourself when you have this time?
Write this all down and then start working on a plan to achieve the second scenario for your next big event. How far in advance do you need to start dedicating time? What changes do you need to make? Who do you need to support you?
Prompt: What are your rituals when you need a reset or when you’re starting something new? Why does it work for you?
When I need a reset, i put my phone on do not disturb and go for a long run. After the run, i run a hot bath (epsom salt, a book, candle, maybe a little snacky snack, soft music playing. You know, the works). This provides a quiet, screen free environment for my thoughts to silence, mind to reflect and dream. Giving myself this time has given me more room to grow as a person, partner & friend.
Some of the rituals I perform if I need a reset would be “Music” whether that’s going out for a run, walk or drive, music tends to calm me down and really centre me. I’ve always called it “getting lost in the music” and when I’m lost, I helps me figure out what I need in that moment to bring me back to reality. This works about 95% of the time, and that other 5% I will usually sit down with my Wife and tell her what’s going on as she tends to know me better than anyone and always willing to be that ear when I need it!
Having 3 little ones usually feels like I’m constantly jumping from one thing to another on a daily basis. I try to plan ahead to get ready for the day, by getting things ready the night before. It doesn’t always happen but I’m working on it. Going on vacation usually gets me anxious and I’m dealing with this right now, as we’re getting ready to leave on Sunday for a trip. I haven’t been able to start packing yet because of busy schedules and events with the kids that just happened to be this week leading up to it.
I keep trying to tell myself that it’s ok and it will get done, because let’s be honest, it always gets done. My lists are made, and they are a tool I use for almost everything. I mostly struggle with the anxiety that hits me in the middle of the night though. I won’t be able to stay asleep until everything is complete because I can’t turn my mind off. So I already know I won’t be sleeping tonight.
My reset is a great workout. I turn the volume up so loud. For that time I forget about all of the things running through my mind, and I focus on the workout I’m doing. It provides some clarity and I can come back to my lists with fresh eyes and less clouded mind.
 | Who Are We To Judge? |
 | On Wednesdays, the Great Things Collective will hear stories from my life that have influenced who I am today. I’ll give insight into my past, how I dealt with what I was given, what I learned from it, and what I’m still learning. You’ll get to know me deeper, and in turn, I want to learn about your journey. |
Some days, nothing seems as bright as it should. I’ve tried to convince myself that things can be pushed down, that what I’m feeling is a fluke, or that my problems don’t compare to what others are going through. But doing so has made me avoid feelings that have kept me at my lowest.
Now, I’m the first one to remind you to think for yourself. If everyone is dealing with the same thing, that doesn’t mean you also are. I’m also going to state that I have not seen a medical professional who has validated these claims. But what I can tell you is that after hearing my friend share their story, I felt relief. Much of what I experience aligns with my friend’s.
If you asked me yesterday if I was depressed, I’d probably laugh and say no, that I have so much in my life to be happy and grateful for; there’s no way I can feel that way. But the more I share it, the more I realize the danger in comparing my thoughts to someone else's.
 | What’s Got Me Smilin’ |
Because no matter what, there is always something to smile about.
30 Minutes of Space: Did it surprise you to see me getting to create space with Kirra? Did you think I was flexible enough to cross my legs? 🤣
Firing my Mechanic: Do you think I can replace him? The correct answer is absolutely not, but this miner can dream!
Happy Birthday Joe: Celebrating birthdays with friends is a wonderful reminder that getting older is not a bad thing. You wouldn’t tell a fine wine it hasn’t aged enough!
Sleepy Frankie: Does this need a caption to tell you why it brings me joy?
Coloring with Uncle Momo: Another fun event in the books this Sunday! If you want to share with your kids or color yourself (we all need a bit of de-stress in our lives), download the page below!
|
| You Put Your Foot In This |
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?
“Damn, You Put Your Foot In
This Ice Box Cake”
My Aunt makes this EVERY Thanksgiving and always makes sure to save me the biggest piece and the leftovers. Because I hated waiting for 1x a year to eat it, I asked her to teach me how to make it. I don’t really belong in the kitchen - but even this is fool proof! I started making it in college (to impress the guys quad living across from us) and then continued to make it for our annual Friendsgiving. Now I just make it because it’s simply delicious and a fan favorite at every party or event we attend/host.
Fun fact: The chocolate wafers are an old school classic that Nabisco discontinued!! There is an entire Facebook group dedicated to ice box cake fanatics that tested and tried all sorts of alternatives before finding the perfect alternative cookie.
Ingredients:
Heavy whipping cream
Sugar
Chocolate wafers
Recipe
Add heavy whipping cream into a large bowl. Start whisking and adding spoonfuls of sugar to the mix. It typically takes around 9 before you start seeing the cream turn to whipped cream!
Once it’s thick and fluffy, taste it and make sure it’s just right!
Next, take your chocolate wafers and scoop a generous amount to one side. Take another cracker and form a sandwich. Then keeping adding the whipped cream to the back of the cracker and stacking new crackers. You will have a line of wafer, cream, wafer, cream.
Once it’s long enough (the length of your serving place is a good place) add another line of wafer, cream next to it.
Once you finish your stacks, cover the entire thing with the whipped cream.
Lastly, crumble the leftover waters on the top of the cake.
Refrigerate overnight, and keep cold until you are ready to serve.
The tip: you must cut the cake on an angle in order to see the pattern of wafer, cream, it’s real pretty! It is the BEST tasting dessert!
Submit your recipes and story 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.
| See You Next Time |
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
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