Hi guys! Welcome to Episode 602 of the Wildly Successful Lifestyle podcast! I’m glad you’re here. We don’t get a lot of time together but the time we do get, it’s really special because we are all working together on the one thing we control in our life and that is our mindset. The thing I’ve honestly learned is that the more you work on my mindset, the more discipline and self confidence and peace I have which makes everything in life better. And there are little life lessons every day if we notice them.
You see, Life is full of interesting moments that, if we are open to see them, can teach us more than any Ivy League education is capable of. The key is to be open. The key is to find the meaning. To ask: What is this showing me? Why did I notice this? There’s a reason I’m aware of this—what is that reason? When we allow ourselves to remain open and then get curious about what we’re noticing—like, Why did I notice that? What am I supposed to take from it?—life is full of guidance if we allow ourselves to be guided.
I’ll give you an example for me, There’s this beautiful building down the street from our neighborhood. It’s a great spot, tucked into a little grove of trees, a parking lot big enough to host a small wedding. There’s decent traffic, but not the kind of screaming highway strip that screams “destination dining.” Over the years, restaurant after restaurant has tried to make a go of it. And every single one… flopped.
I’ve always believed it’s the ideal spot. I have always said it just needs someone in there that really knows what they’re doing. It has awesome lighting potential, space for live music on the patio, easy parking—come on. But no one could crack the code. The food was either meh, or the vibe felt like a dentist’s waiting room, or the service made you wish you’d just microwaved leftovers at home.
Then in the last year, came this upscale Mexican place. Eric and I were cautiously optimistic. Every once is a while it’s nice to have good Mexican food as a treat and maybe a perfect margarita too, the whole thing. There were slight red flags because they spent what seemed like a whole year building it out—so we thought man ok, hopefully it’s gorgeous. We walked in opening week with sky-high hopes… and within thirty seconds I felt it in my gut: Oh no. No, no, no. The lighting was harsh, the ambiance was non existent and the food was not any better. Not a good sign.
Six months later—closed. They posted the saddest little Facebook note: “Unfortunately the location just wasn’t right. Thank you for your support.”
I remember reading that and thinking, Uh I don;’t think, it’s the location. Well low and behold Less than a month later? New sign goes up. Same building. Same corner. Same trees. Another Mexican restaurant. Needless to say I didn’t have high hopes this time, I thought okl, Here we go again.
But then we learned the owners already run three amazing spots around town—restaurants that have done extremely well and have tons of ambiance, the food is really good and their staff treats you like family. Suddenly I’m thinking, Okay… this could be interesting.
Fast-forward two months. That parking lot? Jammed every single nigh. We’ve driven in there a couple times thinking we would try it out only to see people already waiting for a table outside…on a Wednesday. Reviews are glowing. People are loving it. We finally made it in for a super early dinner and the place felt cozy, the food was amazing and the service was really on point!
It wasn’t the location. It was getting the right combination of food, ambiance, and service.
I tell you this because it’s such a powerful mirror for every single one of us.
Someone could have read that Facebook post and said, “Welp, cursed spot. Hard pass.” They could have let one failure—someone else’s failure—dictate their possibility. But these new owners? They forged ahead. They didn’t listen to the naysayers. They trusted their recipe, their team, their vision.
And here’s the thing I’ve taken from this — Just because someone else wasn’t successful doesn’t mean you won’t be. They don’t have what you have.
Think about the dreams you’ve shelved because you saw someone else try and crash. The business idea you abandoned because your cousin’s friend lost everything. The relationship pattern you swore off because your ex’s baggage looked exactly like the red flags you carry. The creative project you buried because that influencer said the market was saturated.
We treat other people’s ceilings like they’re our floors. We let their “location” story become our gospel.
But, you are not them. You bring a different energy, a different work ethic, a different heart, a different secret sauce. The same plot of land can feed a village or grow weeds—it depends on who’s tending to it.
I’ve caught myself even recently thinking “Their venture wasn’t successful so what makes me think mine would be?” But see that’s limited thinking. If I have an idea that is tugging at me as something I have been wanting to try and I don’t try it because of someone else’s naysaying. That’s on me.
So the next time life hands you a “cursed location” story, whether it’s a job everyone says is a dead end , a city everyones leaving…any dream that has been calling you, it’s there for a reason….stop and ask yourself What is this showing me, why did I notice this and What do I bring that they didn’t?
That’s my challenge to you this week is any time you find yourself with the thought “Someone already tried that and it didn’t work,” write it down. Then, on the next line, write: “But they’re not me. What do I bring?”
Let yourself brainstorm for thirty seconds. Maybe it’s your warmth. Your ridiculous organizational skills. Your ability to make people laugh until soda comes out their nose. Whatever it is, it’s your unfair advantage.
If you have a dream, that dream is meant for you in one way or another so stay open, get curious and never stop asking the right questions. Share this with 3 people with a dream. I love you guys, I’ll talk to you in a few days!
