A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
IT’S YOUR BONUS ROUND
Imagine that yesterday was the last day of your current life, and tomorrow you start over…knowing everything you happen to know up to this point.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
REAL MEN DO CRY
5 Reasons To Cry And 5 Simple Lessons Learned At The Boston Marathon
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
THE PAST: THE GREATEST TEACHER
We can convince ourselves that things will always be good because they have been for a very long time. Or when things don’t go right for an extended period of time, we can lose belief that we have the ability to change our direction or affect our future outcomes. Either option is us being stuck in the past.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
I QUIT
In any industry, when the results we were once getting seem to change, we can tend to believe that what we used to do doesn’t work anymore. Often times we are quick to blame the work itself, instead of looking at ourself. We become convinced that a strategy no longer works. We are sure that an activity won’t get the results that it used to get. We are certain that what we are doing just doesn’t work.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
ALMOST TWO DECADES OF PARTNERSHIP
It’s hard to put two decades into a few paragraphs, but my relationship has taught me more lessons than any number of books could even teach. For that, and for many other reasons, I am eternally grateful and will always believe in partnership.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
THE TRAIN RIDE OF CONTROL
When we feel we don’t control the outcome, decision making is less important. In fact, we often allow others to make the decisions for us. But when we feel we do control the outcome, decision making becomes incredibly important.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
THE CERTAINTY OF UNCERTAINTY
This week, as the majority of the industry is freaking out about what is changing, ask yourself, “What will never change in the industry?” Ask yourself, “What will customers always want?” Those answers will bring some certainty to an uncertain moment in the industry.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
TOKYO, THANK YOU.
There are many reasons to travel, to do new and hard things, and to seek out new experiences. At the top of the list of those reasons is the sheer learning that happens, the lessons you stumble upon, and the fuel to your curiosity that occurs along the way.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
THE CHAFING IS REAL
You didn’t really think I'd write a blog post about chafing did you? But let’s get this out there. I’m not sure which is worse: the cramping at mile 23 or the first shower after a long run with some major chafing.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
NO CELL PHONE? NOW WHAT?
With no way to interact with anyone back at home, I put my laptop away and worked on a framework. I began to disconnect from what I needed to do, would have been doing, or always did and began to connect with what I wanted to do, could be doing, or never did.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
GO MAKE A MISTAKE
Mistakes of commission in most cases won’t destroy a business. Mistakes of omission however have the potential to really break down a business.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
PICK YOUR MENTORS
I pick my mentors by reading a book every week written by someone that I am certain I can learn something from. Writers take at minimum many months, and at times, decades of their life compiling their thoughts, findings, experiences, and research before ever transforming them into a book.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
IT’S ALL TAYLOR’S FAULT
Since the first days of sporting events down to last weekend, and from the very first business failures down to the latest implosions, when things go wrong, the fingers go pointing. Human inclination is to find reasons as to why we underperform.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
THE BATTLE OF KNOWLEDGE VS WISDOM
Knowledge is a commodity. We have moved from the knowledge economy into the wisdom economy. We have the opportunity to transition from knowledge workers to wisdom workers. We all have had countless experiences. And yet it’s the metabolization of those experiences that leads to wisdom.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OF YOURSELF?
When we miss our own expectations we have set for ourselves, we begin to self sabotage or even self loathe. We become disappointed with ourselves, frustrated with ourselves, and even disconnect from ourselves and who we really are.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
IT’S TIME TO FIRE YOURSELF
This intellectual exercise will allow you to step out of the day to day - of what at times can become reactionary leadership. This list of questions will be your unlock. Within the questions are probably all of the answers you have been searching for and that your business needs.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
YOUR GRITTY UNDERBELLY
There will always be an underbelly to every business. No business is perfect, just as no city is perfect. As I run through these sections in every city I am reminded both of what once was, and what could be. With a little attention, with a little focus, with a little love, with a little time, those streets that we often hope no one sees can be the next area of revitalization and boom for our cities and our businesses.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
THAT WAS HARD
Years ago when we decided what mattered to us, and we decided who we wanted to be when we grew up, neither of those two things were easy. Be grateful for 2023 for resetting our expectations. If we are building and growing and becoming and learning, the current year will always feel and be experienced as the hardest year ever.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
THIS ISN’T WORKING
What if “this” is actually “you”. When things don’t go exactly as we’d like them to go we immediately look to blame something, someone, or some situation. But often, we are the thing. We are the one. We are the situation.
A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
Executing on a mission can absolutely lead to incredible relationships. But whereas we accept mediocrity or lack of initiative or inconsistency from family, it’s impossible to do so when building a business.