How a Box of Burgers Became a Great Teacher.

As a reformed overthinker, I now believe that everything happens for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Yes, I’m one of those people. I used to think that phrase was nonsense—until life proved otherwise.

That’s a big part of this message:
What if we welcomed what we got, instead of constantly chasing what we wanted?

I remember the day someone showed me a mock-up for a retail box.

“This is what we think it should look like,” they said.

I looked at it and replied,

“But it looks like all the others—and we’re not like them.”

I didn’t design the logo. A cousin did.
I didn’t create the burger. That was my dad.
I didn’t make the burger every day. A brother did.

What I did was listen—listen—and respond.
Not just to the words being said, but to what was being expressed behind them.

That came naturally. I enjoy people. I enjoy relationships.
I even once had a relationship with a burger.

A Burger Walks into a Grocery Store

One day, this burger and I went into a grocery store.
After I properly introduced both of us, someone in charge told me:

“If you do this and that, then I’ll do this and that.”

I listened to every word.

Later, I asked someone who made boxes how I could sell more of his empty boxes filled with our burgers.
He said, “I know someone. Wait for a call.”
So I did. When that call came, I went to meet someone, and I listened some more. Same thing, he said, “If you do this, this, and this, I’ll do this.”

From an early age, I was told to listen.
Eventually, I discovered there were two voices:

• One outside me—loud, demanding, sometimes urgent.

• One inside me—quiet, still, and wise.

They often said very different things.

Sometimes, we have to look back before we can move forward and make sense of things.

A Job That Didn’t Feel Like Work

I liked connecting with people.
The loud voice—when it appeared—made things feel difficult.
But the quieter voice? It whispered:

“Try this.”
“Now do that,” this voice said with fun in mind.

As long as I listened, the work didn’t feel like work.
It felt joyful.

I noticed that something seemed to guide me more and more.
Quietly. Gently.
It told me where to go and what to do next.

That made everything easier.
My job was to listen and respond.

The Two Voices

Before I recognized the two voices—or knew which one to trust-I got lost.
But life gave me an opportunity.
So did my birth family.
And somewhere along the way, I started to hear clearly.

I’ve learned a lot.
But one of the most surprising teachers?

A box of burgers.

That box taught me how to listen.
It taught me which voice to trust.

Unconventional Wisdom

This may sound unconventional.
It did to me, too, for most of my life.

The world says success, meaning, and security are “out there.”
Go faster. Do more. Keep moving.

But remember how we start a car:
We begin in the park position, we shift into gear, and then it can take us places.

 What Kids Know

Children understand this, and this included us at some point.
Until the world teaches us not to.

If we’re lucky, before we leave this place,
We remember what it means to be childlike again.

Not childish.
Childlike.

• Curious

• Present

• Lighthearted

• Less overthinking

• Less noise

• More responding to what’s here, now

What Qualifies Us

Some say you need credentials to speak with authority.
But I ask: What qualifies someone more than living it?

Knowledge is helpful.
But experience? That’s what sticks.

This Moment

So snap out of the dream.
Wake up.
Become aware.
Rise above the noise.

If this is the time you’ve got—
Make it count.
Make it meaningful.

Sure, talking about work this way might seem strange.
But maybe… that’s the point.

Imagine a group of adults working together and enjoying it.
That’s how I see the workplace—as the best place to grow, learn, and connect.

Without rushing.
Without constantly checking phones.
Just being here, doing what’s in front of us.

Letting that be enough.

What’s Real

We don’t control much.
We’re not supposed to.
But we can:

• Show up

• Do our best

• Listen

• Breathe

• Help others breathe

• Take the next step, even if it’s small

Somehow, it all works out just fine.

The Story Is Still Being Written

Looking back, I see the same rhythm:

Playing football and meeting Erk Russell.
Working for Advance Food Company after saying goodbye to this burger that taught me so much.
Meeting the love of my life, Stephanie—
Both of us passionate about what we do, and the love we have for each other.

And through it all…

There was no plan.

At least, not one I could see.

But now, I trust the quiet voice.
And I keep listening.

“Trust Works.”