It’s been one of those mornings. Disrupted is really the only apt descriptor.

It started with waking early, as is my custom, to go to the gym for a light workout.

(I’m in the process of rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles tendon, so my “workout” consists of walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes while being flanked by silver-haired old ladies who like to sprint. I’m not making this up. I think they derive great pleasure from watching a “young” mid-forties man struggle to sustain 3mph on the treadmill. I’m pretty sure it’s the feature story in their afternoon knitting groups.)

But the workouts help set my mindset for the day. I’m doing something to grow, to improve, and to clear the cobwebs that the morning cup of coffee was unable to do.

This morning, however, I walked into the gym to find that the blustering morning winds had knocked out the power and they were sending everyone home.

Wonderful. Disruption #1.

The Importance of Being Yourself

My oldest is in 8th grade, stuck right in the midst of the awkward middle school years. We all remember those times when we were convinced every single eye was on us every time we walked across a room, scrutinizing our gait, our hair, our clothes? (The irony here, of course, is that in actuality all attention is much more focused on themselves than on anyone else.)

But a core truth is still exposed in middle school; that the heart’s desire of every person is to find community, to fit in, and this is none more apparent than in those teenage years.

The Stuff That Matters, Real Change, Overcoming Fears, BusinessNathan WestwickSeptember 25, 2018Identity, Being RealComment

Does It Even Matter Anymore?

I was driving down the 210 Freeway the other day stuck in the state of unfettered joy that is Southern California rush hour traffic (don’t tell me you can’t relate). You know, the kind of traffic where texting while driving is probably legal; where you get the privilege of studying the nuances of any and all scratches, dents, or other blemishes in the cars around you; where your desire for listening to yet one more podcast about business, spiritual development, or anything else for that matter has died a slow and painful death; where all you want to do is move out to the prairie, learn a new dialect, and watch cows in the pasture.

And I don’t even like cows, which shows you how much I hate SoCal traffic.

Business, Faith, The Stuff That MattersNathan WestwickSeptember 28, 2017Truth, Questions, Live With Significance Comment

There is No Life Without the Storm

I’ve been reading a book about different personality types, and my particular type, it turns out, tries to avoid pain at all costs.

Now, I get that it’s human nature to avoid pain, but apparently people with my personality type will go to nearly superhuman lengths to avoid it. It seems that pain is something that is particularly difficult for someone with my makeup to deal with.

And since God isn’t really interested in stagnant character development… the past 11 months have been some of the most difficult of my life.

Faith, Life Abundant, Overcoming Fears, The Journey, BusinessNathan WestwickFebruary 14, 2017Dealing with Pain, Storms, Finding HopeComment

Time is Running Out...

So this is what it feels like to have your back against the wall…

I promised in my last post that I would keep you all updated on the progress as we transition into a new location for our roasting facility. So please forgive the tone of what I’m about to say. After all, it’s 2am and I haven’t slept a wink tonight

Faith, BusinessNathan WestwickNovember 16, 2016Desperation, Moving Comments

Why I Chose To Leave My Day Job

I left a very stable 15 year teaching career to roast coffee.

Some might think I was crazy to do it...

In fact, when I first announced the concept behind Wild Goose Coffee Roasters, one of my colleagues bellowed, "My gosh, Nate, THAT has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

And that was all the motivation I needed.

Business, The JourneyNathan WestwickAugust 31, 2016Career, Wild Goose CoffeeComment

A Worthwhile Tradeoff

I woke up an hour earlier than my alarm this morning.

It’s probably related to the workload I have on my plate right now: In addition to the day to day responsibilities of running my own business, I am flying out tomorrow morning to attend Coffee Fest Dallas (yes, if the comic book people can have their own convention, then we coffee people certainly can as well!)

The Stuff That Matters, Family, BusinessNathan WestwickJune 9, 2016Being a Dad, WorkloadComment

The Myth of Popularity

Growing up, I never cared much about being popular.

That is, until I hit junior high.

Then I had to have all the right brands of clothing , because I knew that if I was wearing anything that might be found on a rack at Mervyn’s, I could risk the danger of being socially ostracized.

So my parents would give me a clothing budget, and I would blow the entire wad onone pair of pants and a shirt or two.

3 Things to Build More Margin in Your Life

Do you feel like you’re constantly on the go, rushing from one place to the next? Rushing out the door to make it to work on time; packing up from work so you can take the kids to soccer practice; running home to make a quick dinner so the kids can get to bed at a reasonable hour? Then you collapse on the couch and throw on a show so you can unwind a bit?

My life feels this way far too often.

Cutting Life's Safety Nets

Yesterday I put my signature on a paper that officially steers my career in a new direction.

I left teaching high school math a little over two years ago in order to work full-time in my coffee business. I traded stability for adventure. A high-structured job where simple needs like going to the bathroom were dictated by electronic bells buzzing through busy hallways, and exchanged that for the freedom to set my own schedule. I tossed my collared button-down shirts aside in favor of shorts and flip flops.

Business, Faith, Overcoming Fears, The JourneyNathan WestwickFebruary 25, 2016Leap of Faith, Trust Comments

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