Kaiteur Coffeehouse

Thoughts are Things

Everything in this physical world was first a thought. The iphone you so covet for all of its various apps, the ipod you carry in your pocket that has your 1000 songs. Sometime just for fun try carrying 1000 CDs! It will help you to really appreciate the innovation. They didn't change the music, They didn't create a demand for it, Apple simply innovated the delivery, food for thought when you start to think of your winning business idea. Also TVs, computers, cars, frozen Kaiteur mochas to name a few vital 21^th century must haves! All began their lives as thoughts.

Now here's the thing, you don't argue about these realities! You don't have to have a high IQ to understand that this is the reality of the physical world we live in. To put it another way:

Thoughts are things, nothing just is, it first was.

It has been said that existence itself was nothing more than a thought in the mind of God. Provocative though it may be I believe that all of the physical matter that we observe and even the dark matter that we don't, are sustained in the mind of God. If you believe that, it gives you a different prospective on owning stuff and defining your worth (whether you admit it to yourself or not ) by them. It leads you to be not conformed but transformed by the renewal of your mind to paraphrase Paul (Rom 12:2)

Now I want you to suspend disbelief for a moment and come with me as I tell you a story about, well you. Since all that is first was in the form of a thought in the mind of someone or the great Deity at the highest level of creation. Why do you find it so hard to believe that you can think yourself into the life you want! That you life today is nothing more than a collection of your thoughts, so far.

You see for someone like me who is interested in the power of choice. I don't have to wonder about your thought life, your life today screams it out. Whatsoever thoughts good and whatsoever thoughts bad. To say it more plainly you are today what you have thought over a number of years.

Now this is where you have to allow yourself to be honest with yourself and take ownership. So its not your boss, or wife, or husband or the economy. On that last point I have heard many credible economists who study economic trends say that much of what eventually brings countries out of recession is the change in attitude of the citizens. They all seem to get tired of feeling sorry for themselves and not buying that new thing they have been eying and before long inventories start getting low, production ramps up, businesses have to employ more labor, who as a result of being employed and the optimism that results start spending. Before long we are in the midst of a robust recovery. Some of you are not too old to recognize the term “ Its morning in America again”. That commercial by Ronald Regan spoke to the renewed sense of energy in America after it began to emerge from the deep rescission of the late 70s and early 80s.

We are fast approaching the end of another year and dare I say its not too soon to start thinking of that

collective national obsession, the New Year's resolution. The Gym owners are getting ready for this year's new crop of suckers even as I type. To be sure, I have nothing against those guys if I owned a gym I'd be smiling too. But why not let us all try something radically new for the remainder of this year and next and beyond. Let us think ourselves into our ideal life! Start that new business you have been dieing to hatch, for encouragement Google how many highly successful businesses where started during times of economic downturn. Get that new job, As I have heard said if you don't think you are the most qualified for the job don't expect them to convince you that you are. Make that phone call to begin to repair that long neglected relationship, I view with great credibility the thoughts of those who have lived a great life and comment on what they have discovered to be most important, curious that holding a grudge never makes the top 10 or 100 or 1,000 or 10,000. What does is health and family.

Thoughts are things, nothing just is, it first was. With that in mind lets go change the world we have total control of, the one between our ears.

Blog to you soon!

Moose

Come enjoy great music and come great coffee for free

We are helping to host a great concert on Sunday September 13 at 7pm featuring the music of Matt Thein! We will be serving the awesome drinks that you guys normally get in the coffeehouse. And best of all its FREE!!

The concert will feature 10 songs that Matt wrote when he was on a mission trip to Kenya. So come on out and enjoy an evening of great music and coffee!!

YOu can link to Matt's site at http://mattthien.com/

Family game night anybody??

So I confess I am one of those people who always secretly envy those folks that have family game nights, because I have always liked the idea of the thing but actually getting it done is another story. But I have always had the idea of hosting a family game night here at the Coffeehouse.

I can see families arriving around 6ish, setting up their games and starting to play, I hear spontaneous out bursts of laughter punctuated with " You can’t make that move" or " that is not how you play it by the rules" and of course " Mom he's cheating!"

Even more importantly I see families that don't know each other at the start of the night deciding to share the same games in a match of guys vs girls.

Every year there is a happiness index done of all of the countries in the world ( http://www.le.ac.uk/users/aw57/world/sample.html ) and while you would think that the US would place at the top of the stats we actually place a relatively low number considering our wealth, and Hollywood. But the hands down winner for the past several years has been Denmark.

Now there are a numbers of reasons tossed around about why that is but one is that they participate in a number of clubs which are subsided by the government. If you have a hobby and can find a few others that share similar interest you get paid to pursue it, pretty sweet deal huh?

It turns out that humans are happiest when they are doing things together.

So with that all said we would love to know if any of you are interested in joining us for a family game night. This is really what we are about here at Kaiteur, building a stronger community. So let us know by sending a reply to this post. Who will be first?

Day after the big day

I was freezing this morning, This place doesn’t start getting warm until about 7:30 when we start running the Espresso machine and people start filing in bringing their heat.

Weekly wrap up

What a week that was! Overall January is living up to its billing as a generally slower month for sales but every new day is a new opportunity to turn that around. Couple that with the historic inauguration of the new POTUS, are you about tired of hearing the word “historic” yet?

 Kaiteur has enabled me to experience sheer exhilaration on the faces of supporters fully prepared to already pronounce President Obama’s presidency a success on day one and dejection on those ready to pronounce it a complete and utter failure on day one.  As with most things the truth will likely be somewhere in the middle.

Despite their philosophical or other subterranean reason for their approval or disapproval of the President, both register on their faces the recognition that something significant has happen in America, a shift has been made.  We have posted a video conversation that I had with one of our regulars on inauguration day that is both interesting and revealing; Rich is a great guy who is a solid supporter of Kaiteur.

Kaiteur has forced me to live outside of my bubble and come to terms with the reality that I have been happily harboring simplistic views of racial, cultural, religious and political opinions in America. I suspect that the true benefits (some would argue the negative consequences) of our shared collective experience seeing this gentleman elected president will not be appreciated for several years to come.

                  My feeling about where we are in this business continues to be complex and varied. On the one hand I can’t help but feel that we just have a few more corners to turn before this business is self sustainable. On the other hand I often look at the task ahead of us, and our starting point and ask myself, “are you crazy?, Nice vision sure, but all but impossible to be realized”.  It’s at times like that when I am encouraged with the knowledge that many of today’s venerable organizations and their founders must have been faced with these same challenges during the infancy of their businesses.

At all times when we are attempting to create something new we are confronted with two options after the romance stage, to quit or to go on. That is the sum total, no nuance necessary. I make that decision every day I come in and turn on the lights despite the pressing thoughts in the back of my mind.

Finally keep your suggestions coming about ways you can help support us here, they are invaluable. Even as I write this Larry just dropped off a book as a follow up to a very detailed email of helpful suggestions. 

 

Moose

Coffeehouse wisdom

This is a great conversation I had With Rich one of our regulars on inauguration day. There was noting unusual about this conversation this is the kind of stuff that happens all day everyday at Kaiteur. The difference, Erin had the consciousness of mind to grab a camera and record it. I call it "Coffeehouse Wisdom" and we will try to capture more candid moments like these in the future and bring them you.

Saturday Morning, Musing