Start Something That Matters

This is totally what we're doing! This weekend I was at the library and picked up a copy of Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie, the guy who created TOMS.  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10723236-start-something-that-matters 

In the book he tells about the start of TOMS, but also gives six key principles for how to start your own "something that matters." I'm only 2 chapters into it right now, but I'm amazed. I'm trying to hold myself back so that I can "marinate" in the book awhile. The TOMS story is great, and he explains how the new market is all about having a story behind your product.

Austin is the perfect market for this! Austinites are VERY into enviro-friendly products. There's a big buzz in town about a proposed grocery store that will be the first ever zero-packaging store. You can either bring your own reusable containers or they will sell you their biodegradable packages. The people developing this grocery store have a perfect story. They saw the sheer amount of single-use packaging that gets thrown away by a person each day and decided to change that. They wanted a grocery store that would "save the environment as well as consumer health." Perfect backstory. Nothing is more compelling than saving the world AND our children.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/27/americas-first-zero-packaging-grocery-store-to-open-in-austin/#ixzz1iLyLLzcE

Our First Event

Saturday was our first night out. We went to a local restaurant/bar for a small get-together for Candy's birthday. We didn't hash out plans until immediately before, which usually causes me great anxiety. But Candy had vaguely threatened if I bailed, so I took a pill and went anyway. The bar was interesting. Although they are a teeny venue (I swear they could only seat 30 at best), they insist on having live music inside. It's a very "Austin" thing to do. Very loud. And very sparkly. Oh well. I was able to hang out anyway and even eat something while we were there (which I usually completely avoid so that I don't get sick while I'm away from home). I'm not sure how being sick at home is better - other than the ability to avoid public embarrassment. Anyway, we hashed out some more ideas and just in general had a good time.

Sometimes you just need that time out and away from your daily routine, and last night was a great example. We ended up going somewhere quieter and just hanging out after, which proved even better. We were able to just be social and dorky together. We're all a bit weird, and we're lucky enough to find people who accept and celebrate that. We just know that I have no filter, that Candy is way too easy to read, and that JoJo is a meme in real life. It's amazing, and it just works. I hope you have or find a place like this for yourself, and we hope you'll come hang out in ours.

We're setting our goal to make plans each week and announce them beforehand in case anyone wants to join us for our little adventures. Remember, the goal is to just get out. Go somewhere, do something, and just enjoy having an experience. Our generation seems to have fallen into a gap, and we've lost the ability to just do something for the sake of doing it. We're gonna fix that.

Enjoy your New Year's, and we'll catch up with you soon.