“It’s not about the wine.” Daring to be Remarkable

It was late in the evening, well past midnight. We were standing in the back wine cellar at Corkscrew in Houston. The Caroline Collective had just wrapped up its opening night. Those of us that weren’t majorly buzzing off the Green Drinks (provided, as I’m sure Monica Danna will remind us, courtesy of Beavers) that I thought, being organic, would also (wrong!) have a low alcohol content. Now, lest you think I’m just a drunk that just flies all over the country to party and that I never actually do any work, let me relate a little story:

Picture this. We’re meeting and greeting in the back of the bar. You can hear the sound of wine glasses tinking. There are a dozen or so half-empty wine bottles, a picked over plate of hors d’oeuvre, and Gary Vaynerchuk. Monica and I are picking Gary’s brains about brand management. This is where I could be completely making things up, but I’m pretty sure this is what he said: It isn’t about the wine. (And while I’m at it I should just ask you, Gary, outright…how do you manage to hold down all that wine while still carrying on such articulate conversation? Better than I can do sober.)

The three of us were talking about Gary’s story and how he got to where he was, flying around the country meeting folks and drinking wine, one of the most popular shows out there on wine, a young guy with charisma for days. He was talkative, funny even. We saw that it really isn’t about the wine, the show, the blog, the videos. It was about presence. Just the fact that he could have all this going on and still focus on us for a solid twenty minutes or so…we were lifted. I know people with a quarter that amount of stuff going on that are so distracted by their gadgets that they don’t seem to have a moment to simply look me in the eye. Look a person in the eye. That’s remarkable. That’s memorable.

Crested Butte + Cocktail Cabin

This weekend I went to Crested Butte, Colorado, for the first time.* It was an Unplug + Play Weekend. Gadgets are turned off. Conversations are had.

We go to McGills for breakfast on the first morning. Have the Veggie Scramblette. Heather works at McGills. She told us about two friends that just opened up a little tapas place. I think…hmm…last time I had tapas was in Spain. Wonder how this will go over in a little mountain town.

We get to the “Cocktail Cabin.” (Ok, when is the last time you went to a COCKTAIL CABIN?!! Never? Ok, me neither.) So there you are, remarkable from word go. We walk in to be greeted by the enthusiastic Simian. He notices me taking photos and we talk photography. His nails are bit back to the quick, he’s scruffy, but he’s wearing a coat and is so incredibly sweet-natured, so easy-going.

We take a look at the short menu, overwhelmed with choice even though they apologized there were so few choices since they “only opened last week.”

We settled on a Mango Mint Cocktail and a Minty Martini. The entire experience could be summed up in a word: Refreshing. Another word I might apply to it: Remarkable.

Unpretentious, limited menu, friendly staff. When we just put out the best of what we have to offer, however limited it might be, we’re almost always assured success. Listen to feedback, articulate from that place of understanding, incorporate the criticism and grow.

Feel the Fear + Do it Anyway

One thing that sometimes holds us back from showing our true selves, from daring to be remarkable, is fear of criticism. I read and responded to a piece on this topic recently. Brian’s piece deals specifically with writing from your gut rather than fearing criticism. If you’re having trouble getting your confidence up, I suggest, finally, watching this video every day until it sinks in.** Love y’all.

*See my Crested Butte set on Flickr

**Yes, there’s a mention in there for the guys, too