Growing up in the greater Seattle area, I was surrounded by coffee, but resisted because my dad swore it would stunt my growth. But, my senior year in high school, my friends and I would meet at a local breakfast spot in the morning before school each Friday. Nothing flashy or special about this breakfast club, or the restaurant we chose to eat at. However, many of my friends worked in construction during the summers at that point, and they all lived off coffee. I did not, but they forced me to have a cup of black coffee with them at those breakfasts. I hated it at first and choked it down, but as the Fridays came and went, I began to look forward to that cup. By the time I was in college, with a large thanks to my wife, I was hooked. I would stop by the local coffee shop every day on my way to class, and always had one on me. It went from a weekly forced beverage, to a daily ritual, quickly. Today, I drink about 4-5 cups every day, and I not only look forward to the first sip every morning, but I crave the taste at any hour of the day. Simply put, my passion for coffee and the enjoyment I get out of it in my own life led me to start The Bitter Truth, however, the company itself means so much more than that. 


For as long as I can remember, discipline and self-assessment have been a part of my life. My dad is my hero, and a large reason why is because of how my dad went about his life. Every day he would rise with the sun, head to work, earn money for our family, and come home to spend time with us. Every day, like clockwork, he would go above and beyond to stretch his time in order to be at every game, drive me to every practice, and be an amazing dad to all of his three kids. As children, we model what our parents do and say, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have a dad who modeled such an important behavior to me. As I grew older, the skills I learned from my dad were put to the test. I decided I wanted to pursue basketball, which required unbelievable amounts of discipline. A fully loaded school schedule, multiple practices a day, and working out on my own time were all commonplace. In order to become a better player and earn the things that I wanted, I was constantly evaluating myself, identifying strengths and weaknesses in my game, coming up with a game plan, and working tirelessly to improve. 

The more that I practiced those qualities, the better I got.

I was able to have honest conversations with teammates, coaches, and myself about where I was at as a player, accepting the position I was in, and working harder for better outcomes. And, the more that I practiced that on the court, the more I found the same principles working in my life. School, work, friendships, and romantic relationships got my full attention and effort, always.


What I also began to notice through the ups and downs of my basketball career was that since I cared about improving my game so much, solving that never ending puzzle of improvement actually felt good. Missing shots, turning the ball over, and ironing out kinks in my game was a form of fulfillment. It never was the accomplishments or the accolades that fulfilled me, it was the action of improvement of my basketball game that I was after. I loved basketball, and getting better requires tremendous effort in every form, and it feels good to get better. Plain and simple. Going back to the drawing board, trying new drills, and constantly reassessing gave me the sustainable drive I needed to find myself where I am today. 

The same goes for our lives as well. We are called upon to do the right things all the time even though they don’t feel good. Life is full of hardships and suffering. No matter who you are, life sucks sometimes. It’s around every turn, in every phase of life, and is pretty much constantly present. Romans 5:3-4 states “but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Also, James 1:2-4 reads “Consider it pure joy, brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish it’s work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Engaging with and handling hard times well leads to fulfillment in all areas of life. Relationships, sports, and faith all included. Putting effort into our issues, no matter how large or small they are, provides an immaculate sense of accomplishment, and then fulfillment.



However, we always have the choice of what we want to suffer for. And if we believe in the purpose for the suffering we experience so much, we can endure almost anything. I hate confrontation. I want to run from hard conversations at my core. However, I know that relationships are built on communication that can naturally lead to confrontation and difficult conversations. If I want to have a good relationship with my wife badly enough, I then should be willing to sit in confrontation that I hate, because I know it will improve our marriage. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, you should enjoy operating within office politics, working sixty hour weeks, and delivering under a deadline. If your goal is to make it to the NBA, you should enjoy the countless hours in the gym, the heartbreak of getting cut from a team, and the constant state of fatigue from exerted muscles. 

All in all, I hope you all enjoy the coffee, and use it as fuel to pursue a life well-lived. Life is not always sweet, and neither is coffee.

Here’s to the acquired taste of both. 

Cheers,