This week I tried something new. I became a tourist in my own city... Austin. I just got back from an amazing time in India (will share my best takeaways in the next edition) & and I’ve been so excited planning adventures, finding new spots, doing all the things. And then it hit me...

I never do that here. I live here, but I don’t experience it. The reason I pushed myself to do this is because we’re launching a new marketing initiative at 7 Monks over the next couple of weeks. One of the challenges from my coach was to go experience my favorite places, but through a completely different lens. And you guys... it felt like I was seeing everything for the first time. There’s this concept of blending the familiar with the unfamiliar.

Movies do this really well.Think your favorite coffee, but with a twist. I went to this really popular Austin coffee shop, Desnudo, and they had things like an iced matcha latte with fresh raspberry purée... or a brown sugar miso latte. Familiar, but unexpected. And it makes you curious enough to try it. I’m not saying we are (or aren’t) launching new things at 7 Monks... but just saying :) And as we continue on this mission to introduce really great Indian food to more people, both non-Indians and Indians, I’m realizing how important it is to dial in every single part of the experience. Not just the food... everything.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been really busy building another business. But this year, we’re making some big improvements and investments into the restaurant. And I went back and forth on whether I should even share this. Because what if the marketing fails? What if something doesn’t work? Part of me wanted to wait. To share the story after it worked. That’s how I grew up... do something great first, then maybe talk about it. Or honestly, don’t talk about it at all. Just keep your head down. But the problem with that is... you get so busy doing, you never share the ups, the downs, or the messy middle. And how is anyone supposed to learn together if no one talks about it?

I’m not talking about closed-door conversations. I’m talking about sharing the real, in-progress, building-your-life kind of moments. So I’ll take you guys along for this. I have a feeling the next couple of months at 7 Monks are going to look very different :) If you’ve ever tried to see your own city differently, I’m curious... what changed for you?