I've written before about one of my favorite speakers/authors, Brene Brown. I was listening to a podcast she was on recently, where she was talking about how one of her favorite words is "courage". Not so much the modern meaning of the word, with undertones of bravery and heroism, but more so for its earliest, original meaning. 

The root-word of "courage" is "cor-", which is the Latin word for heart, and the original meaning of courage was "to speak one's mind by telling all of one's heart."

As Brene continued, she noted how heroism is certainly needed, but there seems to be less and less appreciation for the original meaning of the word. "Heroics is often about putting our life on the line. Courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line. In today's world, that's pretty extraordinary," she said.

Over the last year especially, I've learned how critical this "vulnerability" part is for successful personal relationships. Too often, we're conditioned to build up walls to keep the vulnerability out, and, most importantly, to keep our vulnerability from others. Vulnerability is giving someone else the opportunity to hurt you, after all.

In a funny twist of irony, the only way to get the most out of just about anything worthwhile, is to give in to the vulnerability...and now it all makes sense: the courage (to speak one's mind by telling one's heart) is courageous (the act of being brave; heroic) because the possibility for hurt is ever present, but the reward is so great.

 Happy Friday crusaders!

Congratulation on making it through the week!  

The XXXI Olympiad, also known as the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics Games start in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil later today with the opening ceremony. Athletes from 206 nations will be competing in 28 sports categories watched by a global audience of billions. Team USA’s flag bearer Michael Phelps is one of many athletes I follow closely during Olympics.  He is the most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 22 medals competing in his fifth consecutive summer games. He is a proponent on dreaming big and maintaining a consistent focus on the biggest stage. There will always be obstacles, doubters, and mistakes throughout the process, but with hard work and dedication, there is not limit to what you can achieve.  

Good Morning SlideBelts HQ

We're pretty excited about the booth here at the Outdoor show. Thank you to every single Crusader for all the work that went into getting this project prepared and Survival ready. 

We've seen some awesome setups so far but nothing with the natural and rugged feel like ours. We may or may not have been voted top 3 products to check out at the show by a local news station. 

Here's to hoping the orders come rushing in all day, every SlideBelt is flawless, and all of you are as excited as we are to be in this new phase at El Dorado Hills and worldwide wwwworrrlllddddwwiiiddddde!!!

From Project Outdoor in Salt Lake City, Utah, over and out.