What is a Totem?

Hi, 

This week, I am talking about the Totem Lake mall. I know it’s weird, but bear with me. 

When I was in the 8th grade, my friend Kyle (also known as other Kyle) and I were dropped off in Totem Lake to explore. We walked around the then abandoned mall. There were three shops in the now almost empty mall: Radio Shack, The Christian Bookstore, and of course The Old Country Buffet. 

We explored the empty mall and jokingly talked about how when we were older, we would buy the old mall, and retrofit it into the coolest house of all time. We talked about which stores we would want to be our rooms, and what we would do with them. 

Unfortunately, measly real estate investors beat us to it, and tore down the old mall, and built a brand new shopping area with fancy apartments in the ruins. The irony is that the area that we believed to be cheap real estate now had become an area that was quite expensive to live in. 

The newly built plaza has little to no resemblance to the mall that I walked back in middle school, but every time I go there, I think of walking through those abandoned halls. 

I not only think about how cool it would've been to build an indoor water park in the former Macy’s, but I also think about what I wanted when I was an adult and how different that is from what I actually want now. 

Here is the terrible punchline you all knew was coming, this mall is a totem for what I used to want, it is a symbol to me that just because I used to want something, it doesn’t mean I will always want it. 

How does he do it? It’s a gift. 

All of this being said, a totem can represent a lot of things, knowing how to use them will not only help us see the shift in personal values, it will help us in our careers, personal lives, and even relationships. 

Let’s do some diving. 

The Hero’s Journal 

Probably one of the most common responses that Nick and I get when we talk about The Hero’s Journal to new people is, “wow you really thought this all the way through.”

I think this is partially true. The partial untruth isn’t that we didn’t think it through, it is that it was work. 

When Nick and I talk about new products, we spend a lot of the time talking about what it will mean to someone when they receive the product. We talk about how cool it would feel to make someone feel a certain way based on the packaging or the build quality. We talk about the excitement someone will feel when they discover one of the thousands of Easter Eggs Ryan has adroitly hidden amidst the pages. We talk about the responsibility we have to help someone see themselves as a hero. 

I was looking back through Nick’s Linkedin Posts today, nothing weird, to find a post about the text he sent me 7 years ago talking about the idea for a nerdy Journal/Planner.  

On the way, I saw a picture of all 10 boxes (we have 12 now) stacked on top of each other. My mind immediately jumped back to a conversation we were going through the process to design them. 

The thesis: Even the box needs to remind someone that they are the hero of their life. Just seeing it on a shelf, desk, or table should serve as a reminder that you are a hero. 

The box is a totem that acts as a mirror. A mirror that reflects one thing, true heroism. 

Atypical 

So far, Trey has released 3 products, shorts and two shirts. The conversations around the shirts are broken into these percentages: 30% quality (doesn’t mean quality isn’t important) 70% what does it mean to wear the shirts or shorts. 

The story around the merch drops has been far more important than the actual merch. What does it say about you to wear it? What are you saying about yourself? 

Trey’s dream is that two hoopers show up to a gym solo, both wearing their merch, and end up doing a workout together, not because they know each other, but because they know what they each stand for. 

The merch is a totem that signals shared values. 

Reading 

I didn’t do much reading this week, just a little bit in “Do hard things” nothing really new to report. 

This section feels a bit more like accountability than anything else. 

Coffee 

This week, I got a bag of coffee from Perc. It’s a reminder that really good coffee tastes better than even good coffee. Every time I have a cup, it reminds me why I love the hobby of coffee. 

Conclusion

Whether you are using totems to remind you of who you used to be, who you are now, or who you want to be, this is a reminder that you are in control of that narrative. 

The breaking down of strongly held beliefs is an arduous process, but it is something that we have to do to continue to grow. 

I do feel like I need to say this, this newsletter is not sponsored by the Totem Lake Mall, they will see this review when you all do. 

Until Next Time, 

Kyle