Break Out of These 5 Comfort Zone Traps and Be Passionate Once Again

Break Out of These 5 Comfort Zone Traps and Be Passionate Once Again

There’s nothing as beautiful as seeing the spark in a person’s eyes when they talk about something their passionate about. There’s nothing as depressing as the dull glaze in a person’s eyes when they lack the passion for life and are trapped in their comfort zone. They can keep their “safe spaces” and mediocre life, we want that magic and that freedom.

What we did here is to point out some traps that you may or may not already be in. We also tossed you some real tips that you can actually use to free your damn self and just be freakin’ fantastic.

Comfort zone

Living life on repeat

Listen man, it’s 2016 and automation is coming. The robotic reform is coming. And if what you do with your life, at work and beyond, is on repeat then guess what? You’re the first batch to be replaced. Seriously, if all you do each day is go to work, make a sad ass attempt to contribute, sink hours into social media and wax poetic in your minds about your contributions to the world, there are two things you can bet on. Number one, you are not experiencing what life has to offer and number two, you’ll be replaced by a Roomba.

So, what can you do? You need to get out of the repetition and upgrade your shit. Rediscover your job and career with more hunger and passion. Learn new games to play with your kids, become good friends with someone who doesn’t look like you or have the same political views as yourself. Take off with your friends on trip when given the opportunity or heck, even just start with having some fun taking a new route to work or learning to cook rather living on takeout.

Giving too many f*ucks

Remember Kony 2012? It’s a perfect example of the vast amount of f*cks (and not to mention cash) that can easily be milked using a half-ass activism effort. Seriously, it turns out to be a big scam and Kony and his army remain at large. So, why am I saying that giving too many f*cks holds you in a comfort zone trap? It’s because when you give out f*cks left and right like you’re Oprah at Christmas, you trick yourself into a false fulfilment trap. It may make you feel like a big bad social justice warrior by just simply caring or thinking about some random cause that was sold to you, but man, don’t get stuck. The hard truth is it’s not going to improve your life or the life of others. And at the end of the day, you’ll be too drained and exhausted to develop any real experiences or personal growth.

So how do we break free? Mark Manson hits the nail on the head in this post where he explains “that f*cks have to be earned and then invested wisely.” Treat those f*cks like gold and stop giving them away like boxes of raisins on Halloween. Now, it’s not realistic to think you can shut off the way you react to things overnight. To quote some great guru, “it’s a process”. So what? Do what you can. Like how about caring about one less thing a day? Just pick something small, like being okay with it when that driver doesn’t thank you when you let them in your lane. Is it really something to waste one of your valuable f*cks on? No, it is not.

Comfort zone

Muzzling your voice

You’ve got to speak up, son. This may seem like a contradiction to what we just wrote but it isn’t. There’s nothing that will keep you trapped in your comfort zone like not speaking up. It’s healthy and important to let your thoughts brew and process, but too many of us overcook our perspective and viewpoints. Take that stuff off of the burner and serve it. Healthy communication is as important to relationships as fresh water is to plants. You need to water that shit on the regular.

If you’re somewhat of an introvert and tend to muzzle your voice, don’t go into panic mode just yet. No one is saying you have to jump in head first. Go back to those baby steps and start with yourself. Find a mirror and take a gander at that good looking mug of yours and tell yourself what you want to accomplish. Do it a hundred times a day if you have to. Eventually you’ll find yourself out of this trap and speaking up with the best of them.

Mistaking vulnerability as a weakness

If the word “uncomfortable” had a lunch buddy its name would be vulnerability. We all have this BS fear of appearing vulnerable and being viewed as a weakling. A good friend once said to me. “If you’re going through a tough time, don’t try to resolve everything on your own. You never know which of your friends has the skills or resources to solve your problem”. I really loved his advice and it has personally served me well.

The thought of stepping out of your comfort zone and admitting to the world and your peers that you’re not “perfect” and that you don’t have all your shit together isn’t easy, but it’s so liberating. Here’s a thought to catch, as Brene Brown says in this article, “vulnerability is the core, the heart, the center of meaningful human experiences,”. Meaning if you don’t face your fear you cheat yourself of getting out of the comfort zone trap we’re talking about. The long and short of it, you need to realize that you and your problems aren’t all that special. You need to balls up and start Daring frickin’ Greatly.

Comfort zone

Forgetting about option c

Hey man, you know that you’re not a computer right? Then why is that you’re living a binary life. I saved the trickiest comfort zone trap for last and that’s not coming up with option C. Whoa, what? Option C? Yes! This one is really easy to understand and solve. Contrary to what every jackass out there might have you believe there’s more than two options to all your decisions. We’re living in the age of information and yet most of ya’ll still get your arm twisted into choosing from just one of the couple of options already crafted for you. That’s some real bullshit and you know it. Think outside of the box, do your research, talk to people and do your best to come up with an alternate solution.

Here are some examples of having an option C for your consideration:
A) Hillary,                     B) Trump,                     C) Puppy (As in, screw all this BS, I’m getting me a Beagle)

A) Soda,                         B) Energy Drink,     C) Coffee (As in, I can do without the sugar and calories bro)

If you let yourself consider at least one extra option in all your decision making it may elevate you from your comfort zone faster than we can say 2016.

If you’ve made it this far it’s obvious you want to get out of your comfort zone.  So, get up and go do something exciting, something surprising, something that scares the crap out you.  Go out there and LIVE because you know this won’t last forever.

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We're Minh and Teresa and we love coffee

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Top 10 Soul Sucking Time Wasters of 2016

Top 10 Soul Sucking Time Wasters of 2016

2016 is almost over and what have we done? Probably not much. Just like most of us, you’re probably feeling pretty guilty about not being where you told yourself you would be this year. Are you 10 for 10? Read our list of the top 10 Soul Sucking Time Wasters of 2016. You may or may not be more productive after reading this.

Soul Sucking Time Wasters

(Photo: henriquekojiterao/deviantart)

1. Facebook

The holy mother of all things anti-productive? We’re all aware that Facebook is like a huge unforgiving black abyss that keeps sucking us in. You log in with the intention of checking your notifications. You know, just a two minute break from the minutia that is your work. But then, the endless scrolling, needless commenting and border line social media stalking just sucks up all your time and your sense of achievement. And what have you accomplished by the end of the day? You found the “Hey Boo” emoji? If you’re spending more time on Facebook than doing something productive and kickass, you should really reconsider your priorities.

2. Netflix

We’re wasting 568 hours a year watching Netflix. Although we’re pretty sure that a large percentage of that time is on just browsing the selections. What a waste of time. I’m pretty sure Netflix has more options for you to browse through than your local library. And it’s frustrating, after 20 minutes of browsing we want to just throw the remote at the screen and go do something productive, like woodworking or baking a cake.  At least the cake will be freakin’ delicious.

Go bake a cake

3. Youtube

I won’t say that YouTube, with its 490 million users, is bad. But can we all agree that YouTube’s comment section is one of the worst things mankind has ever invented? Its only purpose is for the NSA to develop their list of the most outrageous people on earth. But yet, we all get sucked right in. Why the heck did I just spend 20 minutes watching a guy carve a pumpkin and another 20 minutes reading all the comments from the pumpkin critics? In total as a group, people on this earth are wasting 2.9 billion hours on YouTube each month. Do you know what kind of massively amazing thing we can build or change together, if we, the people of this earth, commit that amount of time in doing?

At this point, you’re probably thinking “but all of time waster’s de-stress me”. Well, if you can’t break the addiction, how about limiting Facebook, Netflix and YouTube to an hour a day in total? Baby steps right?

4. Selfies

No Time Wasting

The Queen of time wasters sweeping our young nation, the average millennial will take 25,700 selfies in their lifetime. Actually, I’m not sure how they forecasted this number given that most millennial are not anywhere close to the end of their lifetime. Anyway, an average young lady is said to be spending 5 hours per week taking selfies. If you’re putting that much time in you should be more efficient at it. Plan of action? Either become this guy or cut back your contribution to the 93 million selfies taken each day.

5. Personal grooming

No one is saying that personal hygiene is a waste of time. BUT when in 2016, people average 4 hours a week on getting gussied up, you have to wonder how else that 208 hours annually could be spent. Good rule of thumb, if you’re looking at yourself for more than ten minutes before you leave the house think of ways to cut that time in half. You can do it.

6. Going to Get Coffee

What used to be a grab and go so you can handle your stuff habit has now turned into a “National waste your time oasis”. Let’s put aside the $100 a month you’re spending on your mocha frappe, half sweet, extra pump of nonsense concoction. What about all the hours you waste driving to the coffee shop, standing in the stupid line, putting up with the judgmental deadbeat hipster barista? Oh, and don’t forget the time you lose hanging out in the dimly lit café to check your Facebook or post one of those selfies to prove to everyone that you overpaid for a subpar cup of joe. Be kickass, make yours at home and take it black, hold the BS.

7. Online job applications

It is 2016 people, why are we still wasting hours with online job applications? There is not one enjoyable thing about sitting in front of a laptop for hours on end shooting blanks out to every job posting you can find under the WiFi sky. Today, when you post your resume online to a popular job site you can include yourself as one of the427,000 other hopeful suckers that post every week. Our advice, go an extra mile than all those other suckers, get off your ass and go talk to other humans face to face. Make friends, build relationships, wow people and get them to pay you.

8. Dating apps

If swiping left and right to find true love isn’t a waste of time then we seriously don’t know what is. You know all about the lies and deception. It’s safe to say the profile pic is only the start. Just think of what your grandma would say if she knew you were spending mad hours online cruising for booties? Sign up to a local meetup or go to the gym. At least you’re out doing fun activities and getting in shape.

9. Commuting

Not all that long ago the average commute of 25 minutes each day was already driving us mad. In 2016, we jacked that number up another 20 percent because why the heck not? To make it clear, that’s roughly 1.8 trillion minutes Americans spend commuting and hating every minute of it. If someone ever tells you that they enjoy their long commute that person is a liar and they cannot be trusted. So what do you do? Move to Thailand? Actually, don’t move to Thailand, your family and friends will miss you.

Clinton vs Trump

(Photo: DonkeyHotey/flickr/cc)

10. Watching the news

If ever there was a year spent wasting time watching the news it’s 2016. What the heck are they calling news these days? This one is a doozy and there are so many painful reasons why but we’ll give the majority of the credit to the Presidential Election. Every outlet is perpetuating their own agenda so you have to roll up your sleeves and dig into the piles of shit that get dumped on us in looped segments of noise. Look outside the box and seek out the truth. Educate yourself, use your brain to determine your own thoughts and have real discussions with real people. When in doubt, vote for common sense.

No more wasting time people. Get your shit together, grab some ridiculously strong ChestBrew coffee and be more efficient and effective in all the things that you do.

Nice to meet you

We're Minh and Teresa and we love coffee

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Premium Whole Bean Vietnamese Coffee

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Are You Ready To Be Able To Have Great Coffee Anywhere?

Are You Ready To Be Able To Have Great Coffee Anywhere?

Are You Ready To Be Able To Have Great Coffee Anywhere? Yeah, we’re talking about having Vietnamese coffee wherever you are and whenever you need it.

Are you ready to be able to have great coffee anywhere?

That’s why we’re over the “Moon Bear” to share our newest labor of coffee love you with you, the ChestBrew POP! (Also known as the Pour Over Coffee Pouch)

Travelling around Asia we’ve come across all kinds of interesting ways to enjoy coffee. However, one of the easiest and cleanest means to brew out the best flavors of your coffee beans is the pour-over method.

More commonly known as the Japanese pour over method the process, which looks fancy, is deceptively simple and most importantly makes a distinctively more subtle and complex cup of coffee as compared to what you would get from a drip machine.

In other words, it’s good stuff and you know we’re the kind of coffee loving folk who love to share the good.

Inspired by our experience, the ChestBrew team went to work to figure out a way to bring coffee loving, adventure seekers the quality of a pour over coffee with the added convenience of being able to have it anywhere.

The end result was what we proudly call our ChestBrew POP’s.

Each individual pouch has an ultra-portable ready – to – brew filter filled to the brim with our popular Moon Bear Roast that anchors securely to your favorite mug. The only other thing you need is some hot water and you’ve got the makings of one seriously solid cup of joe anytime, anywhere.

Check out this video to see just how simple ChestBrew POP’s are to enjoy.

You could call it coffee on demand.

It’s absolute perfection for all those hard working folks who rely on a ridiculously strong cup of coffee to help them tripe down and get stuff done.

Not to mention how great it for those of you who love the outdoors and enjoy hobbies like hiking, fishing and camping and want to do those things with a good fresh cup of coffee in hand. No more cold caffeine-less mornings for you.

Say you work in an office where the coffee is just “meh”, or travel and find yourself in hotel rooms debating whether to brew up that mystery coffee. Or maybe you’re a student who finds themself on campus all hours of the day looking for a caffeine fix but also looking (and needing) to pinch your pennies.

No matter who you are or where you’re going it’s easy to grab some POP’s and toss them into your bag, purse or pocket for whenever you need that jolt of good quality coffee.

Not only that, it’s ideal when you only want to brew up a cup or two.

If that doesn’t get you POP’ing remember that as another Project of Purpose, every box of ChestBrew POP’s helps to create great opportunities for hard working Vietnamese folks to have a brighter future.

Truth be told we’re completely addicted to those cute little pouches ourselves which is why we’re calling ChestBrew POP’s a winner and we bet you can’t stop at just one POP.

HERE’S A QUESTION…

Where’s the one place you drink your coffee most often?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

Subscribe to ChestBrew for more awesome stories and to get a coupon for a discount on our ridiculously strong coffee.

Nice to meet you

We're Minh and Teresa and we love coffee

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Cà phê sữa đá, It’s What’s Should Be Up In Your Cup

Cà phê sữa đá, It’s What’s Should Be Up In Your Cup

Coffee is LIFE in Vietnamese culture which is why it’s no wonder that Cà phê sữa đá is the one drink that 90 million people can’t live without.

Vietnamese coffee is the drink 9 million people can't live without

 (Image Courtesy of FlickrRachele Carretti)

The entire city buzzes with happily caffeinated folks from dust until well after dawn. You need only to step into the streets to find young, old and everyone in between sitting at outdoor cafes set up for the day on their small colorful plastic chairs, sipping  on Cà phê sữa đá chatting and people watching along the bustling and dusty streets accompanied by the soundtrack of speeding and honking scooters whizzing by.

To travel there and see for your own eyes makes it easy to understand how their passion has helped to make them the second largest exporter of coffee, after Brazil.

That being said there are literally thousands of cafe’s in Saigon and without a doubt the most popular drink ordered is the traditional Cà phê sữa đá or Vietnamese Iced Coffee.

At its simplest, this deliciously caffeinated drink is made with coarsely ground Vietnamese coffee individually brewed with a small metal Vietnamese filter called a phin cà phê. The coffee then takes it time slowly releasing drops of hot coffee into a cup filled up with about 2-3 tablespoons (more if you like your coffee on the sweeter side) of creamy thick sweetened condensed milk.  Dark roasted, whole bean Vietnamese coffee works best. Whole beans should be coarsely ground and then immediately used to make your Vietnamese coffee. This provides the freshest cup. In general, it is difficult to find a Vietnamese whole bean coffee but there are a few brands available.

The drink that 90 million people can't live without

 (Image Courtesy of FlickrRachele Carretti)

Once the brewing is done, which you’ll know either by noticing the drips of coffee have stopped or by lifting the metal lid off the filter and seeing that all the water has passed through, all that’s left to do is stir and pour that yummy goodness over ice and enjoy!

For those coffee lovers out there who just happen to be totally intrigued and ready to try a cà phê sữa đá right now let us remind you that there’s no need to immediately open a new tab and book a ticket to Vietnam.

All you need to do is hit up your local Vietnamese restaurant as I’m pretty sure they’ll be serving them up.  For those who don’t have that option no worries because you know ChestBrew has your cà phê sữa đá craving back.

Watch our how-to video before you head on over to Amazon and grab yourself a bag or 2 of our Moon Bear Signature Roast, which makes an outstanding Vietnamese Iced Coffee.  While you’re there go here to order your very own cà phê phin (metal filter) and get set with condensed milk and ice in hand to savor the delicious taste of the most popular coffee in Vietnam.

After all, can you really doubt the opinion of nearly 90 million people?

HERE’S A QUESTION…

Have you ever tried Vietnamese iced coffee?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

Subscribe to ChestBrew for more awesome stories and to get a coupon for a discount on our ridiculously strong coffee.

Nice to meet you

We're Minh and Teresa and we love coffee

buy Moon Bear

Premium Whole Bean Vietnamese Coffee

buy cold brew

Ground perfectly for 1-Step Brewing

The Best Cafes In Saigon You Need To Know About Now (Pt.4, The Workshop)

The Best Cafes In Saigon You Need To Know About Now (Pt.4, The Workshop)

If there’s one thing you must make time for while traveling through Vietnam it’s visiting some of best cafes in Saigon, the Workshop.

At a place where the coffee culture is life, the city is experiencing serious and fast growth in the number of eclectic and unique cafes that are a world away from the traditional street cafes.

Everything from cafes that serve coffee, fashion and art side by side to quirky and quiet getaways that feel more like an Adventure in Wonderland.  Vietnamese iced coffee is the constant but where you sip it is a whole other question.

One answer to that could be The Workshop (Tripadvisor).

Located at 27 Ngô Đức Kế, Bến Nghé, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam this hidden gem of a coffee house is impressive even by European or American standards.

Like most great cafes in Saigon the small entrance is hidden in plain sight and you know the saying “good things are worth waiting for?”  Well, with three full flights of stairs to get to The Workshop you’ll definitely be waiting and working your way to the best serious coffee lover experience ever. 

As you ascend up the stairs every step in the beautifully designed space is flooded with natural light. The higher you hike the more of a welcome you receive with a cooler kiss of air conditioning.

This blast of refreshing air could be reason enough to head up the stairs alone. A fact I know my fellow travelers will appreciate.

Of course, the real reason is the coffee and we haven’t forgot that.

Once you’ve made it inside The Workshop it’s pretty clear every step was worth it.

Quickly becoming known as Vietnam’s first specialty coffee bar, The Workshop takes Saigon’s respect for coffee to the next level by blending science, art and passion in pursuit of the ultimate brew.

The café is situated in a gorgeous and roomy airy loft-space.  It feels, in fact, a universe away from the streets and alleyways below.

The Workshop’s massively elegant French door windows open the café up making you feel like you’re in coffee heaven.  The high ceilings create a modern atmosphere and those panoramic views of the city streets are priceless.

Consider staying for a while and get comfortable at their robust wooden tables that make a great work space for the day.  The vintage stools are surprisingly comfy and the mere fact that it’s an open coffee bar concept makes you feel even more a part of something really special.

As for coffee, your wish is their high quality hand crafted command.

Every wish, that is, except for Vietnamese iced coffee as this place is “for serious coffee drinkers only”.

But if you’re particular on your type of brewing method or are curious to try something knew they have the equipment, locally sourced beans and talent to create.

From Chemex, pour-over, Aeropress, to espresso and more it’s a coffee lovers dream.

No matter what way you take it the coffee delivers on all its promises.  This is no doubt in large part to do with their highly trained staff of barista’s.  Not only do they look the part with their authentic “workshop” aprons but there skills are on point.

Making this one of the best cafes in Saigon is the bonus that they also serve a decent plate of food. It’s good to keep in mind that the menu is strictly Western style which means you can expect to pay Western prices.  This isn’t a big deal, especially after a few weeks of exotic travel, a hot plate of eggs, bacon and toast with your morning coffee can be the exact kind of treat you’re needing.

If you’re lucky enough to be there when the owners – a team which also includes two coffee farmers -host their annual barista competition be sure to check it out! It’s an amazing display of exciting talent emerging right in front of your eyes.

HERE’S A QUESTION…

What’s your favorite way to brew coffee?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

Subscribe to ChestBrew for more awesome stories and to get a coupon for a discount on our ridiculously strong coffee.

Nice to meet you

We're Minh and Teresa and we love coffee

buy Moon Bear

Premium Whole Bean Vietnamese Coffee

buy cold brew

Ground perfectly for 1-Step Brewing