As I once heard it said, “It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfillment, it is in the happiness of pursuit.”

That quote has followed me around for years.

Because when I really think about it, the best parts of my life were never the arrival.

They were the pursuit.

The pursuit of sobriety.

The pursuit of a healthy marriage.

The pursuit of meaningful work.

The pursuit of becoming someone I could respect when I looked in the mirror.

And now…the pursuit of building Brolo.

Maybe that’s why sitting on a beach in Mexico feels so conflicting.

I am grateful beyond words.

Yet my mind keeps drifting to tomorrow.

Not because today isn’t enough.

But because I care deeply about what we’re building.

I care about the people who have encouraged us.

I care about the people who will eventually smoke these cigars.

I care about whether or not we are creating something meaningful.

Maybe that’s what all of this comes down to.

Not success.

Not failure.

Not money.

Not recognition.

Meaning.

At the end of my life, I don’t think anyone is going to care how many cigars we sold.

I think they’ll remember how we treated people.

Whether we lived with integrity.

Whether we were honest about who we were.

Whether we left things better than we found them.

So yea…I’m sitting in paradise worrying about trademark filings, cigar boxes, and a dream that may or may not work out.

But a few years ago I was worried about where we were going to sleep.

Perspective is a funny thing.

Life is a funny thing.

And somehow, despite all the uncertainty, all the questions, and all the fear that comes with putting yourself out there…

It’s all working out.

Maybe not perfectly.

Maybe not according to plan.

But it’s working out.

And for today, that’s enough.