Cumulatively, every year, I spend months traveling all across America the Beautiful in my motorhome—which I call my ‘Inspirational Vehicle.’ While many people call motorhomes Recreational Vehicles (RVs), I prefer the term Inspirational, because with it I enjoy so many activities that I find inspiring.
I am inspired by travel, photography, reading, writing, memorizing, meeting new people, and many more things that I get to do when I’m out and about in my motorhome. While ‘getting away’ is an enjoyable feature of travel, the one thing I enjoy most is discovering new places and meeting and talking to fascinating people.
While in Breckenridge, Colorado this summer (escaping the Texas heat!) I discovered a unique bar and grill full of character—and full of characters. Jake’s Dive Bar is located on Main Street in the heart of this beautiful ski town.
As soon as you enter the place, you know something is up and something is very different… because there’s money everywhere. Hanging from the ceiling, tacked to the walls, stuffed into cracks—there are literally hundreds and hundreds of dollar bills throughout the bar.
Having never met a stranger, and always looking for a great story and new things to learn, I asked the bartender, Chris, if I could speak to one of the owners during my visit. One of the owners, named Ellen, came out to talk to me, and graciously answered my questions. She explained that the dollar bills are written on and left by customers throughout the year. Then, once a year, the owners do some ‘Spring Cleaning,’ and remove all the money and take it to the bank.
Sounds like a pretty nice annual tip, doesn’t it? But actually, the owners don’t keep the money. Every year they donate it all to the Wounded Warrior’s Project—a tradition they’ve been keeping for about 10 years now. The tradition started very small, but has continuously grown over the years.
Like me, everyone wants to know the story, and once a staff member or fellow bar patron tells a new visitor the story of the tradition and the great cause it supports, most people want to be personally engaged, and to inspire others to join the great tradition for the benefit of all.
The money decorating the bar creates a fun and unique atmosphere, and the individual donations help build a connection between each customer and this small-town dive. But the meaningful purpose behind the fun atmosphere is what inspired me, and that—more than the drinks, hot wings, or fried pickles—is what will draw me back to Jake’s next time I’m in town.
If you want to achieve greater success, create ways to give and to serve others while doing well yourself. That, my friends, is a crucial key to true success!
Do you have an example to share of something that benefits others as well as yourself? What ideas do you have for creating a tradition that is both fun and meaningful?
