I Chose Risk Over Comfort And Found Joy

The paycheck was solid, the calendar was packed, and yet the days felt hollow. Trading a high-paying career for a bagel shop wasn’t a tidy narrative arc; it was a messy, early-morning choice to live with purpose instead of drifting on autopilot. From fixing dishwashers to steaming milk just right, the work became real in a way that spreadsheets never were—more sweat, more nerves, and a surprising amount of joy.

I dig into what it actually means to take a calculated risk. Not a movie-montage leap, but a practical shift that respects budgets, timelines, and limits while refusing to settle for a life that only looks successful on paper. The revenue isn’t glamorous yet, but the rewards show up in other currencies: neighbors who feel welcome, regulars who return, a team that gets paid on time, and the quiet pride of building something that serves people. We talk about uncertainty without pretending to control it, and about growth that comes from experiments, not guarantees.

If you’ve been telling yourself “someday,” this conversation offers a push. Maybe your risk isn’t a storefront; maybe it’s one honest call, a new pitch at work, or a commitment you’ve been avoiding. You’ll hear why discomfort is a signal you’re alive, how to break big leaps into safer tests, and how hospitality can be a strategy for both business and life. Press play, then tell us the one step you’ll take this week toward a life that feels lived rather than managed.

If the story resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review so more people can find it. Your support helps this community grow.

Instagram: @mikemuldoonlc
Website: www.themikemuldoonpodcast.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/mike-muldoon-podcast

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Missed Weeks
• 0:22 How Did I End Up Here
• 1:18 High Salary Low Life
• 2:03 Startup Grind And No Pay
• 2:40 Choosing Calculated Risk
• 3:17 Uncertain Outcomes Certain Growth
• 4:08 Community Joy And Real Work
• 5:18 Try Something You’re Afraid Of
• 6:02 Aprons Espresso And Perspective
• 6:28 Gratitude And Sign Off

Transcript

Welcome And Missed Weeks

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everyone and welcome to this week's episode of the uh Mike Will Dune podcast. And uh well, I say this week's episode, but I know I've missed several weeks and uh I'm trying to get better with it, but uh with everything going on, including the bagel shop, which is kind of what I want to talk about today, it's been uh it's it's been a little hard. It's a little hard getting everything, but I'm gonna get better. I've already been putting together a lot more episodes, so hopefully I'll just be able to get them recorded and then get them released as they need to be released. So anyway, I want to talk about something today where I was just sitting in the shop, you know, apron on, coffee grinders buzzing at times, you know, me making coffee, wiping down tables, uh, you know, washing floors, doing dishes, and just found myself thinking, gosh, how the hell did I get here? And this is kind of what I want to share with you. This is kind of what I want to talk a little bit about today, right? I was making really good money, you know, probably around 180, 200 grand. You know, I was doing good, but I was working a lot of hours, but I was making good money. And uh, but again, those hours are crazy, and you know, it was always a grind. Um, you know, I was obviously you know my a little bit of my story, you know, I do a lot of writing, but also, you know, at times you have to supplement. So I had another job where I would I was in sales because I'm good with people, which probably helps me right now with the bagel shop. But um, and I was doing good. But the problem was, you know, on paper, it was successful, but inside I was exhausted. Again, I was just sort of existing. I wasn't living. And, you know, now we fast forward to today, right? You know, a couple of years later, through some other stuff, and I'm running a bagel shop. I'm up early every morning. Uh, you know, today I'm making coffees, I'm filling dishwashers, I'm fixing dishwashers, I'm dealing with orders, I'm mopping floors, I'm I'm sweating through an apron at times. And you know what? I'm not making any money. I mean, it that's the truth. I uh, you know, obviously the cut the business is making money, right? Because obviously I'm able to pay everybody and do anything, but right now, you know, we're still a startup. But I but I gotta tell you, uh, if anything, that 200 grand, that$200,000 deficit that I kind of feeling right now my life is uh it's it's okay because uh I I'm happier, you know, I'm happier. And that's the thing people won't understand. See, that's the thing most people never do. They they never want to take a risk. They sit with the idea, they talk themselves out of it, and deep down they tell themselves they'll do it someday, and then someday never comes. But life, real life is about living, not just existing. I've said that for years in this podcast, but now I'm living in it in the most literal way possible. And here's the truth you got to take risks sometimes. Calculated risk, sure. That's probably the better way to do it. And I think I've taken one and we'll see. Smart risk, yeah, we'll see. But risk nonetheless, because when you try something different, something that scares you, something that stretches you, you grow, you learn, you become someone you weren't before. And no matter what happens, you're better for it. See, the thing is this business, I don't know where it's gonna be in a year. Maybe it is uber successful, maybe it's not, maybe it falls apart. I don't know. But I do know if I didn't do it, that wouldn't have been smart. And again, if I do do it and falls apart, I don't think that's you know, I don't think that was a bad thing either. Because I'm learning a lot from doing it, and you'll always be better for trying things. Now, again, people might look at me someday and say, Man, you poured everything into that shop and it didn't work out. Ha ha ha. But the people who will say that will always be the people who won't do anything with their lives. And again, here's the thing, right? I could have poured nothing into anything, I could have stayed where I was, comfortable, but maybe miserable. And then what? At least now I know. At least now I know I am trying. I am trying, I am, I am taking a chance, and yes, it's very uncomfortable and it's very scary, and there's there's panic attacks, and there's fear, and there's stress, and there's anxiety, you know, all the time. But that also means I'm living because I'm feeling something. Again, I don't know where the business goes. Nobody has a crystal ball, but again, I know this we're doing good work here. That I do know, that I can see. People like coming to M Street, they feel welcomed, they feel taken care of, and I think they enjoy the experience, and that matters. See, that matters to me, and that's something real, and that is something that I I do get to experience, and that's something that I take a lot of pleasure in. And again, if one day if this all changes, if this shop closes, if the story goes sideways, I'm still better for having done it. You are still better for having taken risks and trying something because it says you lived, that you didn't just exist. And you can do that. So, whatever you're thinking about trying right now, go for it. And sometimes, if for some people, it's not even opening a business. It's not even, you know, putting yourself out there in a large financial, uh, you know, uh in a large financial way. It's just making a call, making a job, making a relationship, doing something different that you're just too scared to do. But you can do it. Put yourself out there, try something different, take a risk. Because at the end, whether you succeed or not, you'll always be better for doing it. I know I've talked about that before, but I just wanted to share that with you today. It was just it's very funny for me just sitting there and I'm I've never really worn an apron, I don't think. And I got an apron and I'm wiping tables and I'm mopping floors and I'm I'm making coffee and I'm getting really good with that, really good with the milk on that. You know, and I'm I'm cleaning a dishwasher, you know, and even though I've staffed, you know, I'm still here. I'm a I'm a full participant at the shop. I'm still here. I'm here with everybody on it. And but I just remember thinking, you know what though, this is great. I meet great people. I get to be in front of people, I get to talk to people, get to know people. And this is good. And this is a good thing. Like I said, I don't know where it goes. I don't know. I think it'd be great, but who knows? But at the end, I always know, and you will always know, and you will come to know, and you will come to realize when you take a risk, you will always be better for it. All right, and that's all I really got for you today. I wish you the best, and as always, I got nothing but love for you.