Growth Instigators Hotline

#491 Coffee: I was tricked!

• Aaron Havens • Season 5 • Episode 491

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A single sip can change the way you see your habits. We take a plain cup of coffee and turn it into a roadmap for growth, tracing a journey from a bitter first taste to a sweet on-ramp and finally to black coffee—along the way unpacking how small, repeatable steps rewire identity, discipline, and results. It’s a story about designing change that actually sticks, not through willpower explosions, but through smart sequencing and simple moves that fit real life.

We break down reverse engineering your goals: define the end state, name the identity you’re building, and choose the minimum repeatable action that proves it every day. From health to money to mindset, the same system applies. Feel pulled toward sarcasm and negativity? Swap it for one honest compliment. Feeling sluggish? Trade one chip for one push-up. Watching debt creep in? Skip the pricey latte and transfer the difference. These micro decisions aren’t neutral—they compound, shaping your direction whether you notice or not. The point isn’t perfection; it’s making the math work in your favor.

There’s also a candid warning: the habits that build you up have twins that break you down. We call out the quiet drifts that lead to outcomes you don’t want and share easy friction hacks to slow them: remove triggers, add helpful defaults, and keep the good choices one step closer than the bad. If boundaries are the bottleneck, get help. A second set of eyes can surface blind spots, simplify your next moves, and accelerate growth where it matters.

Ready to choose your next sip on purpose? Listen now, share it with a friend who’s building better habits, and leave a quick review so others can find the show. Subscribe for more short, practical boosts to help you grow on purpose.

https://growthinstigators.com/


SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to message 491 of the Growth Instigators Hotline where we examine an everyday normal object and assign it a deeper meaning. I'm Aaron Havens, your host and growth coach. What can coffee remind us of today? Haha. Alright, coffee. Either you love it or you hate it. Now think back to far memories. When was your first taste of coffee? Now I I remember my dad was part of the Lions Club, and every year they had a pancake breakfast to raise money. One year I went early to help him flip the jacks. And all the men there were drinking coffee. So I helped myself to a cup and about threw up. For real, I had never smoked, but I remember thinking that this is probably what it would be like and taste like to drink a cigarette. No more for me. Period. Until the power of Starbucks years later. My friend bought me a caramel frappuccino and had me try it. Now, this was nothing like the cigarette drink I had many years before that. No, it's called sugar. Yummy. So then my coffee drinking journey started backwards. Little by little I would order drinks with less and less sugar, and these days I'm my dad. I only drink my coffee black now. And rare do I ever order a sugar drink. I was tricked by Starbucks to become a coffee drinker. Reverse engineer your life. Where do you want to end up? Maybe jumping straight into that thing would be harmful and gross. Maybe you should just start a little at a time until you find yourself right where you wanted to be. Also, this message is a warning. What are you doing just a little bit at a time that is leading to a place you don't want to be? Time for a change, my friend. Are you getting negative? Stop allowing sarcasm and idle thoughts in. Are you getting overweight? Maybe one less chip and one more push-up. Are you in debt? Maybe don't buy that Starbucks drink. Woo, full circle there. However, this message lands, I hope coffee today can remind you that you are winning and losing and it takes place with each and every small decision. You got this. Have a blast being a winner today. If you need help with boundaries in your life and leadership, I can help. Your life is too valuable to just coast along. Sometimes we just need another set of ears or eyes on something to help growth happen. Shoot me a text or send me an email at Aaron at Growth Instigators.com if that's you. Thanks for tuning in today. Here's to Slaying the Day. Here's to growth.