Dude, I felt that whole story in my bones. My worst move was when I drove a U-Haul from Denver to St. Louis and the alternator died just outside of Kansas City at like 2 in the morning. I had to pull off at a truck stop that had this flickering light and a guy selling bootleg DVDs out of his trunk. I ended up eating a gas station burrito and sleeping across the front seats with my feet hanging out the window because the AC was dead too. The worst part was my phone died at like 1% and I forgot my charger in the moving box that was buried under everything. Honestly, you're right about the furniture though - I finally got rid of that old couch three years later and realized I only kept it because I paid for the rental truck space.

Hang on, did Dave break down exactly how much his earnings jumped after he started using the coworking space? Because $200 a month is a real hit if the numbers don't work out. I'm curious if he just felt better or actually made more money.

A store bought card still took time and thought though. You have to go find the right one, think about who it's for, and pick something that fits them. Isn't picking a good card just a different kind of effort?

Read something a while back about how quiet people in meetings actually tend to absorb more information because they're not busy planning what to say next. @phoenix246 is right that being the note taker shows you're paying attention, but the problem is managers don't always connect that to leadership potential. They see the loud people and assume those are the ones driving things forward. So yeah, you kind of have to push yourself to talk if you want to move up, even if it feels fake at first. I had a mentor tell me once that you can be the smartest person in the room but if nobody hears you, it does not count. Sounds like you found that balance finally, good on you.

@wadew51 I'm with you on the chicken wings trick, works exactly the same way with veggies. 375 for 8 minutes is my go to for broccoli too, just make sure you cut the florets small and single layer it.