Last year at the InterNACHI Convention in Atlantic City, I texted several friends about having a fun night of dinner, conversation, and laughter. One friend even brought cigars for everyone. From a year full of fun and travel, this festive feast was one of my very favorite memories.
It reminded me of the Tim Ferriss quote, "Have at least one 2-to-3-hour dinner and/or drinks per week—yes, 2–3 hours—with those who make you smile and feel good."
So why hold your own big binges? We'll get to that. First, let's look at the risks for home inspectors:
- Lonely job. Most inspectors are solopreneurs or work for themselves under a bigger company. One can go days without personal interaction with friends.
- Lots of travel. Many residential inspectors, particularly early on, drive 3-5 hours a day for work. The same applies for many tradesmen.
- Long hours. Starting a business is arduous, thankless, quiet work.
Why look first at hardships? Just remember - if we don't connect, we wither.
So here's how big dinners - with family, friends, colleagues, or strangers - link us together:
- Foster social connection. For parents and children, husbands and wives, work colleagues, strangers, friends old and new, bountiful banquets are the glue of family ties and deep friendships.
- Build life quality. Large meals embody exactly what their members seek - a rich life. A full table, happy friends, lots of leisure time, food overflowing - these visualize and presence abundance, as real as our flesh and bone.
- Improve mental health. Large meals improve self-esteem and group functioning, while reducing felt stress, substance abuse, eating disorders, violence, and depression. Plus, they offer a safe place to talk about mental health.
- Schedule easily. Just pick a night (Sundays and Thursdays are popular), brainstorm the burly banquet, and invite away. Even the pre-discussion discussions can build anticipation.
Our mission is human flourishing. It's why we partner with so many home inspectors, commercial inspectors, commercial assessment firms, architects, environmental engineers, and construction developers - eating lavish, colossal feasts all along the way.
Come thrive with us. Eating together is one part of the path to healthier men, families, communities, and nations.