Two Cowboys: Its About Our People. Who Are Yours?

Who Touched Your Life Today?

It is sad that we know more about people we are unlikely to ever meet than we do about the people that served us our morning coffee.

The tone for our days are set by television, newspapers and social media, by immoral and corrupt politicians, celebrities with paid-for-opinions, leaked emails, the next big tech gadget, the online meme, a cat video, the price of the US Dollar and Aunty Bessie's next inspirational Bible verse.

Apparently, if we follow conventional wisdom, we should be concerned about people who know zip about us and is unlikely to ever care who we are. The monkey is amused.


We suffer from a media-induced "connectedness fallacy" that is perpetuated by our constant fascination with "important" yet worthless content. Why should we be bothered with the politician's email server? How can it matter what Kardashian had for lunch or who is buying DiCaprio's dinner? Cousin Johnny just bought a new motorcycle. Big deal. The Government just introduced a new tax. Boohoo. Putin just took off his shirt. Really?!

We live in an artificially connected algorithmically personalized informational content box driven by classifications, polls, likes and comments from someone somewhere, everywhere. Our real lives are passing us by. Every day, many real people touch our lives. We go through our rituals, work and habits and interactions with human beings not knowing anything about them. Do we know who they are? What are their names? How did it happen that they crossed our path? How do they feel and what do they think about us?

Should we care?

Yes, we should. The real people we touch and those that touch us define who we are, where we are, how we act, feel and who we eventually become. It is easy to ignore a message, email or ping. No connection, right? It is not easy to ignore a person that steps through your door, shakes your hand and asks: "How are you doing today, my friend?"

These are the people that really matter. Let's go out and meet them. Let's introduce ourselves.

Life Stories

Every life is made up of many, many stories. A person begins as part of a parent’s story. It is soon eclipsed by stories of discovery, finding an identity, forming relations, dealing with disappointment, and ultimately discovering or losing their purpose. We are the sum of our stories.

Stories unfold from perspectives, intentionally or otherwise. Stories become the distorted shadows in Plato's reality cave, outlining the elusive and enigmatic, while perpetually weaving itself into our identity. This discovery alone distinguishes the few from the many. Knowing that a story is just that. A perspective. The reality is something much more elusive and a lot less interesting. This is the first step to higher understanding.

Others become part of our stories as we become part of theirs. Some are positive and others less so. A positive story may be the result of a smile from the person that passes. A negative story the upset because of a smiling passing stranger. While we are part of other’s stories, discovering that we can only influence our own, is considered by many as the second step to higher understanding.

No amount of positive intent can account for someone else’s perceived tragedy. We are held accountable only by what we choose to include in our own experience and thought. Because it is what we include that we will perceive and ultimately receive. It is what makes us, us. Intentionally writing one’s own life’s story is the third step to higher understanding.

The question that remains is: If we can only write our own story, why then do we default to doing so for others? What more have we to give one another than our limited version of the truth? It is our story about our human adventure as honestly and as openly as we know how, that we share. In sharing, we hope to be recognised to become part of the stories of others. In sharing our stories and that of others, we become intertwined. They become part of us, and we become part of them. This is the fourth and final step to higher understanding. We are connected.

Let it then be good stories we tell.

On the Road

The Two Cowboys' mission is to learn, inspire and showcase small Producers all over the world - the people that make things. We do it with videos, blog posts, photos and through social media.

While undertaking our journey we travel a lot and interact with many people in local communities. When we interact with someone or reach out to a person, they become part of our story. We influence each others' lives. The people we feature serve us our coffee, brew us our beer, sew our shirts, mould our hats, service our trucks, grill our steaks and much more. They are cashiers, servers, assistants, workers, donors, sponsors and entrepreneurs. These are people in who we are vested. We are connecting with them.

We believe that we have a duty to introduce them to you, our audience. We want the world to know who they are. We want you to know them, meet them, and support them.

We will post photos of them on our Facebook Page and Instagram Feed.
Follow our travels on Patreon: http://www.travelingcowboys.com
Join us for an experience: http://www.twocowboysexperiences.com

See you on the road.

Hendrik van Wyk
Connected Cowboy

o-CNN: Two Cowboys are Wearing Swazi Outdoor Clothing - Thank You Davey for being our Sponsor

Swazi is Sponsoring the Two Cowboys & A Camera

A big thank you to Davey Hughes and the team at Swazi Outdoor Clothing for our Two Cowboys custom jackets. They are really nice and custom made for our work in Canada. Not only does it make us look good, the jackets are made with special materials that will also keep us warm and dry in an unforgiving climate.

"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

When we reached out to Davey and Swazi earlier this year our plans were merely to tell an inspiring story. You can see and read about it here. We've since become friends and whenever we are on New Zealand we are looking for an excuse to look them up in Levin. We are really appreciative that Davey, Amber and Sharee decided to make Swazi Outdoor Clothing one of our sponsors.

We consider ourselves part of the Swazi Clan. As clan members, we wear our Swazi gear with other committed members while we all tell the world about the outdoor clothing makers in Levin, New Zealand. These are people that are proud of their work. Hikers, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts all over the world appreciate the care and dedication that goes into making high-quality garments that are comfortable. The gear lasts. It keeps people safe and warm. 

The seamstresses of Swazi are so proud of their products that they work their names into the labels of the garments so that you know who made yours and that you can personally thank them. 

The Clan of Swazi is growing here in Canada. You can join here.

Social Entrepreneurship

In all our travels we find entrepreneurs with a community focus. People that stand out amongst others. They make products and provide services that recognize a need for addressing a bigger cause or issue. Profit is not the ultimate motive. Creating value in their respective communities is their drive.

Wikipedia define it as Social Entrepreneurship where entrepreneurs use techniques to develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. "For-profit entrepreneurs typically measure performance using business metrics like profit, revenues and increases in stock prices, but social entrepreneurs are either non-profits or blend for-profit goals with generating a positive "return to society" and therefore must use different metrics."

Real Producers are Social Entrepreneurs. In their communities they make products and provide services that benefit themselves, their families and the people around them. They sponsor the schools and local community programs. They create local employment and give children in the community a chance to start their careers. They teach. They make sure that the value remain with the people that helped to create it in the first place.

They are also the biggest contributors to the taxes that fund our public services. With these Producers our communities thrive. That is why we need more if them. We need to look after them. That is why the Two Cowboys are proud to tell their stories.

Sponsorship

We are also a Social Enterprise. Our cause is to encourage more people to make things for their own sake and for the benefit of those around them. We tell the stories of these Producers and help them to market their businesses. Many are micro and small businesses that cannot afford high value video production and marketing services. We are funded through your donations and sponsorships and by people that support our cause. All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting these Producers and their inspiring local communities. 

If you wish to get involved in our cause like Swazi Outdoor Clothing, Weta Coffee and others, you can support us by donating and sponsoring or booking us here: www.forwardthefavour.com

Thank you Davey, Amber and Sharee, and the Team at Swazi Outdoor Clothing. We wear our Swazi proudly.

Hendrik van Wyk

Swazi Clan Member

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers: Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys and our Producers when you subscribe to our email list.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 

All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

o-CNN: Small Businesses in Canmore: BooTy with Tara Newbigging

Mini Business Profile

Canmore Business and Tourism encouraged the Two Cowboys to feature Canmore's up and coming businesses. We've produced a few mini-profiles to introduce you to the energy that is making Canmore such a great place to live, work, play, but ultimately launch successful businesses. We are proud to showcase the best of what is on offer in this Valley.

Tara Newbigging - BooTy®

Tara's mission is to encourage and empower people to live their ultimate lives - whatever that can be. Every great business starts with a commitment to creating and adding value. In this case, Tara's commitment is to help others discover what is possible, and then to coach and encourage them to go for it. 

In 2013 Tara created her own fitness program which she decided to call BooTy®. It is trademarked and shared around Canada. She has 12 other woman teaching the program with her. Women are loving it, and it is obvious why. Tara has taken fitness, energy work, music, and inspiration to the next level by making it fun. She is offering women the unique opportunity to connect, transform and improve the quality of their lives through health and a positive frame of mind. 

BooTy® is Tara Newbigging’s signature class and is an inspiring women’s-only, barefoot fitness program designed to unleash potential in body, mind, and soul. The BooTy® program combines high intensity fitness moves with powerful music and movement creating a perfect balance between intensity and fun! Woman walk away feeling strong, sexy and empowered to live their most authentic lives, we are told.

Tara promises a Cowboy BooTy program is in the works for men. The Two Cowboys are first in line, for sure. Physically we can do with a lot more exercise and losing a few (lots of) pounds. Spiritually, we (and our friend Jack) are told that we need all the help we can get ;-) If Tara can fix us, think what she can do for the rest of you.

Get more of Tara and her inspirational energy at her website: http://www.taranewbigging.com.

Hendrik

BooTy Fan

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)