I’m sitting on a deck overlooking a Minnesota garden right now. I’m graduating school next week and pondering the next move I have to make in my life. I’m kind of nervous and afraid of what may be coming next and I feel like I’m jumping off a cliff into the unknown.
I’m just one man; on one journey. But I feel like there’s so much at stake, and I’m afraid of not getting far enough even if I try my hardest. This is one major reason why I’m creating the Purpose Pages. Because taking a leap of faith is scary, but it’s normal if everyone around you is doing it. This is a place where you don’t have to feel weird, or be afraid, for following your own path.
Looking over all the plants reminds me of my life right now. I am currently in the middle of a big transition and feel somewhat lost. I’ve been overwhelmed recently with projects starting and finishing at different times.
For example: I’m graduating school with my bachelor’s degree this month in business communications. The path I took to get it was COMPLETELY unconventional and it took me ten years, but I’m almost done. My part time job that got me through school ended a few weeks ago which means I have to start a new career and get a job. I also just finished a book which I’ll be promoting in the next few months. I’ve been rushing, rushing, and rushing to get things done, and now that I’m accomplishing my goals, I have to find out what’s next?
It’s crazy how life interweaves with change. You find a routine and everything flows for a season, and then suddenly the end of that routine comes, and you have to figure out what you’re going to do to get to the next routine. That’s where I’m at now. I’m in between graduating school and starting a career, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen next.
My path is splitting, so should I go left or right? How do I get to the next stage?
At confusing times like this, I remember a conversation I had with a boss a few years ago…
He was thirty years old and his name was Jason Doran. He owned a company called Green Bay Coatings in Green Bay, WI. While working there, I watched some of his minority co-owners try to lie and steal his company from him. Because I was the main full time employee, I was there every day and watched him fight through that difficult period. Eventually he would win in court and get his company back, but there was a time when he had to abandon his old company, and start all over again from scratch, so he could keep moving forward and stay competitive in business.
One day as we drove to a job site, I asked him, “What advice would you give someone who has to pick themselves up from nothing and start over?”
He thought about it as he drove and answered, “The first day starting over is the hardest because you really don’t have anything except your ideas on how you could get better. But if you can make it through that first day without going crazy, and can turn those ideas into real accomplishments, and then slowly, you can find a new life that’s even better than the previous one.”
Over the next few months as I graduate from school and look for a new job, this is what I’ll be doing. I have lots of ideas. I just have to find a way to make them real. Making ideas real, will bring everyone to their next stage in life.
So what are your success stories, or thoughts, that can help me or others?
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