Rockets, Missles & Byrds

Yesterday was a big day for me. Over the last two months I have been applying to new jobs, interviewing, trying to launch a social site and building a consulting business. Yesterday an opportunity with an organization that interested me did not pan out. On paper all aligned perfectly, but sometimes there is something bigger going on in the background. You see, I was at a crossroads in my career and unsure which path to take. As the Byrd's song goes, or the verse in Ecclesiastes, "there is a season (turn, turn, turn)." My next season appears to have come about and I am excited to have clear direction.

This is not a 'midlife crisis', or something that was calculated and timed, but rather a natural progression based my personality, community and timing on a series of events. I have always been creative and entrepreneurial at the core and struggled to "form" into the the corporate world. There was a recent catalyst which was my proverbial push out of my bird's nest of safety I have been maintaining for the last twenty years. Whether is was a push or a bit of a jump is irrelevant as I was ready, and even excited, for it to begin. This leaving of the nest would have begun much sooner if not for the protection and safety it offered my family. You see, the first flight can be a risky one full of fear and uncertainty, but it is not the flight or the fall that gets you, but rather the landing. Another way of looking at it is a launch into uncertainty, the real question is what am I blasting off in...a rocket or a missile? Rockets and missles operate in much the same way, but they have two very different missions. One mission is carry someone or something to a new destination, the other is destructive in nature. Very much like the initial jump from our nest, it is the motivation and landing which really make the difference. I believe this next chapter in my life to be a rocket launch vs. a missile launch. Why, because this mission is not destructive in nature, is focused on self-sufficiency, self-employment (not unemployment as my kids call it) and is an attempt to take myself, and others, to a new 'destination' in our lives. At this point in time I am not certain of the exact location of this mission, but I am excited for the journey to begin. It is a journey that I hope many will join me on.

At this point you may be wondering what is the point of all of this? The point is this. I look forward to sharing this journey with each of you, and partnering on our collective missions in ways where it makes sense. I know that missions are not to be accomplished alone, and I appreciate all who have reached out already to infer on the mission's trajectory and origins. I am happy to share, and fully look forward to each and every conversation, whether it leads to new opportunities or is another chance to share our stories. Regardless of where our journey's take us, I look forward to what lies ahead and all the interactions and relationships to come.

At this point you may be thinking "hey wait, this is really just a big sales pitch." Shamelessly, this may be partially true, but more importantly this is really more of a transition point in my life that I choosing to publicly share with others who may be in a similar inflection point of there lives. Additionally, I have always heard that if you really want to accomplish something you need to tell others and they will help in holding you to it. So, this is my "Jerry McGuire" moment of telling the LinkedIn universe of my plans as well as an invitation for you to hold accountable for making a 'go' of this 'mission'.

I leave you all with the following bit of inspiration I came across this week by Daily Stoic: "Why do we seek to stay in the present moment? Because fretting about the dangers up ahead saps our will to continue. As Cormac McCarthy writes in All The Pretty Horses:

“It is good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were just starting out or else they’d have no heart to start at all.”

The same goes for us on our journey. If we knew exactly how hard it was going to be, how many setbacks we’d face, how cruel and random fate can be, do we honestly think we’d still proceed? Focusing on what’s right here in front of us—forgetting the past and ignoring the future—is an important form of bliss. It is the gift of heart that allows us to forge ahead into the darkness and uncertainty of what lies ahead..."

I could not have said it better myself. There may be uncertainty about what lies ahead, but it gives me comfort in knowing this is where it all begins and that that bliss is waiting.