I have a lot going on in the next couple weeks. A cross-country road trip, one of my camps, the National Invitational Tournament of Champions, a Virginia convention, etc. It’s enough to give a grown man an anxiety attack!
But there is a deep concept embedded in all the demands around me. I wish others would capture it in their lives. At the root of all the chaos, responsibility, deadlines, people, conflicts, frustrations, ups and downs, I must admit…
I love every minute of it.
Several years ago, I made three foundational decisions that set my life in a positive motion. I wish others would do the same. These decisions made all the difference in the world:
- I decided to do that which I loved. I started out as a teacher of English. I liked it, but I soon discovered a love for debate. So I started creating products and resources and running camps for other enthusiasts. Here I am today, owner of a publishing company for academic speech and debate, traveling to Arkansas for the national tournament with a SUV full of kids.
- I decided to NOT do that which OTHERS through I loved. There was a resistance that told me to hold a steady job as an English teacher. I went into journalism for a stint, and there was the temptation to stick with it. Security; what I should do. I threw that off about a decade ago and pursued my dreams.
- I decided to create a world that I love. There weren’t sourcebooks when I started, so I created them. There weren’t any debate camps either, so I started them. Creativity is an image-of-God trait (tweet this), and I decided to flex this trait as much as I could. I’m in a very nice world today, one that I love and can’t wait to share.
Are you doing that which you love? Or are you stuck in a grind that isn’t where you should be?
Do what you can to make wise decisions now; they will bear fruit later. The day may come where you look around and see that you’re having the time of your life.
A wise guy (or maybe a wise man) once said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That road to doing what you love that doesn’t fall inside of the “easy” zone takes courage, faith, and a support system. I wouldn’t trade what I’m doing now for the WORLD. While the earnings are sporadic, that is only part of the overall payoff. Being no longer chained to someone else’s definition of a work day, to someone else’s definition of “successful”, to someone else’s definition of “meets or exceeds expectations”, to someone else’s definition of what I “should” be doing at any particular time, really makes a difference. I am free to work as long and as hard as I need to on anything that matters to building my business. I have a picture hanging in my office that was given to me when I was praying through the decision to leave “comfortable and steady” for the world of the unknown. It says “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”
Well said, Rick. I’m meditating on this quite a bit lately…will post more later.