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Yep, you read it right, and there is no shotgun involved, this is consentual.
Well, let me digress. A couple of things. I have been on a hiatus. I don't want to call it a quarter life crisis but I'm not sure what else you would call what happened 2 years ago to me. I can remember being in college and uber confident and having this superimposed picture engrained into my mind as to what life and success would feel like at age 28. At 30, and now oh so much more mature (that I even pronounce the word ma-toure)I can't help but laugh at the whirlwind of anxiety and stress I was able to work myself into when said results were not accomplished, or even in the same ball park. It wasn't until I let go, and literally in my mind, I said, I just give in. I had never done it before, there is something un-American about giving up and not fighting, but dude, it felt great. At a certain point, you have to acknowledge that there are some things you can control and some you cannot.
Here is an example of things you can control: the way you eat, how much you work out, when you go to bed, how you treat others, how you treat yourself, how you dress and present yourself, how much you drink, your work ethic, your accountability, and so on. These are conscious decisions that you can make, but the greatest of all of these is attitude, which I am getting toward.
Here is an example of things you cannot control: your family, your friends, your success growth (you can take steps to increase your statistical chances), when you find your partner, if you find a partner, if you dog poops on your roomate's floor, if your dog chooses to eat your roomate's bra and you find out he has a taste for high-end victorias secret lace and you understand where he is coming from, when you get promoted, if you get promoted, and so on down the line.
I'm pretty confident a lot of this misconception in life derives from the fact that our generation fell for the whole line that if you go to college, get in with a company, you will be successful down the line. In the current market, that simply isn't the case, but I understand that my parents were overlooked for many promotions because they didn't have the proper pedigree and that they wanted the best for me, so on and so forth. I get it.
Anyways, I won't forget it, the day it all changed. One day, I was in a coffee shop. Hair down to my shoulders, hot black coffee in front of me (I like it cowboy style if you ever have me over for coffee), and no prospects. Unemployed, no woman, finances sinking-quickly, dog-mexican, truck-pick-up...it literally sounded like a country music song and I just laughed, and was like, I'm trying man, and I'm just not sure where to turn. I was tired of fighting and dating and bouncing sales jobs, it was slippery for sure.
The one thing I had going for me was soccer. I was coaching two soccer teams at the time and this kept my sanity. Once again, soccer to keep me out of trouble. One day, 2 years ago, after a game a parent comes up to me and says they have someone for me to meet. I thought, no thanks, I'm not doing the blind date thing...but she persisted, and told me about a Southern girl who had lived here in SD for 4 years, and just kept going. I thought to myself, ok, what is the worst that could happen. Well, I took her to a concert one Saturday Night to see The Hold Steady, easily the biggest drinking band in America. She put back 3 jack n' cokes and I stayed sober because I was driving and making a first impression. Well, that was 2 years ago and we haven't really left each others side since. Sometimes when you let go, you are really just opening up and making room for something great and unexpected that you cannot control. And sometimes you are just quitting and being lazy, but that is also ok because if it didn't hold your interest then its best to not waste time.
So that's what has been up. Since then I have found a great job in renewable energy and life keeps ticking upwards. As we get older and wiser, we tend to try to surround ourselves with positive people who make life easier and really add value. The world is full of people who want to suck time and life from you, but occasionally you cross path with that person you connect with and its important to hold onto those people. Not that you do not care about the rest, but there are a certain number of extraordinary experiences that can happen in your life, and if you surround yourself with people you connect with, once again you are increasing your probability. If you need an example, when I was single, I would always hit the town with another single guy or gal (wingman) approach, less threatening, shows you have friends, common interest, increased probability.
Everytime I run into people they ask me what is up, where is my blog? It's almost like society feels you have died if you are not on facebook. What happened to Johnson, I never see him on facebook anymore...must have been the polio he caught playing farmville, that sucks. Well, that wasn't the case, I just needed some space, a little breathing room, and frankly unplugging feels good and I really recommend it. But here is what I am offering, I am switching gears on the blog a little bit because I feel I have something to add to the human race besides solar panels and soccer, so when you read a blog, and you think of someone who might like it, go ahead and forward it over to them. If social media has taught us anything is that we are all so interconnected that what is happening with one of us can really help out another, like minds, and so on.
I have a number of great stories and helpful tid bits of information that I am looking forward to sharing. Please follow the blog and if you happen to see an ad that sounds interesting, I invite you to take a look.
