Category: D.E.C.I.S.O.N

Previous post “O – Organize your life in preparation for change”

Also posted on Medium

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“Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within.”   Proverbs 20:5

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The last blog in this series, it has been a great experience so far and I have been amazed at how each one of these stories has touched at least one person who has reached out to me after posting.  I wasn’t sure when I started off on this journey if I’d be able to keep my promise to myself to do this and not to waste the time I have been given while on this extended vacation.  I feel confident in saying that I have not wasted it, not one minute in my opinion.  I have more to do over the coming weeks for sure but what an appropriate one to end on as I close in on what will be my next adventure from a career perspective.

The title of this blog brings me back to a quote from Steve Jobs that I referenced early on “”Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”  How powerful and true!  “Follow your heart and intuition”, this is something I have done in 2017 as much as ever and boy is it paying off.  When I left my job on April 7th I was not sure what was next, but I knew what my heart wanted.  I have actually turned down 2 job offers in my time off, jobs I wasn’t even looking for but people that found me.  I turned them both down with confidence because it wasn’t what my heart wanted and I was following my intuition and putting my faith in God that he would provide exactly what I needed and in the right timing.  As usual, His timing is Perfect…I’ll write more about this in the weeks to come but really exciting things on the horizon for me and my family.

I believe in the title here more than ever “navigate yourself to your calling”, notice it says navigate not “aimlessly float down the river of life and what will be will be”, it says “navigate YOURSELF” don’t wait for others, don’t sit around sulking get moving!  When I left my job the family and I started out by taking a week’s vacation at the Outer Banks of NC.  In the time since then, I have poured myself into learning to code by first going to The Iron Yard for a 2-week evening course, taking 3 Udemy courses on coding and consuming every resource I can get my hands on.  The amount of information at our disposal today is amazing, there are NO excuses.  It has never been easier to learn if you are self-motivated and have a passion for what you are learning.

The important thing here is I have really enjoyed the process and it has really helped begin to navigate me to my given calling.  I have always had a gift for technical things, in fact, a lot of my friends will tell you things magically start working when I touch them.  I’m not sure about that, but I know one thing I refuse to be denied, I don’t look at something for 5 minutes and throw in the towel.  I will stay up all hours of the night to fix something, whether it be that time my PS3 wouldn’t play Call of Duty and I summarily ripped off the “warranty void” sticker and spent the next 4 hours learning about the inner workings of a PS3.  About 3 in the morning I finished up and played 2 hours of Call of Duty (had to reap the reward) or when I had to fix the power windows in my truck and took to YouTube.  This was especially impressive because as good as I am with computers I am equally as bad with cars but I fixed it!

I remember when I was working at Dillard’s in college, I was a sophomore and an Accounting major.  Trouble was I just failed Accounting 102…not too good.  I was pretty bummed about where things were headed and a co-worker and friend was asking me what I enjoyed doing in my spare time and in 1995 my response was “well I like taking apart and upgrading my computer”…this friend said “if you can take apart and upgrade a computer why in the hell are you an Accounting major?!?!”.  I had no words…in fact, I went straight to my counselor the next day and changed my major.  The rest is history I finished up school went through 2 years of self-study getting my Microsoft and Cisco certifications to prepare for the rest of my career.  I hate to think where I would be if that friend hadn’t jarred me into reality and guided me to following my heart, I was able to thank him many years later after accepting my first Vice President position at a software company.

Our God Given calling is a powerful thing and if we just listen to our inner voice and the Holy Spirit our path will become very clear.  This goes hand in hand with my post on “Ignore the temptation to make money the goal”.  I have been fortunate enough to navigate myself to a career that suits me extremely well and is in high demand.  I have also spent my career and life building a network of professional and personal relationships that have served me extremely well also as I noted in “Inquire about opportunities that open for us”.  At the end of the day, this DECISION acrostic proved highly valuable to me and gave me the confidence to take this “Leap of Faith”. None of it was easy, there were no guarantees but I put my faith in God and myself and in the next month or so I will confidently step into the next journey in my career knowing I have found my God Given calling and that He is with me.

I hope you have enjoyed the DECISION series, I have another series queued up that will allow me to share some of my father’s stories as he journaled the last couple of years of his life.  It was a journal I couldn’t bring myself to read until 5 years after his death but the day I did was really powerful and I look forward to sharing some of the stories with you.

Previous post – I – Inquire about opportunities that open for us

Also posted on Medium

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“Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.”

Proverbs 24:27

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I’ll be honest this is not my strongest suit.  I started out my life unfortunately like a lot of college students.  I opened my mailbox one day in 1995 and there was a Visa Gold Card.  This was a time when every student was being offered credit cards with no income and usually a parent’s card they sent them to school with as their “proof of creditworthiness”…I was one of these kids.  I had a $5000 Gold Card which lead to an Eddie Bauer card, Dillard’s card etc. etc.  Oh if I could take anything back in my life it would be this.  I really hope my kids read this blog someday because I’m sure I was warned about the dangers of this, it’s something I paid for until I was in my early 30s.  I hate to think where we could have been with all these great jobs and salaries if we could have just taken this step really early in life.  Alas we didn’t and I don’t look back I look forward, I look at today.

I’m confident God put me through financial challenges and just down right ignorance to make me acutely aware of where my priorities should be and it has felt very good to turn the ship around.  I have been fortunate in many ways as I’ve walked this walk but I’ve finally found myself where I make better decisions, still not perfect by any means.  I mean I LOVE gadgets it is my true weakness, I use the excuse that “I do this for a living” which for the most part is true but I still really enjoy opening up boxes and turning things on for the first time.  The good news is I’m not a fancy things guy, I don’t buy cars, jewelry, houses etc I mostly stick to smaller toys not tens of thousands of dollar toys.

The other thing I did which I am very confident has put me in the position is a bit counter-intuitive to some.  I began to trust God and taking my biblical responsibility to take care of others and use my good fortune to bless those around me more seriously.  I did this with great consistency over the course of the last three years, interestingly enough at the time I began this I didn’t know anything about this DECISION acrostic, we had just found a new church that was just starting in our town, something we had prayed about for many years as we struggled to find a church home.  I met the pastor by chance at a 4th of July gathering, he told me they were having their first services in Rainbow Lanes, a local bowling alley.  I haven’t told the story of my father’s passing yet (which I will) but rainbows are really special to our family and it was the place I decided I’d stop saying yes to everything I wanted, and to start saying yes to opportunities to come alongside people and help them.

I said this is a bit counterintuitive but as I sit here nearly 3 years later I know it was/is extremely intuitive.  Our family has been entrusted with a lot over the last 3 years and I know that my faithfulness in this area has directly impacted my ability to do what I have done and walk away from my job.  We also took a very hard look at our expenses paid off everything we could, cut out subscriptions, stopped clicking that damn Amazon button (at least as much).  Again we are not perfect but I created a spreadsheet got real with what we were spending and where and decided we could use a little clean up around our spending habits.  This absolutely contributed to my confidence in making this decision.  It’s still very hard some days not to just buy everything I want but I know that if I sacrifice today that it will pay off in the end.  I have tremendous Faith and confidence in that today.

What I would tell anyone looking to make a big move in their life is to really take a hard look at things around them.  Do you really “need” that new ride?  Do you really “need” that new house?  Do you really “need” that piece of jewelry?  Most of the time the answer is a resounding no but as humans, we can justify just about any decision.  I decided this time to justify why my family was most important, why what they needed from me had nothing to do with finances or fancy things.  It had to do with showing them that those things are not most important to me, they are.

Previous post S – Seek advice from those around us we trust

Also posted on Medium

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 “…What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.  Revelations 3:7

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I believe that we can directly impact our opportunities by being a good person and treating people with respect as well as working hard of course.  I think too often we get focused on trying to protect our turf and forget we have to spend a huge percentage of time with our coworkers.  Not only that but the fact is the people you work with will go to other companies, you will need other jobs in your lifetime and that task is much easier when you have a network who you’ve proven yourself to over the years.  I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some great people in my career and have done a fair job of staying in touch with them.  In today’s world, it is easier than ever to stay connected with people yet it seems to be the hardest thing to do in practice.  However, it’s that network that will likely lead to our next opportunity so don’t neglect it, you will need it someday.

I found this out when n in 2004 I was changing lanes in my career.  I had spent my early 20s learning everything I could about how a packet of data can get from my house to the other side of the world in the blink of an eye.  I started consuming everything I could on routing, switching, firewalls, security etc. etc. and for the first year I was a bit snowblind with information, but I’ll never forget when the gears caught and I could just “see it”.  It was a great feeling but ultimately I got a bit tired of watching all those lights blink waiting on the next crisis to hit the IT closet so I started to inquire around.  A friend of mine had just gone to a new software company in Raleigh NC and they needed “Sales Engineers”.  I went through the interview process and I wish I could say it was a “hire this man” type scenario but actually this friend had to go to bat for me.  It was a big turning point in my career and I’m very grateful.  It turns out taking technical information and delivering it in a crisp, concise and understandable way is an art and I had a knack for it.  The point here is someone went to bat for me because I inquired about an opportunity and had built trust.  It wasn’t my flawless resume or my charm it was because I asked and someone believed in me.

If you would have known me back then you would have never in a million years thought I would be speaking in front of large audiences about technology or selling anything, I could barely even speak to my coworkers or customers at a college job at a department store.  I lived in a world of self-doubt in my teenage years and into my early 20s which unfortunately a lot of people perceived as being aloof or “better than everyone”.  I can assure you I’ve never believed I was better than anyone.  That said I’m a different person today in no small part to my wife who I’ve been with for this entire ride, over 20 years together.  She has had my back in every decision and trusts in me fully to provide for our family.  

I am comforted by the scripture “…what He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.” with that truth in your heart you just have to trust.  It’s with her support I’ve been able to inquire about opportunities and trust that if it works out God opened it and if it doesn’t God closed it.  I don’t question why either of those things happens even when I am disappointed with the outcome.  I have been able to look back on so many opportunities in my life where the door was shut and in the moment I was devastated but every single time looking in the rearview I see that God was in that too, I just thought I knew best.

During this period of being away from work, I have really stepped back and it has felt great.  I’ve been focusing purely on learning and improving myself.  I’ve also taken the opportunity to inquire about what’s going on around me and what those in my circle are up to.  It has been amazing the response I have received, and it’s the first time I’ve really been able to look back and say with great confidence I have built an awesome network of people who trust me.  I’m confident this will lead to the next opportunity and I can’t wait.

Previous blog I – Ignore Temptation to Make Money the Goal

Also posted on Medium

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 “Form your purpose by asking for counsel, then carry it out using all the help you can get.” Proverbs 20:18

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This one is a little difficult for me. When I set off on my career there was always one person who I knew would shoot straight with me and that was my dad. Through every career decision, every maneuver I made, every hand I played he was my sounding board. I ran through scenarios with him and how I was planning on approaching a situation. What I loved about these discussions was he never told me what to do, he listened, gave me his opinion and sent me off to make my own decisions. That’s one of the things I miss most now that he’s gone.

One of the things he did in the over 2 years he was sick, whether intentionally or unintentionally, was left me with some of his friends that have been there for me. I have also been fortunate enough to make friends along the way who I trust and seek advice from, and of course my relationship with God, the Wisest of counsels. It is so important to talk to people about your plans, whether they be career or life there’s just something about saying things out loud that helps shape the message.

You see this is what I think is problem is, too many people make rash decisions without gathering enough information. I’m not saying you exhaust and belabor every possible angle and get into the dreaded analysis paralysis but don’t just stick your finger in the air and check the wind either, find people who speak truth into your life. There is a delicate balance here and that’s why seeking counsel of people outside of the situation is critical in any decision. What a lot of people do is look to “justify” their desire not truly seek what is best for them or their family. You all know those types, they have a list of reasons (aka justifications) for the decisions they make and funny enough these decisions are typically something they want right now but has very little thought of how that will impact their future.

In this decision, I was lucky enough to have a number of people who I leaned on as I was going through the process, in particular, the 3 I’ll mention here. I had my financial planner, a career mentor, my pastor all of whom I consider friends. As well as some lifelong confidants who I was able to speak to throughout this process. On the day I made this decision I met with those individuals and asked them to challenge my thinking. I wasn’t looking for approval, I was looking for more information. I started by seeking financial guidance, did I really have enough to do this with a wife, 3 kids and lots of responsibilities. The answer here was yes ultimately but what I asked myself was could I afford NOT to make my family a priority right now. The second person I called was my former CEO and friend who has seen a lot in his career and is a straight shooter for sure. In short, his advice was to follow my heart and use my head, he had been through similar circumstances. Last but definitely not the least was my pastor and friend who has been on a 3-year journey with me as I redefine what is important to me in my walk with Christ. He felt I had prepared, sought God and was at peace with the decision. So I did it I sought advice from those around me I trusted and the decision was clear.

I certainly miss being able to have these conversations with dad but there is no doubt he has a hand in everything going on here. We often used the phrase God Winks which is from a book titled “When God Winks”. These are those little things that happen in life, the beacons that let you know you are on the right path. Some people call them coincidences, others call them chance. I don’t believe in either of those things. I have seen throughout my life these little beacons along the way that let me know I’m on the right path. I never take any of those things for granted and I acknowledge them for exactly what they are, confirmation that I’m moving in the right direction and that if I move forward with faith and confidence there’s no telling where life may lead.

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Ignore the temptation to make money the goal.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.  This too is meaningless.”

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This was a commitment I made to myself over 20 years ago, I would NEVER make money the most important goal.  Don’t get me wrong this is not to say I didn’t want to make as much as I could but I didn’t want to do that and sacrifice who I was.  I’ll never forget when I was around 20 years old and ready to leave my college job at CompUSA to move into a role that would set me off on my career path.   I had applied for a Help Desk position at a local company and they offered me $26k a year…”WHAT?!? I’m worth at least $32k!”  I contemplated for a minute turning down this job, but it was right then I said: “nope this is the right job for my career and I’ll show them!”  I left that job over 5 years later with numerous industry certifications and a healthy salary for someone in their mid-20s.

I’m so glad I made this commitment to myself early on and decided to let my work and effort speak for itself.  I continued to rise higher in the organizations I worked for and was climbing the salary ladder all along the way.  I was proud of the fact that my work was recognized and each year my W2 was rising consistently.  We had 3 kids along the way and you begin to grow accustomed to a certain level of income, too accustom in my opinion.  You become a slave to your job and realize if I don’t get up in the morning and go do this job ( I hate ) we have to give up “all this”, all of the material possessions that at the end of the day mean absolutely nothing.

I have been very fortunate in my career to have loved 90% of the jobs I have had and the 10% thankfully didn’t last that long.  The reason for that is when I found myself in positions I didn’t like I never sat back and let it crush me, I worked to align myself with something more fulfilling and most importantly in line with my career plan and went after it.  In my latest role, I was faced with my most difficult decision yet.  After an acquisition, it is typically important to keep the executives around and is a prime opportunity to ensure you are well compensated.  I did just that, though somewhat unintentionally.  I was being honest with my management about where my head was early last year.  It wasn’t in a great place but had little to do with money.  One question asked was “would more money help?”…now I’m not sure who has ever said no to this question but I certainly didn’t.  They came through and certainly removed that part of the decision from the equation, but alas the title of this blog is not “grab as much money as you can and do something that makes you unhappy” if it was I likely wouldn’t be writing this.

In fact, it says “ignore the temptation to make money the goal”.  This is easier said than done especially in this situation, it was the highest paid I’ve been in my career, likely overpaid but no doubt you are worth what someone will pay you so I never apologize for that.  However, it could have thrown a wrench into this decision if it weren’t for that commitment I made to myself and one I verbalized with my latest management team.  “I will not make my decision based on money” and I ultimately I didn’t.  I decided to walk away, but I did so with great confidence.  Not because of a bank account but because God is with me in this decision and I know it.

I love the scripture Ecclesiastes 5:10 “whoever loves money never has enough whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” boy is this true.  I made so many mistakes in my 20s trying to live a life that I had not earned but only one that credit cards could purchase.  It never mattered how much money came in it was never enough because it couldn’t keep up with my continued desire to have more.  I never gave charitably I simply stuffed my pockets, bought more crap I didn’t need and was living the “American dream”…assuming that dream meant credit cards and sleepless nights.  As my salary rose our standard of living outpaced it, the rat race began.

I was very fortunate to have a few things go my way over the last few years after many long years of investing blood, sweat, and tears in startup companies that didn’t go so well.  Now don’t get me wrong I am not in any position to retire, not even close.  Every day I’m out of work is a risk for my family, a calculated risk but a risk just the same.  What I have in this moment is an unwavering faith in a God who says He is all I need.  It’s funny how when we had nothing we spent, spent and spent to try and be something we weren’t.  Now that we have some financial freedom our focus has evolved and we want to experience more of what life has to offer, give generously and not be beholden to our materialistic lifestyle choices.  

I’m really excited about what the path ahead has in store for me and how God will use this story and my life as I set aside my desire for more “stuff” and focus on following my heart.

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Cease anxious thoughts about the future.

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

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Most people who know me would tell you I’m easy going and laid back, and while for the most part that’s true, there are definitely plenty of anxious thoughts.  I’m a constant career planner and think about the future and providing for my family.  I operate on 5-year plans which are actually very simple and were shared with me by an executive early in my career.  He said, “if you don’t have a GPS how do you know when to take an exit?” ( no kidding, I gave him my resignation 3 days later)  The exit, in this case, came up quickly but I knew it was the right one and kept moving forward.  From the time I started my career I was always looking for the next rung in the ladder and over the years became a solid leader.  Primarily because I could rally the troops by genuinely caring about people who worked for me and we would take on any problem.  The rub is, this where anxious thoughts began to creep into my psyche in my latest role.  I was in a place where I was no longer making progress toward my career goals, my family knew it and I was constantly working to take control of the situation.  That’s when it hit me…don’t take control let loose of it for a moment.  For my career that was actually the easy part…in my mind, it was a different story.

I mentioned in my opening blog A Leap of Faith that I lost my father to cancer back in 2010.  I had never really thought of cancer until that day he was diagnosed ( you usually don’t until it hits you right in the mouth ).  He battled for over 2 years and I know he always wondered if he did it to himself by not being healthier.  He had a very rare type of abdominal cancer, but even still I know he thought about it.  I did/do as well, I have not been the picture of health in my lifetime that’s for sure, I’m trying to do better and stay more active…but it was always in the back of my mind…”did I have it?”  

What God has done to help ease my anxious thoughts in this area has been amazing.  I could write another post on these and probably will but…in 2011 the day before my son Everett was born I had my appendix out ( this was one of the suspected causes of dad’s cancer ), then in 2013 I had a hernia that needed to be repaired ( from said appendix surgery and birth ) and finally at 41 in Feb 2017 I had my first colonoscopy.  In each of these instances, I told the doctors my concerns and each time they came back and said “you do NOT have cancer”, with this last one it was during this decision process and man was it freeing.  Now, I’m not naive enough to think I couldn’t still have it but I have been opened up, looked at every which way and I try and cast aside these anxious thoughts and leave them with God.  I don’t think He’s done with me yet.

The bottom line is this rings very true, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  I still worry, things still try and creep in my mind but I am able to more confidently move forward, striving toward my goals by ceasing my anxious thoughts.  I’m sure there will be more of them that creep in over the coming weeks but I’m confident I will be able to overcome them.  Most importantly I know that anxious thoughts do nothing for my mental or physical health.  Worry does not add one minute to your life, but there are times where it feels like it can erode away at it bit by bit and before you know it you’ve worried yourself into an early grave.  I’m not saying I don’t worry at all anymore but I have certainly ceased my anxious thoughts greatly and trust in God fully.

 

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Enter into more quiet time with God

“My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.”  Psalm 119:148

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This is an area that I took very seriously as I was making the decision to leave my job without a job.  I was raised you don’t quit one until you have another one.  I believe this is wise advice overall and I do not advocate anyone going out quitting their job with no savings, no retirement and desire to own expensive cars, clothes jewelry etc.  This took preparation, not a couple of months but many long years as I developed my career, network and a skill set valued by many and made many, many mistakes.  I’ll write another blog on my career and how I navigated the last 20 years as well, but back to the topic at hand.  To make a decision that went against everything I was taught took a lot of soul-searching.

I have historically been the “I will never be able to read the Old Testament” or Bible for that matter kind of guy and used that excuse for many, many years.  The truth is you can do anything you determine is a priority, now I’m not going to sit here and tell you I read the entire Bible before making this decision.  In fact what I’ll tell you is January 2016 I started a year-long reading plan with The Bible Project (these guys are awesome!)…and I’m just finishing up the Old Testament as of April 2017!  So there I admit it, I read about every other day on average.  What I did do however was spent more time thinking and praying about what God was calling me to do, and as importantly how do I get out of the way.  I didn’t necessarily do this at the same time every day but I was in a constant state of reflection and asking for guidance in the quiet moments.  Moments when I was in my dad’s truck, when I was out for a run or on my boat fishing.  My mind is constantly churning anyway so during this time I would focus that effort on gaining clarity in this decision.

It’s easy in these situations to be focused on grabbing the steering wheel and not listening to what your heart has to say.  There is a great quote from Steve Jobs “have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”  The important thing here is the only way to listen to yourself or listen to God is to be still and be quiet.  This is something I have heard a lot of from our church’s leadership and it is so true.  We all get bombarded on a daily basis with so much to do, so many places to be that we are in a constant state of “busy”.  I say this in quotes because I have not met anyone who isn’t busy, I know people who work tons of hours, “I’m busy”, I know people without jobs, “I’m busy”, hell I say it to my kids.  When you are busy but not gaining ground it means you haven’t taken the time to figure out what or who really matters.

I focused not only on reading the Bible more often but spending more time with my family as well as keeping a list of people, struggles of friends, my job all in a note on my phone.  Each morning, or at least most mornings, I sit quietly in my office secluded from the world, in silence just thinking of those people, my circumstance or things that have been laid on my heart.  It is absolutely the best way to start any day, no matter who you are or what you believe.

Try this for 1 week, wake up in the morning and DON’T look at your phone, don’t look at messages, not FaceBook, not that super urgent SnapChat message you missed last night…none of it.  Go about your normal routines (coffee first!) then sit down with yourself and start your day with about 20 minutes of silence and being present and thoughtful.  Think and pray about those you love and care about, areas of your life you want to improve, your kids etc.  I have better days when I do this and even knowing that…I don’t do it every day, go figure stupid imperfect humans.

Give yourself time each day and listen to your inner voice and where it is leading you.  It is so much more fulfilling and satisfying when you stop talking so much and just listen.

Also posted on Medium

 

 

Also posted on Medium

Below are the posts that have followed the original “A Leap of Faith” below. I’ve been encouraged by the response so far and look forward to writing more.

D — Do Our Best

E — Enter Into Quiet Time

C — Cease Anxious Thoughts

I — Ignore Temptation to Make Money the Goal

S – Seek advice from those around us we trust

I – Inquire about opportunities that open for us

O – Organize your life in preparation for change

N – Navigate yourself to your calling

I sit here on the cusp of something really exciting. I am going to take a moment for myself and my family starting April 7th. Away from work and being @somecompany.com I’m just going to be me @gmail.com, just for a minute. I have lists of things I’ve wanted to do for the last 20 years and I’m going to do them, lots of fishing, family fun, coding school at The Iron Yard and even a NASCAR race with one of my closest friends who never thought he’d see the day, lots of fishing! (did I say that already???) The decision to do this wasn’t easy and it didn’t come without a lot of prayers, preparation, and hard work but in the end, it was very simple…we are worth it. I didn’t want to wake up one day having climbed to the top (whatever that means) and never really enjoyed any of it. So, I’m doing this is for me and my family, taking a deep breath and seeing what God has in store for us. He has proven faithful in my journey and as I’ve drawn nearer and become more dependent He trusts me with more and more.

I will share some of the techniques I’ve used throughout the years to cope with challenging situations whether it be a career change like this (chosen or chosen for me), the passing of my father after a 2 year bout with cancer or even how I organize myself on a daily and yearly basis to achieve my goals. You will also see I’m a constant tinkerer I always assume there is a better more efficient way to do just about everything in my life (finally tinkered enough with this to post it 😋). Since I started my career in IT I have always strived to do something today that will make tomorrow easier. I’m very fortunate to be in the position I am right now and I promise myself and my family I won’t waste this time, it is a gift.

This blog is going to start with a technique I used to make this decision. As you will see through my writing I research, and research and research. I tell my kids with YouTube and Google you can do, build or fix just about anything you want. So, I did a quick search for “how to seek God when making a decision” and up popped this link. I’ll spend the next handful of blogs going through how each letter in this acrostic spoke to me and how fulfilling it was when the decision was clear and I had followed through my promise to live this out.

I hope the things I’ll be sharing can help people in some way deal with challenging circumstances or even prepare for exciting life changes. I’ve certainly been humbled by the encouragement I have received from family and friends to make this leap of Faith and I can’t wait to see where things go from here.