About a year ago today I was at a crossroads professionally. I was laid off from an organization whose time had run its course. While it wasn’t totally unexpected, it was painful because it raised so many personal questions for me. You know, those things we tell our kids about how they should pursue their passions and bet on themselves. Now suddenly I was thrust into a situation where I had to figure out how to bet on myself. Would I be able to recover from this experience of loss, and instead of personalizing failure, turn this moment into another stepping stone?

On the other hand, for years I’d been working with a group of like minded black practitioners to slowly build paradigm shifting models of community rooted transformation. I had already reached a crossroads when my “side hustle” had outgrown my day job. I was just too afraid to walk away. I had grown accustomed to the comforts of stability. But my purpose was calling. And like the protagonist in my favorite book, The Alchemist reflects, when you’re open to pursuing your purpose, the entire universe conspires to help you. It was time for me to take that chance.

Sometimes it’s an open door, sometimes it’s a push. For me, it took a push. I’m not unfamiliar with this approach, it’s not the first time being laid off allowed me to pivot to my next great adventure (I had previously been laid off in 2015 due to a massive organizational downsizing, right in the middle of purchasing a new home while my wife was pregnant with our third child). Talk about panic! In both cases I had to step into an unknown world with more questions than answers.

Now, a year later I’ve gotten to experience what Will Smith characterized in his book as, the joy of being right about me. I bet on me and won big. I joke with people that I’m virtually unemployable because I have strong ideas and opinions and desire more autonomy than the average person. Sounds like the right ingredients for the work I get to do now as a social entrepreneur.

I’m still writing this story as we speak, but it’s been an amazing ride thus far. This morning while journaling I happened to come across a few commitments I made to myself this time a year ago. I’m proud to say that they’ve guided me well. My daily prayer has been let me be open, flexible, and gracious towards myself and others. This has helped me to maintain a beginners mind posture and an abundance mentality.

Other commitments I made to myself included:

Know when to walk in and out of a room.

Don’t wait for conditions to be “perfect” or even to be “right”.

Sometimes you’ve just got to be willing to go off by yourself and do your own thing, especially when that thing is what you know you need.

Do at least one thing that scares you each day.

Don’t shrink your dreams. For anyone. For any reasons. Even when you have obstacles. In fact, now is the time to expand them.

When does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent!

That last one was to remind me to keep things light and fun. And it has definitely been a fun year. It’s not always been smooth sailing, but I’ve been an active captain of my destiny, and that’s what matters most.

I like the person I’ve become as I’ve settled into this new phase of my career journey. I know that it has positively impacted my relationships as both a husband and father. I can speak to my daughters with more conviction and compassion when it comes to encouraging them to follow their dreams. I’ve been able to reciprocate the support to my wife in support of her dreams (we’re living a double entrepreneurial household life and it’s been a whole learning curve for us). Not coincidentally it’s also been my most lucrative year, these things tend to happen when you’re in alignment.

I bet on me and I won big this year. You already know I’m thinking about next year’s dreams. I’m also thinking about this quote from Parker Palmer, before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Listen indeed. Here’s to a season of listening as we set our intentions for the coming year.

SDW3