Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Welcome to my very first blog post.

Will I save the world with this post? Not likely!

Will I deliver some miraculous cure or transformation that will make you instantly fall in love with me?

Probably not!

In this post, I’m going to break every blogging rule you could think of!

Will there be actionable advice? Will there be some kind of step by step “blueprint” that will magically change your life?

Will you experience some kind of “awakening” by the time you finish reading it?

I would say no to the above, but then again that’s not my intent here (at least with this post) 🙂

Full Disclosure:

This post is NOT going be very focused and will probably much longer then it should be.

But it’s also going to be an honest, open and personal account of my story and why I chose to leave a long and successful career on Wall Street to follow my dreams. I’m not trying to automagically transform you into your healthiest, wealthiest and most sacred self with this post.

Instead, I would like to challenge you to think. To step back and look at your life…and question it, even if only a little bit.

To ask yourself some very difficult questions that only you can answer! Because that’s exactly what I did, which is why I’m writing about it here.

You can hear more about my story in episode zero of the podcast but this is more of a starting point in my journey. This is where it all starts. Is it the end of an era or the beginning of a bold new adventure?

Well, for me it’s a little of both! This website might not look like much to you but it was a hell of an adventure putting it all together! It was in this “creation” that I learned a lot about myself. It took me several months to get it all together and I’m gonna be honest, it wasn’t easy!

What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!

The last thing I like doing is talkin about myself (it’s actually a pet peeve of mine).

So for those of you that don’t already know, I recently left a company that I’ve been with for almost 25 years! In this day and age, being with any company for that long is just unheard of. I guess I’m an anomaly.

Back in the day, the idea of the “American Dream” was to get a job with a good company and hope they didn’t kick ya out until you retired. Unfortunately, those days are long gone!

About two years ago, I learned that a very big outsourcing was in the works. When it finally hit, my position was deemed “unnecessary”. Hey, we live in a new world where you can pretty much outsource anything so why the hell not, right?

 

Adapt or die!

I didn’t take it personally and I wasn’t angry about it either. I’ll be honest, when it did finally happen, I felt completely relieved! In fact it was MUCH more then just that, I actually felt like I was re-born!

Wait a minute, slow down there skippy! You’re probably thinking “What else could he say”?

 

Read on….

This isn’t just about me loosing my job and trying to look at the glass half full here. This was about being unfilled and feeling dead inside for so many years!

It’s about living life on auto-pilot and just going through the motions, day in, day out. I got “content” at work. I might not be the smartest guy around but I can tell you that being “content” with any part of your life is pretty much the kiss of death.

Unfortunately, like most alcoholics don’t really KNOW their alcoholic’s, neither do you when you’re content! You live in a world of denial and I’m talking from experience here.

The logical person might ask, “So why didn’t you leave or just find another job if you were so miserable”?

Great question!

You see, when you are “stuck” (because that’s what it was), it’s difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. Remember that game you played as a kid, Candyland?

Yep, It’s like being stuck in the molasses swamp…and in slow motion to boot! There are so many things that prevent you from moving. If you’re not moving, you are not growing! Click to Tweet

It could be fear, familiarity, insecurity, “contentness” (is that even a word) or any number of other things. I’m sure there are at least a few of you guys out there that might have taken a “temporary” job only to end up never leaving! Maybe you thought, “I’m just gonna take this job until I can find something better”.

Unfortunately, “better” never came. It’s not that better wasn’t always out there, it’s just that you gave up looking for “better” because you got comfortable!

That’s usually how it starts and once it starts, it only gets worse. Kids, mortgage, car payments, credit card debt….yeah, you’re stuck!

You come home after a long and unfulfilled day at work, eat dinner with the family then plop your ass in front of the TV. Then you might have a big glass of soda (or even a bottle) and some chips (hey, you can’t watch TV without a snack, right?) to mask the pain of the mediocre life you are living. You eventually conk out in front of the television, in a diabetic coma from all the “snacks” you just consumed, only to crawl into bed.

You need your rest because you’ll pretty much be doing the exact same thing again…tomorrow! You live for the weekends and although you are miserable at work, you feel “happy” to have (what you think is) a safe and secure job. After all, you have given the company SO much of yourself they just have to take care of you, right?

Can you say “Groundhog Day”???

I know none of YOU guys live your life like this, but there are many people out there that do! So is there a point to all my incessant rambling? I sure as hell hope so!

You see, after I was told I would be out of a job, I was actually offered an even BETTER job with my company! More exposure and of course, more money!

Ahhh…money, we all want more of that, don’t we? 

I just spent almost 25 years of my life on cruise control! Was I ready to make the same mistake again? Would you? It wasn’t easy but I had no choice…I turned the job down! I have to admit it was probably the best decision I ever made!

That was the day I decided to start living again! That was the day I stood up and said “NO MORE”! Keep in mind, this was NOT an easy decision for me! In my family of five, I’m the sole provider and honestly, I was scared shitless! I’m no different then you. I’m vulnerable and I have my insecurities but I just KNEW there was more out there for me.

In order to get what you want in life, you must know what it is you want.

Click to Tweet
I decided I wanted more from life and that’s what I’m going for! I have news for you…..you can do the same thing.

If you are searching for more in your life, that’s a good thing. If you’re not searching, then I’m going to assume you have everything you want in life and well…that’s awesome.

For those that are searching, it all starts with a question. That question is, “What am I doing in my life, right now, to become the person I KNOW I was meant to be”? Your focus should be on you’re passion! What is it that you’re passionate about? It might sound cliché but trust me, it’s not! You’ve probably heard it regurgitated so often and by so many people that you don’t even believe it anymore!

You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you are doing something that really excites you? You know, that “thing” that just brings you to life? Yep, that’s what I’m talking about! THAT is what you need to find and tap into! I’m here to tell you it does exist and it’s out there waiting for you.

Take reality out of the equation for a second and just ask yourself, “What is it that truly moves me”? For some people, it might be easy to identify. For others, maybe not so much.

Focus on your bliss!

Your focus should be on what moves you, period! I know this because I’m living it right now and honestly, it’s good to be on the other side. Follow me on this journey as I intend to share some AMAZING content with you guys! Hopefully things that, if you put into practice, will change your life! I’m going to outline what I’ve learned and utilized in my life and business. I’ll talk about the things that have worked, and some of the things that haven’t, so you can avoid doing them yourself.

Talking with so many successful people, you’re bound to pick up some really great knowledge. I’ve had the good fortune of speaking with a very diverse group of highly successful people and I’ve learned a lot in a short period of time! You can too, I’m no different then you. Let’s do it together!

So until next time, BE AWESOME!

Peace,

Darrin