I’ve always thought its a good idea to keep track of the happenings in any given year so I know whether or not I’m actually doing anything with my life. Not exactly a groundbreaking idea or anything, I know – but its still helpful. So now that I have this blog, I can post my year in review here rather than writing in my journal. So here are the most significant things that transpired for me in 2015.
Next Level Production
The beginning of the year (and end of 2014) was pretty tough. Leaving State Farm and branching out on my own was intimidating. But with the unexpected help of a gentleman from New Jersey, I ended up gaining enough word of mouth to have the opportunity to work with a pretty decent number of clients, which was a lot of fun. I got to do some traveling to which was nice.
Continuity
This wasn’t particularly something I planned on doing. Not even in a short term view – I mean I never really ever planned on writing a book. I always enjoyed writing, I just never would have imagined I could do it in a serious way. The only formal writing I’d ever done prior to Continuity was the sales workbook I wrote for NLP (the pic up top). This was obviously something that never would have happened without the influence of my mother, who as you know passed away in August. Its amazing, really, how even in death she’s the strongest, most supportive person in my life – always giving me the extra push I need when I feel incapable. Its a powerful force to say the least. Truer words couldn’t be spoken when I say I owe everything to her. I only hope that I can fulfill my commitment of commemorating a library to her with whatever career writing will grant me.
Leaving the insurance industry
This was actually a pretty big deal for me. I’d spent the better part of six years in insurance – my entire working life, before leaving to start NLP (which technically was still rooted in insurance). It was basically all I knew, in a professional sense I mean. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed it. After all,with the ideals Mom instilled in me, I always wanted to do something that helped people. So being able to inform people about their insurance programs and truly make sure they understood their coverage was a good fit for me. But on the other hand, I always had this nagging feeling in the back of my head that I wasn’t fulfilling myself. I honestly don’t know why, because insurance is a perfectly respectable career path. It wasn’t until the ordeal with Mom that I truly felt like I’d discovered my purpose.
Working in a restaurant
This is actually super fun. I think knowing I have a book coming out soon sort of helps me in terms of how I perceive the job, making it less stressful (I can look at it more of like an investment in my character). But working in a restaurant has been a huge change of pace – especially when you compare it to insurance. Its also been very humbling. Its been fascinating to transition from an environment where people come to you for advice on their most valuable financial assets (homes, vehicles, and lives) to one where you’re in a food service position. Its somewhat comical, to be honest – or depressing I suppose, depending on how you look at it. But its definitely been an enlightening experience for me, and is actually the precise thing I was hoping to achieve. After all, if I ever want to run a restaurant, no one will respect someone who hasn’t been in their shoes before. But in any case, working in the industry has been a great time so far. I’ve met some incredible people…and I get a pretty sweet discount too : )
Starting this blog
Blogs are funny things. Surely the majority of people that have them (myself included) fully understand that they’re essentially outlets to vent our own (oftentimes narcissistic) viewpoints and meaningless rants. After all, the very nature of a blog is to write about yourself or your opinions. That’s sort of the foundation of self-indulgence.
That said, I’ve tried my best to write about things that I’m truly passionate about. Not necessarily to advance or spread my own agenda, but more to talk about the random things that I constantly think about. If you go back and read a few entries, you’ll undoubtedly see that I’m vehemently opposed to the corruption we face in this world. Its a cynical way to view things, sure. But its a realistic one nonetheless. The way I see it, we live in a twisted world. On a small scale, from the perspective of everyday American life, its easy to overlook (or ignore). But for those that do the research and digging to actually understand what’s going on in this planet of ours…its sickening. And until someone (more like a bunch of someones) steps up to do something about it, it will never change – and we’ll just keep on complaining about the current administration(s) while we overlook the things and people that are pulling their strings.
In any case, this blog has been a great asset to me in terms of therapeutic relief. If nothing else, its comforting to write about and share the goings on in my head. Its like you feel an inexplicable connection with those that read it, as if they know you on a deeper level than others.
The death of my mother
Finally, the most monumentally significant thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve made it abundantly clear by now how meaningful my mother was to me, so I’ll spare you any explanation there. But her passing was one of those instances in life which changes your entire perception of reality. My ideals, my priorities, and my own self image went through a complete and total overhaul when Mom took her last breath. It was devastating, mind numbing, and impacted me in a way that I’ll never come close to describing. She represented everything that’s good about people: she was kind, she was gentle, and she was empathetic. She never judged people. Ever. She displayed an indescribable quality of understanding when it came to other people and the decisions they made. I mean seriously – it was uncanny how nice and kind she was. I know she was my mother and we’re all supposed to say things like that, but I’m a real enough person to be able to distinguish familial bias from objective truth – and this is the objective truth: that woman was almost incomprehensibly good.
So that was 2015 for me. It had peaks, and it certainly had valleys. Chasms, even. But thanks to her, I can say I’m looking forward to 2016 with a sense of cheerful optimism. Mom’s passing has sunk in, giving me a stronger ability to truly reflect on what she taught me and attempt to apply those ideals in a meaningful way. My book should be released in the near future (assuming my publisher stays on the ball). So there’s a sense of exciting, uncertain anticipation which is refreshing. My relationship with my sister has improved significantly in the past months, which is a great thing. So as Mom would undoubtedly point out, there are a lot of positive things happening at the moment.
So here’s to a new year, and new beginnings. I’ll close with a time-honored song which should hopefully instill some feelgood emotions:
How the World Should Work 