The Future is now!

What’s good everybody! I hope you’re all having an awesome week.

This week has honestly been a little different for me.

I’ve spent a ton of time thinking about what in the heck I’m going to do with my life. Not because anything is going bad, but actually the complete opposite.

I have two great jobs. My wife is healthy. We have two awesome dogs. Our baby girl is growing and healthy. Life is genuinely good.

But then last week something hit me.

This baby is coming…and it’s coming way faster than I ever realized.

When we first found out Ashley was pregnant, nine months felt like forever away. Then the doctor started talking about scheduling early, and all of a sudden nine months turned into three months…three months turned into eight weeks…and it hit me like a truck.

Man…

I’m not ready.

Then all the doubts started creeping in.

Am I making enough money?

Have I done everything I can for Ashley?

Will she be okay over these next eight weeks?

Will I be the kind of dad my daughter deserves?

Will I be big and scary enough to scare off the boys that want to date her one day? laughs

Will we stay in our hometown?

What kind of future am I actually building?

It’s crazy how life can be going so well, and then one realization changes everything. Not because something bad happened, but because you suddenly realize how much responsibility is about to be placed on your shoulders.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the future.

The future for me.

The future for my family.

The future for my businesses.

And honestly…the kind of world I want my daughter to grow up in.

That led me to one question I want all of you to think about.

If your life stayed exactly the way it is today for the next ten years…would you be excited about it?

If your answer is yes…

Don’t stop doing what you’re doing.

Seriously.

Keep going.

But if your answer is no…

Then we’re probably in the same boat.

I’ve always been someone who chases change. I chase goals. I chase growth. I chase new opportunities.

That doesn’t mean I’m not excited about life.

It just means I know that if I ever lose the desire to grow…I’ll probably lose the excitement for tomorrow too. Every day will start looking exactly like yesterday.

So this week I started asking myself some hard questions.

Where are you in your career?

Are you just paying the bills, or are you building toward something bigger? If you stayed exactly where you are today for the next ten years, would you be proud of where you ended up?

How are your relationships?

Are you giving your spouse or significant other the best version of yourself? Are you becoming the kind of parent your kids will remember? Are the people around you making you better, or just keeping you comfortable?

How’s your health?

If your body looked exactly the same ten years from now, would you be happy? Could you still play with your kids…or someday your grandkids?

Are you chasing money…or freedom?

What does “enough” actually look like?

Will you ever truly have enough?

Because I honestly don’t know if anyone ever does.

There will always be another goal, another business, another house, another truck, another dream.

I don’t think the answer is to stop dreaming.

I think the answer is learning to be grateful for today while still working toward tomorrow.

Those two things can exist at the same time.

And finally…

What’s your purpose?

If someone watched your daily routine, could they guess what your dream is?

Could you sit down with a complete stranger and explain why you’re doing what you’re doing?

After all of those questions, I started thinking about what actually matters.

What are your priorities?

When you’re eighty years old, what are you actually going to care about?

What are you sacrificing today that you’ll never get back?

Does your calendar reflect what matters most to you?

And after answering all of those questions…

Are you climbing the right mountain?

I know…

That was a lot.

You’re probably wondering why I’m asking all of these questions.

The truth is…

I’m asking them because I’ve been asking myself every single one of them this week.

Truthfully…

I’m scared.

I don’t know if I’m making the right decisions for me or for my family.

If I bet on a business…what if it doesn’t work?

If I stay where I am…what if I regret never taking the chance?

Sometimes I wonder if I’m afraid of failing.

Other times…

I wonder if I’m actually just afraid of committing.

But here’s what I realized.

I think we get so caught up trying to survive today that we stop building tomorrow.

Then one day we wake up and realize the days turned into weeks.

The weeks turned into months.

The months turned into years.

So here’s my challenge this week.

Not just for you…

For me too.

Take one step toward the life you’re trying to build.

Read a book.

Have the hard conversation.

Talk to your boss.

Start the business.

Go to the gym.

Apply for the job.

Call your parents.

Do something that moves you one step closer to the person you want to become.

Then ask yourself one more question.

What’s one thing I need to stop doing?

Maybe it’s an addiction.

Maybe it’s comparing yourself to everyone else.

Maybe it’s negative self-talk.

Maybe it’s wasting time on things that don’t actually matter.

One step forward…

And one thing left behind…

Can completely change the direction of your life.

As for me…

Right now I’m paying the bills, and things are honestly pretty tight.

But I wouldn’t trade my life for anything.

I’m blessed with a healthy wife.

A healthy baby girl on the way.

Two awesome dogs.

People who love me.

I still find things every single week where I can be a better husband for Ashley, and honestly, I hope that never changes.

My health is getting better every day.

A couple months ago I was on crutches.

Now I’m walking.

Swimming.

Boating.

Actually enjoying summer again.

No, I’m not built like Sam Sulek yet…but I’m a whole lot further than I was a few months ago.

And maybe that’s the lesson.

Maybe life isn’t about having everything figured out.

Maybe it’s about appreciating where you are while still having the courage to chase what’s next.

Remember…

The world doesn’t need the perfect you.

It needs the real you…

Still trying.

Love you all.

I’ll see you next time!