“There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.” - Bruce Lee
I’m writing this more for myself than anything, but if you are reading it, I hope it can give you some inspiration as well.
My name is Beau, I’m 31 and I’m from Hawaii (although I am currently in Wisconsin now after being in Japan for two years).
I am blessed with a beautiful wife and 11-month old son. My young son has really grounded me, I think, and I am more focused on what’s important now more than ever.
I recently read a really poignant newsletter/blog post from The Simple Dollar, called “Dreams, Big and Little“. As a new parent, this post really floored me:
One of the best parts of my own childhood was the constant understanding that my mother would be there for me if I were ill. I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I’d be at home in a comfortable place and that I’d feel safe.
When I had my first child, it became clear to me that I couldn’t offer such a guarantee of security to my children, not with the career I once had. It bothered me a lot. I know that there are a lot of working parents who simply can’t offer such a thing, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t bother an awful lot of them.
It pushed me to start making some radical changes in my life in terms of how I spent my time and how I spent my money. I started looking for paths to a new career, not because I disliked my old job (I didn’t) and not because I wanted to earn a mint, but because I wanted to have the ability to be there during these moments.
It was that sentiment that led, in a lot of ways, to The Simple Dollar.
In the scope of things, it was a little dream.
I am focused. I am motivated. I too have a little dream.
I have had my own business (either on my own with partners) for the better part of four years. While on the JET Programme in Japan, I did business part-time at nights when I got home. Before that and since I’ve been back, I’ve spent my time on different projects and have had a fair amount of success. However, I feel like I’ve hit a plateau professionally. I’ve grown comfortable with what I have because it’s been enough.
I’m not going to change my career. Rather, I’m in the process of searching for a suitable position where I can thrive and which can afford me the ability to be there financially for my wife and son – a position where “enough” is never good enough.
I’m ready to work for an organization where I can make a significant contribution, one that will continually push beyond my plateaus, and one that will nurture and support my little dream.
The UV index was off the charts yesterday and despite my thorough lathering up, I got zapped hard by the sun.